Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:
Application Opening: September 22, 2026.
Application Deadline: Applicants are encouraged to apply immediately as this recruitment may close at any time, but no earlier than October 6, 2026.
Annual Salary for position: $91,598 - $111,410.
Appointment Type: This is a Temporary Provisional (TPV) position, limited to no more than 3 years in duration. This temporary position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process. This is considered "at will" and shall serve at the discretion of the Department Head. This position will be subject to the Permanent Civil Service examination process at a later date. Successful participation in the Permanent Civil Service examination and selection through an open competitive process is needed in order to be considered for the permanent appointment.
Positions can be in any of the following divisions/units: DBI- Central Permit Bureau (CPB), DBI- Code Enforcement (CES), or CPC- Record Management Division (RMD).
What We Do:
The Department of Building Inspection (DBI) oversees the effective, efficient, fair and safe enforcement of City building, housing, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and disability access codes for San Francisco's more than 200,000 buildings.
The San Francisco Planning Department (CPC) plays a central role in guiding the growth and development in our City. The Department works with other City agencies and the community to help achieve great planning for a great city. The mission of the San Francisco Planning Department, under the direction of the Planning Commission, shapes the future of San Francisco and the region by: generating an extraordinary vision for the General Plan and in neighborhood plans; fostering exemplary design through planning controls; improving our surroundings through environmental analysis; preserving our unique heritage; encouraging a broad range of housing and a diverse job base; and enforcing the Planning Code.
Under general supervision the Permit Technician II performs a wide variety of paraprofessional, technical, administrative and specialized work involved in receiving, reviewing, processing and issuing building, electrical, plumbing and related permits and applications; determining required inspections; creating inspection records and appointments; maintaining field inspection lists; creating and issuing records requests; and providing permit-related information concerning permit requirements, codes, ordinances, and inspection procedures.
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: This is the journey-level class in the Permit Technician series. This class is distinguished from the Permit Technician III in that the latter has full supervisory responsibility and performs the more complex and technical work of the unit. This class is distinguished from the Permit Technician I in that the latter works under direct supervision performing the more routine and less complex functions.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED: May lead a group of clerical and technical support staff.
MAJOR, IMPORTANT, AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES
According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.
Receives, reviews and evaluates permit applications, construction plans and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy and conformance with local, state and federal building codes and other applicable established criteria. Determines need for pre-permit inspections and needed level of review of plans prior to permit issuance.
Processes and issues various building, electrical and plumbing permits. Determines required inspections, creates inspection records and appointments, and maintains field inspection lists from permit records.
Uses fee schedules and designated calculation methodologies to determine value and calculate and access preliminary and final fees; calculates size-based fees; collects, records and balances permit related monetary transactions. Processes applicable charges through the Department's cashiering system; handles cash, checks and other forms of payment; performs initial reconciliation of receipts and reconciles entries with the City's Permit Tracking System.
Performs extensive and complex entries into the City's computerized Permit Tracking System and other computer-based systems, ensuring accuracy in all data including street names, names of owner(s) project sponsor(s) and design professionals, project characteristics, fees and payments, and permit contractor's information.
Records, logs, compiles and maintains various permit related files, data, documents, plans and reports.
Interacts directly with project sponsors, permit expediters, contractors, the general public and other department representatives relative to plan review, permit routing, construction inspection, notice of violation, records requests, inspection scheduling, special inspections, complaints and code violations. Researches public records with regard to construction drawings, permits, calculations, soil reports and legal descriptions. Disseminates, explains, and interprets information, regulations, and policies and procedures of the department.
Resolves a variety of complex and difficult problems and complaints encountered by staff and department representatives regarding permit and plan submittals and processing, illegal construction, code violations and inspections.
Processes complex records requests associate with building permits, research permit and plans information to respond to records requests, assist customers with plans; process requests from other City Agencies; works with the vendor that scans plans and performs scanning in-house.
May collect data and prepare statistical reports regarding permit intake, issuance and inspections, may lead and/or participate in preparing and processing administrative documents requiring extensive knowledge of department operations, policies, procedures, codes, regulations and ordinances.
May lead the work of others performing building electrical, plumbing and related permit and plan processing work; may plan organize, prioritize and distribute work assignments; may train or provide input into performance evaluations of subordinate staff; may maintain work unit production statistics and prepare related reports; assists in the review and implementation of new unit/office procedures.
Develop and maintain procedure manuals.
IMPORTANT AND ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
Knowledge of: Construction drawing conventions and general information presented on construction plans; legal authority of the department with regards to public disclosure, right of entry, denial of services, permits, enforcement actions administrate regulations and appeals processes; cash handling principles and basic arithmetic; technical terminology.
Skill to: Utilize complex specialized computer software including the City's Permit Tracking System; operating Window Based Personal Computers, point of sale machines, copiers, fax machines and scanners.
Ability to: Read and review building plans and specifications for completeness; read land use maps, assessor's maps, plot maps, specifications, civil, mechanical, electrical, plumbing drawings, energy calculations, and other related documents; use architectural and engineering scales to calculate dimensions and features; calculate and assess fees, apply cash handling principles; independently respond to and resolve day-to-day problems and/or complaints encounter by staff, the public and other in the course of handling office operations and procedures; explain, interpret and apply routine and specialized information, polices, and governmental guidelines and regulations to departments, staff, the public and/or others; research complex data, compile statistical information, and prepare reports for management; learn, understand and apply various state and local laws, codes, ordinances and regulations; communicate clearly and concisely orally and in writing; work with various cultural and ethnic groups in a tactful and effective manner; work independently within established policies and procedures.
These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification. Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.
Experience:
Two (2) years of administrative and technical building, electrical, plumbing and related permit and plan processing experience equivalent to the level of class 6321 Permit Technician I with the City and County of San Francisco which includes reviewing applications for accuracy and completeness, receiving and logging records requests, maintaining inspection records and providing routine permit-related information concerning permit requirements, codes, ordinances and procedures.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS: The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.
Experience with Excel, Outlook, and other computer programs.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
Positions located in the Central Permit Bureau (CPB) and Records Management Division (RMD) may perform tasks such as lifting and/or handling materials weighing up to 30 pounds with the assistance of a hand truck or dolly wheeled platform, if needed.
Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Please review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications and Verification of Experience and/or Education for considerations taken when reviewing applications.
Verification of Education and Experience:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. More information can be found at: https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#verification
All work experience, education, training, and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.
Note: Falsifying one's education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.
Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.
Additional information
Selection Procedures: The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited to participate in the oral/performance interview.
Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:
Information About the Hiring Process
Conviction History
Employee Benefits Overview
Equal Employment Opportunity
Disaster Service Worker
ADA Accommodation
Right to Work
Copies of Application Documents
Diversity Statement
HOW TO APPLY
All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process. No other methods of application will be accepted.
Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110.
Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues.
Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).
Upon successful submission, applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@careers.sf.gov. Keep this email for your records. If you do not receive it, your application was not submitted successfully.
Recruitment Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Analyst Mia Sutanto, via email at Mia.Sutanto@sfgov.org.
The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.
