Port of San Francisco

What Port of San Francisco does

The Port of San Francisco is a municipal port authority and public enterprise of the City and County of San Francisco, founded in 1863, that manages 7.5 miles of waterfront adjacent to San Francisco Bay. It operates under the governance of a five-member Port Commission appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Board of Supervisors. The Port's portfolio includes two full-service marinas (South Beach Harbor for recreational vessels and Hyde Street Harbor for commercial fishing), cruise terminals, public parks (Crane Cove Park, China Basin Park), the iconic Ferry Building landmark, and ground, retail, office, industrial, and maritime industrial leases across the waterfront. It also coordinates construction and encroachment permitting, special event licensing, and the Waterfront Resilience Program — a multi-year initiative launched in 2017 to protect over $100 billion in regional assets from seismic and climate threats.

The Port generates revenue through four principal streams: harbor and berthing fees (recurring monthly berth rentals at South Beach Harbor and Hyde Street Harbor, transient vessel fees, and waitlist application fees of $120 annually), commercial leases of waterfront properties including landmark assets, permit and license fees (construction, building, and encroachment permits priced by project valuation), and special events and sponsorship revenue. Pricing is unit-based for berthing — commercial fishing vessels at $0.57/ft/day plus a 10% environmental surcharge, recreational vessels at $2.18/ft/day plus surcharge, and South Beach Harbor monthly slips ranging from approximately $12.79/ft to $24.04/ft depending on size. Customers span maritime users, waterfront businesses (restaurants, retailers, tour operators), development and event organizers, and the general public visiting the waterfront.

Distribution is entirely direct: the Port operates from Pier 1 headquarters on The Embarcadero, the Ferry Building second floor (commission hearings), the South Beach Harbor office (Pier 40A), and the Hyde Street Harbor office (Pier 47), supported by online portals for event permit applications and permit status checking (Accela). It does not use intermediaries or resellers. Recent strategic priorities include the $55 million federally funded zero-emission ferry initiative, the Fisherman's Wharf Forward revitalization program, the Pier 29 arts and culture tenancy with the Community Arts Stabilization Trust, and a Living Seawall Pilot with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center testing nature-based resilience solutions.

Name

Port of San Francisco

Legal name

Port of San Francisco

Website

https://sfport.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1863

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Port of San Francisco is a municipal port authority that manages 7.5 miles of San Francisco waterfront, operating two marinas, commercial leases including the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf, construction permitting, event hosting, and the multi-year Waterfront Resilience Program. It serves maritime users, waterfront businesses, event organizers, and the public under the City and County of San Francisco.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Port Operations and Waterfront Management

NAICS

Port and Harbor Operations (488310), Port and Harbor Operations (48831)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Maritime & Port Authorities (Public Ports, Harbors, Ferries Terminals) (BPAIALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Harbor Master & Marine Traffic Control (VTS) (TLAHAFAA), Ferry Terminal, Port & Passenger Handling Services (THAEAGAJ), Ferry Terminal & Passenger Pier Operations (Ferry-Specific) (THAIAJAJ), Ground Transportation Interface & Intermodal Connectivity (Taxi/Bus/Rail, Parking) (TLAHAEAH)

Keywords

• Port authority management
• Maritime harbor services
• Waterfront property leasing
• Construction permit services
• Maritime infrastructure operations

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Harbor and Berthing Fees: Revenue from berth rentals at South Beach Harbor and Hyde Street Harbor, including transient vessel fees, monthly berthing rates, and waitlist fees.
2. Permit and License Fees: Revenue from construction permits, building permits, encroachment permits, and various licenses for activities on Port property.
3. Commercial Leases: Ground, commercial, retail, office, industrial and maritime industrial leases including landmark properties like the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf.
4. Special Events and Sponsorships: Revenue from event permits, licensing fees, and sponsorship arrangements for events held on Port property.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Port of San Francisco is a municipal port authority that develops, markets, leases, administers, manages, and maintains 7.5 miles of San Francisco waterfront. It operates two harbors (South Beach Harbor for recreational vessels and Hyde Street Harbor for commercial fishing), issues construction and encroachment permits, manages commercial ground, retail, office, industrial and maritime industrial leases including the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf, and coordinates the Waterfront Resilience Program to protect regional assets from seismic and climate threats.

Product overview

The Port of San Francisco is a municipal entity managing 7.5 miles of waterfront that operates a diverse portfolio of services rather than a single unified product. Core offerings include the Waterfront Resilience Program (seismic and climate protection), two harbors (South Beach Harbor for recreational vessels and Hyde Street Harbor for commercial fishing), construction permit services, public parks (Crane Cove Park, China Basin Park), event hosting capabilities, and the Rising T.I.D.E.S. internship program. The Port also maintains the historic Ferry Building landmark and offers the Harbor Walk educational walking tour of Fisherman's Wharf.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• South Beach Harbor Marina Berthing

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and strategic.

• JacobscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026Jacobs has served as program manager for the Port of San Francisco's Waterfront Resilience Program since its inception in 2017. The multi-year initiative protects 7.5 miles of waterfront from seismic and climate threats. Jacobs continues to guide the program's next phase of development, strategic planning and engineering.
• PA ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPA Consulting partners with Jacobs as part of the Waterfront Resilience Program team, providing strategic planning and engineering support alongside Jacobs for the multi-year initiative to protect San Francisco's historic waterfront.
• San Francisco GiantsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe San Francisco Giants contributed accessible crossing treatments to enhance pedestrian safety near Oracle Park as part of the Terry Francois Boulevard Bike and Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project. The Giants are a major tenant in the Mission Bay/Mission Rock area.
• San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFMTA led roadway design and installed striping, signage, and pylons for the Terry Francois Boulevard improvement project. Collaborated with Port and Public Works on multi-agency safety improvements.
• San Francisco Public WorksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Francisco Public Works completed roadway paving as part of the Terry Francois Boulevard Bike and Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project. Partnered with Port and SFMTA on the multi-agency effort.
• Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local fishers to operate the 'Fish Market at the Wharf' weekly pop-up market at 101 Al Scoma Way. Supports the historic fishing fleet and provides fresh, locally caught seafood to the community every Saturday.
• Community Arts Stabilization TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPort Commission approved a lease with the Community Arts Stabilization Trust to create the city's largest combined artist studio and exhibition space at Pier 29, advancing arts and cultural development on the waterfront.
• Smithsonian Environmental Research CenterstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Port and Smithsonian Environmental Research Center announced promising early results for the Living Seawall Pilot, testing nature-based solutions for waterfront infrastructure resilience.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Vancouver Fraser Port Authority: Canada's largest port, a federal port authority managing cruise, cargo, and waterfront real estate. Comparable in port-authority governance and diversified revenue, but serves a different national regulatory environment.
• Port of Long Beach: Adjacent Southern California municipal port authority with significant cargo operations. Comparable in California municipal governance and waterfront stewardship mandate, but primarily cargo-focused rather than tourism/leasing.

Direct peers

• Port of Oakland: Adjacent San Francisco Bay municipal port authority managing container, bulk, and passenger operations including a maritime berthing portfolio. Directly comparable in governance structure, customer mix, and Bay Area operating environment.
• Port of San Diego: California coastal municipal port authority managing cruise terminals, marinas, and waterfront real estate including hotels and restaurants. Highly comparable in tourism-dependent revenue mix and waterfront lease portfolio.
• Port of Seattle: Municipal port authority managing cruise terminals, marinas, commercial real estate, and fishing operations in a major U.S. Pacific city. Closest peer in terms of diversified revenue (cruise, marina, real estate, fishing) and public-enterprise governance.
• Port of Miami: Municipal port authority operating the world's largest cruise port alongside cargo and real estate. Comparable in cruise-and-leasing revenue mix and municipal governance, but distinct geographic market.

Broad incumbents

• Port of Houston Authority: Large municipal port authority managing cargo, cruise, and real estate along the Houston Ship Channel. Comparable in public-authority structure and multi-stream waterfront business model, but primarily bulk-cargo oriented.
• Maryland Port Administration: State-operated port authority managing cruise terminals at Baltimore and cargo operations. Comparable as a government port authority with cruise and mixed-use waterfront assets, though smaller tourism component.
• Port of Los Angeles: Largest container port in the U.S., also a municipal authority. Comparable in public-entity governance and maritime infrastructure mandate, but vastly larger scale and primarily cargo-focused versus SF's tourism-and-leasing mix.
• Port of New York and New Jersey: Bi-state public port authority operating marine terminals, cruise facilities, and waterfront real estate. Comparable in public-authority governance and diversified waterfront business model, though at much greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SFPort
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLO6pECak9U4usxcnTuJqtut7ECL1SquKX
• Facebookfacebook.com/portofsanfrancisco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Port of San Francisco