San Francisco / Kitchen remodeling
Kitchen Remodeling in San Francisco
78% of San Francisco homes are in multifamily buildings. Since September, their kitchens can be permitted online.
Most San Francisco kitchens sit in flats, condos and apartments, many in buildings older than 1940. We remodel kitchens here with the permit path, the electrical work for induction and the trade permits sequenced from the first visit.
SAN FRANCISCO AT A GLANCE
How San Francisco handles kitchen remodels.
San Francisco moved kitchen and bath permits online, opened that path to multifamily buildings in 2026, and pays bill credits for going electric. The old buildings still set the pace.
- 2,000+
- minor kitchen and bath permits submitted in 2025
- 78%
- of the city's housing is in multifamily buildings
- 2 days
- for most over-the-counter permits, per DBI's 2025 review
Permits
PermitSF portal
Minor kitchen remodels with new fixtures, appliances and counters, and no wall or structural changes, are filed online. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are moving to the same portal.
(628) 652-3200PermitSF expansion ↗Energy
CleanPowerSF Electrify Your Home
Bill credits of up to $150 for electric cooking, $300 for an electric dryer and $1,200 for a heat pump water heater, paid at $50 a month.
(415) 554-0773Electrify Your Home ↗Old wiring
BayREN EASE Home
Income-qualified owners can get up to $2,000 toward knob and tube remediation when the project includes insulation, duct work or induction cooking.
EASE Home eligibility ↗Lead
Pre-1979 buildings
Paint in buildings completed before 1979 is presumed to contain lead, so demolition is done lead-safe with at least 3 days' notice to affected parties.
Lead-safe work guide ↗WHAT WE PLAN IN A SAN FRANCISCO KITCHEN
Keep the walls, or open the room?
A kitchen that keeps its walls and was legally permitted can now go through PermitSF online, including units in older apartment buildings. Opening the kitchen to the living room means drawn plans, structural review and over-the-counter permitting. We show both options at the site visit.
Same-layout kitchen
New cabinets, counters, fixtures and appliances without moving walls qualify for the online PermitSF kitchen permit.
Opening a wall
Removing or moving walls requires plans by a designer, architect or engineer, and structural work goes through plan review.
Induction and electric
CleanPowerSF credits up to $150 for electric cooking. We run the 240-volt range circuit and check the panel load in-house.
Condos and flats
Units in R-2 buildings built before 1991 qualify for the online path. Electrical and plumbing must be done by contractors.
Old wiring behind the cabinets
Most homes built before 1950 used knob and tube wiring. BayREN's EASE Home program pays up to $2,000 toward remediation for eligible homes.
Laundry in the kitchen
New washer, dryer or laundry sink hookups need plans. CleanPowerSF credits $300 for replacing a gas dryer with an electric one.
DESIGN IDEAS
Kitchens to start the conversation.
Drag the divider to compare before and after, or open an image for a closer look.
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CLEANPOWERSF AND BAYREN
Credits for an electric kitchen.
CleanPowerSF pays its credits on the electric bill after the upgrade, and requires DBI permit compliance. We prepare the permit records for the application.
CleanPowerSF
Electric cooking
up to $150
Range or cooktop installed on or after April 14, 2026, paid over three months.
CleanPowerSF
Electric clothes dryer
up to $300
Paid over six months, for laundry moved or rebuilt with the kitchen.
CleanPowerSF
Gas meter removed
$300 more
When the kitchen is the last gas appliance in the home.
BayREN
Knob and tube remediation
up to $2,000
EASE Home, income-qualified, with induction cooking, insulation or duct work in scope.
Amounts from cleanpowersf.org, sfpuc.gov and bayren.org, October 2026. Program terms can change.
Planning the work
How a San Francisco kitchen project runs.
Site visit
Free visit. Walls, structure, panel, gas line, venting and the building's permit history.
Design and permits
Online kitchen permit or plans for over-the-counter review, with separate electrical and plumbing permits.
Demolition and rough-in
Lead-safe work in older buildings, then electrical, plumbing and framing inspected before drywall.
Finishes and credits
Cabinets, counters and appliances, trade finals, building final, then the CleanPowerSF application.
WHAT HOLDS UP SAN FRANCISCO KITCHENS
Problems San Francisco homeowners run into, and how we plan around them.
From local reporting and the city's permit pages.
An open-plan idea turns a quick permit into a plan review.
Removing a wall means plans and structural review, so the open and closed layouts are compared before design starts.
Residents wait months and pay for what should have been simple permits.
Kitchens that keep their walls go online through PermitSF, which has handled minor kitchen and bath permits for multifamily buildings since September 2026.
Inspectors from different trades cannot see each other's results.
We track every trade permit ourselves and book the electrical and plumbing finals before the building final.
Insurers decline homes with knob and tube wiring.
Circuits behind the kitchen walls are replaced while they are open, and the BayREN rebate is checked for eligible owners.
A debris box or truck in the street needs its own permit.
The Public Works street space permit, and a contractor parking plan for major work, are requested with the building permit.
Sources: Mission Local, February 2025; ABC7 News, March 2025; sf.gov PermitSF announcement, September 2026; SF Public Works fee schedule.
Do I need a permit for a kitchen remodel in San Francisco?
Yes. San Francisco requires a permit before renovating a kitchen or replacing its fixtures. A same-layout remodel of a legally permitted kitchen can be filed online through PermitSF, while layout changes need plans and over-the-counter review.
Can I remove a kitchen wall in San Francisco without plans?
No. Removing or relocating walls requires plans prepared by a designer, architect or engineer, reviewed over the counter at the Permit Center. Projects that need more than one hour of plan review go to in-house review instead.
Does CleanPowerSF give a credit for an induction stove?
Yes. CleanPowerSF credits up to $150 for electric cooking installed on or after April 14, 2026, paid at $50 a month for three months. Removing the gas meter as part of a full electrification adds another $300.
Can condo owners get a kitchen permit online in San Francisco?
Yes. Since September 14, 2026 households in multifamily buildings can use the express online path for minor kitchen and bath remodels, which previously served only single-family homes. Owners in R-2 buildings may do drywall or carpentry themselves but must hire contractors for electrical and plumbing.
Is there a rebate for replacing knob and tube wiring in San Francisco?
Yes. BayREN's EASE Home program pays up to $2,000 to remediate active knob and tube wiring and $300 to certify that it is inactive. Homes must have 4 or fewer units, be built before 2010, use PG&E, and the household must earn 120% of area median income or less, with insulation, duct work or induction cooking in the project.
Do I need separate electrical and plumbing permits for a San Francisco kitchen?
Yes. Electrical and plumbing permits are separate from the building permit, and registered contractors can get them instantly online. The kitchen's final inspection cannot be scheduled until the electrical and plumbing permits pass their own finals.
