Heating and cooling in San Francisco
San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection (DBI) lists $290 for a mechanical permit on a single residential unit's gas appliance, meaning a furnace, hydronic heat or heat pump, with a maximum of two inspections. That's the figure for permits issued on or after July 12, 2026, from DBI's Table 1A-C. The same table says a separate permit is required for each structure, condominium unit and existing apartment unit. DBI handles building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits, and applications go through its PermitSF portal: register, then apply online.
Its permit-services page has an online route, without plans, for replacing the pipes that carry gas, hot air or cool air, and DBI's September 2025 fee table says payment clears before the permit issues or any inspection is booked. DBI also runs a Plumbing Inspection Division. If the quote is for a new air conditioner or heat pump, check the refrigerant. Since 2025, R-410A is out for new home split systems statewide, because CARB bars refrigerants with a GWP of 750 or greater in new residential air conditioning equipment.
The quote should name what goes in. PG&E serves San Francisco County. If you smell gas, leave and call 9-1-1, then PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. PG&E says to shut off the gas at the appliance valve if a pilot light goes out, wait five minutes, and have a furnace serviced once a year.
What heating and cooling work costs near San Francisco
Nobody's given us a quote for work in San Francisco yet, so this page can't show a city price. The California page lists what technicians earn (the California median in 2025 BLS wage data is $36.24 an hour, which is their pay, not your price). How we estimate costs.
Permits for heating and cooling work in San Francisco
Under the California Mechanical Code, replacing a furnace, air handler, coil or condenser needs a building permit, and so does adding ducting, as the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) told C-20 contractors in a 2010 letter. Code details vary by city and county, so ask the building department for your address what it needs.
Heating and cooling jobs in San Francisco
Sources for San Francisco
- SF DBI Table 1A-C (July 2026) Read Oct 20, 2026.
- Department of Building Inspection, SF.gov Read Oct 22, 2026.
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 17 section 95374 (Cornell LII) Read Oct 20, 2026.
- Gas Safety | PG&E Read Oct 20, 2026.
- PG&E Service Area Read Oct 20, 2026.
- Permit services, SF Department of Building Inspection Read Oct 23, 2026.