Department of Building Inspection Annual Report Fiscal Year 2016-2017 | Page 5

Dear Customers and Stakeholders,
As our City’s construction boom continues, though at a less torrid pace than what we’ve seen in
the last few years, DBI remains committed to protecting building and life safety in San Francisco
through the consistent delivery of our core services:
• Review of construction plans, and the issuance of permits;
• Inspection of construction projects to ensure compliance with building, plumbing, electrical,
housing, and disability access codes; and
• Pursuit of code enforcement, where warranted.
In fiscal year 2016-17, we issued more than 66,900 permits and conducted over 156,000
inspections with cost valuations of projects constructed at over $5 billion dollars.
We continued to administer cornerstone programming—promoting the City’s affordable housing
stock and safe, code-compliant construction through the Additional Dwelling Unit Program
and advancing seismic safety citywide through the Mandatory Soft Story and Private School
Evaluation programs. Now in their fourth and third years, respectively, the Mandatory Soft Story
Program and Private School Evaluation Program help protect some of the City’s most vulnerable
structures and provide more effective seismic safety throughout our City.
In recognition of the importance of community education and participation in keeping
San Francisco safe as one of the world’s highest at-risk seismic zones, we have continued
to expand our emergency preparedness grants programs. For the second year in a row, the
Seismic Safety Outreach Program has been extended to new neighborhoods, bringing in-
language, hands-on workshops and trainings to more than 11,000 participants over the past
two years.
DBI oversees the building safety of San Francisco’s more than 200,000 residential and
commercial buildings and is supported by a staff of nearly 300 dedicated professionals who
provide excellent service to customers and stakeholders. The achievements outlined in this
annual report are made possible by their commitment as DBI works to protect the building and
life safety for all who live, work, and visit San Francisco.
Sincerely,
Angus McCarthy
Commission President
Tom C. Hui, S.E., C.B.O.
Director
Department of Building Inspection, Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Annual Report
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