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San Francisco City Council Approves Ordinance Streamlining Temporary Use Authorizations, Extending Pop-Up Retail to Three Years, and Easing Permit Requirements

  • When: 2025/07/15
  • Address: Citywide, San Francisco, California
  • City: San Francisco
  • State: California
  • Category: Zoning Code Modification
  • Subcategory: Process Updates
  • Asset Class: Commercial
  • New Zoning: Amended Citywide Temporary Use Regulations
  • New Zoning Description: Streamlines and simplifies processes for temporary use authorizations, expands permitted uses, and extends maximum durations for certain temporary uses, including Pop-Up Retail and seasonal political campaign offices. Also clarifies rules for interim activities on development sites and within commercial spaces.
  • Previous Zoning: Existing Citywide Temporary Use Regulations
  • Previous Zoning Description: Previous Planning Code sections governing temporary uses, which were fragmented, inconsistent in application, and offered limited durations or flexibility for various temporary uses.

The San Francisco City Council approved an ordinance amending the Planning Code to streamline and simplify the process for obtaining and extending temporary use authorizations. This legislation aims to activate vacant commercial spaces, improve regulatory clarity, and support equitable access to physical space for temporary uses, aligning with the broader PermitSF initiative. Key changes include extending the maximum period for Pop-Up Retail temporary uses from 60 days to three years, explicitly permitting seasonal political campaign offices for up to one year, and removing previous Section 311 notification requirements for intermittent activities. The ordinance also consolidates existing Pop-Up Retail and Pop-Up Activations provisions and eliminates geographic restrictions for interim activities on development sites, allowing them citywide. These reforms are expected to reduce permitting delays and increase predictability for small businesses, non-profits, and community groups.

Source

City Representative - John Carroll