City and County of San Francisco

What City and County of San Francisco does

The City and County of San Francisco (CCSF) is a chartered municipal government entity established in 1850, operating as a unified city-county under the California state constitution with a mayor-council governance structure led by Mayor Daniel Lurie (46th Mayor, inaugurated 2025) and an 11-member Board of Supervisors. The government serves approximately 800,000 residents and tens of thousands of businesses by delivering essential municipal services including public safety (Police, Fire, Sheriff), healthcare (Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Laguna Honda Hospital plus 14 clinics), housing and homelessness services, permitting and inspections, vital records, elections, transportation (SFMTA), utilities (Public Utilities Commission), and airport operations (SFO). Over 25 agencies and departments operate under the Office of the City Administrator (Carmen Chu), which oversees more than 1,000 staff, while operating units such as Public Works maintain 1,600-person workforces backed by $384M annual budgets.

CCSF's digital technology platform centers on sf.gov as the official service portal, supplemented by the SF311 mobile application (multilingual: English, Chinese, Spanish, Filipino), the PermitSF digital permitting portal, the Property Information Map (PIM) GIS tool, the MyChart patient portal, the DAHLIA affordable housing portal, the Assessor-Recorder Community Portal, and SFGovTV for live and on-demand government meeting streaming. The city publishes over 400 datasets through its DataSF open data portal and operates the 311 Customer Service Center 24/7 in 160+ languages. Distribution spans physical locations (City Hall, Permit Center, Rent Board, Department of Building Inspection, Department of Public Health, Department of Elections), telephone, mobile apps, and web channels — an omnichannel architecture designed for universal accessibility.

The revenue model is structured as a public-sector budget rather than commercial monetization, drawing from diversified streams: property taxes (Proposition 13 framework), business taxes and registration fees, permit and inspection fees, Rent Board annual fees, document recording and vital records fees, and health services revenue including Medi-Cal billing. Pricing is statutory or transactional (marriage licenses, birth certificates, building permits tiered by project value), with no commercial tiers. Service segments include residents, businesses, healthcare seekers, people experiencing homelessness, and immigrants/refugees, with multilingual access serving San Francisco's diverse population. Strategic emphasis in 2025–2026 has been on permitting reform (centralized permitting organization, PermitSF portal), digital modernization (fiber at fire stations), and homelessness reduction (lowest unsheltered homelessness level in 15 years reported May 2026).

Name

City and County of San Francisco

Legal name

City and County of San Francisco

Website

https://sf.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1850

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The City and County of San Francisco is a chartered municipal government serving 800,000+ residents and businesses through 25+ departments delivering public safety, healthcare, permitting, housing, and vital records via omnichannel digital and physical platforms including sf.gov, SF311, and PermitSF.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Taxes: Property taxes assessed by the Assessor-Recorder and collected by the Treasurer & Tax Collector based on Proposition 13 and other California property tax laws.
2. Business Taxes and Registration Fees: Businesses operating in San Francisco must register, renew annually, and pay taxes and fees. Fictitious Business Name filings and updates.
3. Permit and Inspection Fees: Fees collected for building permits, inspections, plan reviews, and penalties by the Department of Building Inspection.
4. Rent Board Fees: Annual fees collected from owners of San Francisco residential dwelling units, as mandated by the San Francisco Rent Ordinance.
5. Document Recording and Copy Fees: Fees for recording documents (deeds, liens), purchasing certified copies of marriage certificates, birth certificates, and other vital records.
6. Health Services Revenue: Revenue from healthcare services including Medi-Cal billing, fee-for-service travel health visits, and other health network services at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Laguna Honda Hospital.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The City and County of San Francisco is a consolidated municipal government that delivers a wide range of public services to residents, businesses, and visitors. Its core offerings include permitting and regulatory services (building, business, and street-use permits), vital records issuance, public health and behavioral health services through the SF Health Network, affordable and supportive housing programs, homeless outreach and shelter operations, public safety coordination, civic engagement and immigrant services, and recreational and cultural programming. The city operates both physical service counters and a growing portfolio of digital portals and mobile applications that allow constituents to access services online.

Product overview

The City and County of San Francisco operates SF.gov as its central digital government services portal, offering a comprehensive platform through which residents, visitors, and businesses access all city services, department information, and online transactions. The digital ecosystem includes the SF311 mobile app for service requests and complaints (available in Chinese, Spanish, Filipino, and English), the PermitSF digital permitting platform for streamlined construction and business permits, the DAHLIA SF Housing Portal for affordable housing lotteries, the Property Information Map (PIM) for building and permit tracking, the Assessor-Recorder Community Portal for property assessment management, and the MyChart patient portal for SF Health Network healthcare services. The city also provides a Rent Board Housing Inventory and Fee Portal and maintains a 311 Customer Service Center accessible 24/7 via phone, web, and mobile in over 160 languages. These digital products collectively enable citizens to access government services ranging from permitting and housing to health care and personal records.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SF311 App: Mobile application for requesting City services, reporting problems, and accessing information 24/7
• PermitSF
• SF Health Network
• DAHLIA SF Housing Portal

Products and services

• SF.gov Unified Service Portal
• SF311 Mobile App and Customer Service Center

Quantifiable outcome

• 50.89% voter turnout in June 2026 election with 271,520 ballots counted from 533,546 registered voters
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Office of the County ClerkcoreOthersIssues marriage licenses and performs civil ceremonies at City Hall. Partners with Assessor-Recorder for recording public marriage licenses.
• Assessor-RecordercoreOthersRecords public marriage licenses and issues marriage certificates. Partners with County Clerk for marriage record management.
• Mayor's Office of Housing and Community DevelopmentcoreOthersCollaborates on affordable housing programs, down payment assistance, and homelessness prevention initiatives.
• Department of Building InspectioncoreOthersReviews building permits and conducts inspections through the Permit Center for construction and renovation projects.
• SF PlanningcoreOthersReviews entitlements and zoning compliance for development projects. Co-located at Permit Center.
• Fire DepartmentcoreOthersProvides fire safety plan review and inspections as part of the permitting process.
• Public WorkscoreOthersManages public infrastructure permits, street use permits, and sidewalk repairs. Co-located at Permit Center.
• Office of Small BusinesscoreOthersProvides one-on-one business assistance and support for small business permits and compliance.
• Zuckerberg San Francisco General HospitalcoreOthersMajor acute care hospital providing inpatient, outpatient, emergency, and psychiatric services. Part of SF Health Network.
• Laguna Honda HospitalcoreOthersAcute medical, rehabilitation, and skilled nursing services. Part of SF Health Network.
• Homelessness and Supportive Housing DepartmentcoreOthersCoordinates homeless services including outreach, shelter access, and supportive housing programs.
• Human Services AgencycoreOthersProvides CalWORKs, County Adult Assistance Programs, food assistance, and workforce services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• City of New York: The largest municipal government in the US, providing the same core bundle of services (311, permitting, health, housing, transit, public safety) to its residents. Most directly comparable to CCSF in scope, scale, and the breadth of citizen-facing digital services.
• City of Los Angeles: Another large California municipal government operating 311 (LA311), building permitting, public health, and homelessness services. Comparable to CCSF in regulatory structure, permitting challenges, and California-specific policy environment.
• City of Chicago: Major US municipal government with comparable 311 services, permitting, transit (CTA), and public health network. Operates as a consolidated city with a mayor-council structure similar to CCSF.
• City of Boston: Mid-to-large US city government offering 311 services, digital permitting, public health, and housing programs through a modernized citizen-facing website (boston.gov). Comparable to CCSF in scale, density, and digital modernization trajectory.
• City of Seattle: Tech-forward municipal government of similar size and density to San Francisco, operating 311-like services, permitting, and homelessness programs. Comparable to CCSF in policy environment and challenges with homelessness and housing affordability.
• Government of the District of Columbia: A consolidated city-equivalent jurisdiction providing similar services (311, permitting, public health, transit) under a mayor-council governance model. Comparable to CCSF in serving as a unified city-government entity with significant autonomy.
• City of Philadelphia: Large consolidated city government that operates a 311 service, public health department, permitting, and housing programs. Comparable to CCSF in operating as both city and county with a unified mayor-led administration.
• City of Austin: Rapidly-growing US municipal government with comparable 311 services, permitting, and digital modernization efforts. Comparable to CCSF in offering a unified citizen portal (austintexas.gov) and tackling urban growth pressures.

Broad incumbents

• Los Angeles County: A much larger county government providing public health, social services, and regional infrastructure adjacent to CCSF. Comparable as a broader public-sector entity delivering health and human services at scale.

Regional players

• King County: A Washington-state county government serving the Seattle metro area with public health, transit, and social services. Comparable to CCSF in operating as a county-level provider of public health and human services alongside municipal functions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sfgov
• YouTubeyoutube.com/sfgovtv
• Facebookfacebook.com/SF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-and-county-of-san-francisco
• Instagraminstagram.com/sfgov

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City and County of San Francisco