Gutters and Roofing for San Francisco
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San Francisco, in short
Who takes care of the street tree in front of my house in San Francisco?
The City does. Since Proposition E, which San Francisco voters approved in November 2016, Public Works cares for the City’s street trees and for sidewalk damage that street trees cause. The sidewalk beside the tree is still yours to keep up, and planting or removing a street tree takes a permit.
The story of San Francisco
San Francisco, “California’s only consolidated city and county”, in the State Senate committee’s words.
The State Library’s research guide says San Francisco dates its origins to 1776, when a presidio and a mission were founded under Spanish rule. A trading village called Yerba Buena grew beside the Bay in the 1830s, and an ordinance of January 30, 1847 gave the town the name San Francisco. After the gold discovery, the guide says, “the population of San Francisco exploded”, and after the 1906 earthquake and fire the city “soon recovered and celebrated its renaissance with the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915”.
The National Park Service says: “The Ramaytush are the original peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula, including Alcatraz Island.”
In 1776, the Presidio Trust says, Spain built a military fort, a “presidio”, overlooking what is now San Francisco Bay; the State Library’s guide adds that a mission was founded the same year.
The Presidio was operated as a military post by Mexico from 1822 until 1846, the Presidio Trust says, when the United States Army took it over after winning the Mexican-American War.
In the 1830s, the State Library’s guide says, a trading village known as Yerba Buena was established next to San Francisco Bay under Mexican jurisdiction.
On January 30, 1847, the State Library’s account says, Lieutenant Washington Allon Bartlett of the U.S. Navy, the first Anglo alcalde, signed an ordinance that the name San Francisco “shall hereafter be used in all official communications and public documents, or records appertaining to the town.”
After the gold discovery, the guide says, “the population of San Francisco exploded, and in the following decades it became California’s financial, industrial, and cultural center.”
The Consolidation Act of 1856 joined the two bodies: “Originally the county of San Francisco was much larger than the city, but after the Consolidation Act of 1856 they became synonymous,” the guide says.
Recreation and Park says Golden Gate Park was created from windswept sand dunes in the “Outside Lands”, starting in 1870, by surveyor, designer and first Superintendent William Hammond Hall, and that the Conservatory of Flowers, opened in 1879, was its first formal structure.
SFMTA says San Francisco’s cable cars were “Invented here 150 years ago and named a National Historic Landmark in 1964”.
The Public Library says its doors first opened on June 7, 1879, in Pacific Hall, a rented space with 6,000 books in a Bush Street office building in the Financial District.
The Ferry Building first opened on July 13, 1898, the Ferry Building Marketplace says, as a transportation hub.
On April 18, 1906, the SFPUC says, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake destroyed “over four square miles and more than 28,000 buildings in San Francisco.” Afterwards, Recreation and Park says, 200,000 homeless residents camped in Golden Gate Park, and Mission Dolores Park, which the City bought in 1905, served as a refugee camp for more than 1,600.
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 was the city’s celebration of its recovery, the State Library’s guide says, and Recreation and Park says the Palace of Fine Arts was “Originally built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition”.
A granite building “housing 200,000 volumes” opened as the Main Library in the Civic Center on February 15, 1917, the Public Library says. When the “new” Main Library opened on April 18, 1996, the old one was repurposed as the Asian Art Museum.
In 1931, Stern Grove’s history page says, Rosalie M. Stern bought the Greene family’s 12 acres and gave the grove to the City in memory of her husband Sigmund, and in 1938 she founded the Stern Grove Festival Association.
San Francisco Opera says the War Memorial Opera House, a California Historical Landmark, opened on October 15, 1932 with a performance of Puccini’s Tosca.
Coit Tower has been an emblem of the skyline since its completion in 1933, Recreation and Park says, and the murals inside its base, painted in 1934 by artists employed by the Public Works of Art Project, “depict life in California during the Depression.”
The War Memorial says the Herbst Theatre is “distinguished as the site of the United Nations Charter signing in 1945.”
The Presidio Trust says the Presidio was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1962; Congress created the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1972, the Presidio joined the national park system as part of it in 1994, and the Presidio Trust began operations in 1998.
The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake damaged the double-deck Embarcadero Freeway, which was demolished, the Ferry Building Marketplace says, and in 2003 the Ferry Building reopened after a four-year restoration that turned its nave into the marketplace.
In 2017, Recreation and Park says, “San Francisco became the first city where every resident lives within a 10-minute walk of a park.”
Fire safety
Your fire department
The San Francisco Fire Department says its mission is “to protect the lives and property of the people of San Francisco and its visitors from fires, natural disasters, accidents, hazardous materials incidents, and other causes requiring a rapid and skilled response by land or water”.
Fire prevention
The Department’s Division of Fire Prevention and Investigation says it is “dedicated to providing the citizens of San Francisco with courteous professional service through continuous and efficient fire prevention practices, code enforcement, fire investigation, and public education”.
See 3 more
The City’s own firefighting water
The SFPUC says the Emergency Firefighting Water System was built in 1913 as an independent high-pressure water supply dedicated to fire protection, after the 1906 earthquake and fire showed the need. It includes approximately 135 miles of pipes, and the SFPUC lists 30 new cisterns built for firefighting, 15 of them in the Western neighborhoods.
The SFPUC’s list of completed projects is headed ‘as of February 2026’
Free neighbourhood emergency training (NERT)
NERT Basic Training is free: “six sessions, each 4 hours long, for a total of 24 hours”, and “Anyone who lives or works in the City of San Francisco is welcome to become a NERT.”
Clearing leaves and needles from roofs and gutters
We found no San Francisco rule on keeping leaves and needles off roofs and gutters. The 2025 San Francisco Fire Code, the Fire Department’s amendments to the California and International Fire Codes, “Effective January 1st, 2026”, holds none in the 85 pages we read; the base California Fire Code it amends was not read here.
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San Francisco this month
Storm season: Public Works offers San Francisco residents and businesses up to 10 free sandbags to protect properties prone to flooding during severe rainstorms. Pickup is Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Marin Street/Kansas Street gate of its operations yard; bring proof of address.
The San Francisco blog starts when there is enough local news to keep it current.
Culture and history
A name from 1847
Yerba Buena became San Francisco by an ordinance of January 30, 1847. More in The story of San Francisco, below.
Golden Gate Park
Recreation and Park says the park offers its 1,017 acres “from bucolic lakes and meadows to vibrant activity destinations”. More in The story of San Francisco, below.
See 10 more
The Ferry Building Marketplace
The skylit nave of the Ferry Building, 660 feet long, is a marketplace today. More in The story of San Francisco, below.
Cable cars
SFMTA’s page: “Choose from three cable car lines – two start at Powell and Market and continue to the Fisherman’s Wharf area; one starts at California and Market and continues to Van Ness Avenue.”
Palace of Fine Arts
Originally built for an exhibition in 1915. More in The story of San Francisco, below.
Mission Dolores
The Mission calls itself “the oldest intact building in the City of San Francisco”. More in The story of San Francisco, below.
Stern Grove Festival
The festival’s page thanks everyone for its 2026 season and says “See you next summer for our 90th season!” It calls itself “The Nation’s Longest-Running Free Music Festival” and says it has brought free live music to San Francisco for 89 years.
Page read Oct 7 and again Oct 27 2026
SF Sketchfest
The San Francisco Comedy Festival’s page lists the next festival for January 14 to 31, 2027.
Page read Oct 7 and again Oct 27 2026 (initial lineup due Nov 13)
Bay to Breakers
The race’s page lists the 2027 run for May 16, 2027 and says it has been “Pushing boundaries and breaking records since 1912”.
Page read Oct 7 and again Oct 27 2026
Outside Lands
The festival’s page says “See you in the park August 6-8, 2027.”
Page read Oct 7 and again Oct 27 2026
Comedy Day
Recreation and Park says that “Since 1981, this five-hour show has featured nearly 1,000 comedians performing free of charge at Robin Williams Meadow every September.”
Tree Lighting at McLaren Lodge
Recreation and Park says: “Each December, we kick off the season with carnival rides, games, and a visit from Santa at McLaren Lodge.”
Community
San Francisco Historical Society
It “preserves, presents and promotes the city’s history, arts and culture for the past, present and future”, and has had its permanent home since 2019 on Commercial Street, “the site of the first Branch Mint in the West”.
San Francisco History Center
The Main Library’s Koshland San Francisco History Center “contains a research collection of books, newspapers and magazines, photographs, maps, posters, archives and manuscript collections, and ephemera, documenting all aspects of San Francisco life and history.”
See 3 more
Community gardens
Recreation and Park “supports and manages a program of 42 community gardens (and growing!) on City-owned property, where members can grow produce and ornamental plants for personal use.”
Legacy Business Registry
The City says “A Legacy Business is a for-profit or nonprofit business that has operated in San Francisco for 30 or more years”, and that its registry has over 400 of them.
Precita Eyes Muralists
A community-based mural arts organization founded in 1977 in the Mission District; it works “to enrich and beautify urban environments and educate the public about the process and history of community mural art”.
City rules and regulations
The City’s reroofing permit
The City’s page on reroofing permits says: “If the work requires plans or involves replacing structural components, get an over-the-counter (OTC) building permit.” Its over-the-counter permit page says reroofing “must be applied for on the PermitSF permitting portal”.
The City’s pages carry no date
Untreated wood shingles and shakes
The Building Code says “Untreated wood shingles shall not be permitted” (section 1507.8.5) and “Untreated wood shakes shall not be permitted” (section 1507.9.6).
2025 edition
See 2 more
Pruning a street tree
The City’s page says “The pruning of street trees without prior permission is a violation of Article 16 of the Public Works Code and penalties will apply.” If you need a street tree pruned before its scheduled pruning, “contact the Bureau of Urban Forestry first.”
When you buy or sell Report of Residential Building Record (3R)
The Department of Building Inspection’s page says: “Owners or realtors are legally required to provide the buyer with a 3R report, according to the housing code.” It adds that “The 3R report only contains the history of building permits.”
The page carries no date
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Storms, flood and drainage
The 100-year storm flood map
The SFPUC defines a 100-year storm as a storm with a 1 percent probability of occurring at a particular location in a given year, a very intense storm. About 2,100 parcels are on the Flood Map, about 1 percent of the parcels citywide, and about half of them are residential. The map was updated in December 2024.
Map updated December 2024
Report street flooding and clogged catch basins
The SFPUC says: “Please report clogged catch basins, street flooding, sewer backups or wastewater odors to 311 online at sf311.org, on the app for Android and iPhone, or by calling 3-1-1.” and “If you experience a backup from your plumbing or flooding, contact a plumber.”
Page read Oct 7 2026
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Programs, loans and insurance
Roof for Seniors Program: a forgivable loan of up to $30,000
The City’s page says the program “helps low-income seniors and/or disabled homeowners stabilize, repair, or replace a damaged or leaking roof, roof vents, and gutters”, with assistance “up to $30,000 as a forgivable loan to seniors living in certain San Francisco census tracts”; the page lists the tracts and links a map to find yours. “The loan will be fully forgiven 5 years after completion of improvements if the senior continues to own the home and live in it as their primary residence.” You must own and occupy the home, at least one household member must be 62 or older or permanently disabled, and household income may not exceed 80% of the Area Median Income: for 2026 the page lists $90,750 for 1 person and $129,700 for 4 people (the page lists the other household sizes). “The entire process may take up to 10 months after the application is submitted.” Phone (415) 701-5500. The page uses no open or closed word; it says applications “are reviewed on a first come, first served basis; funds are reserved for those who meet all program requirements.”
Page undated; read Oct 7 and again Oct 27 2026; income limits are the page’s 2026 figures
Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco: critical home repair loans
The Home Preservation Program offers “a 0% interest loan, with no payments due until the end of the 30-year term or if the home is sold, whichever comes first”, and its San Francisco page lists “Roof repair or replacement” and “Insulation and weatherization” among the repairs. The page lists “Owner-occupant of the Home as their primary residence” among the requirements. Its San Francisco page says “Applications are open now.” and “Loan amounts up to $200,000 are available for home improvement and repair needs in San Francisco.”, while its Critical Home Repairs page says “in amounts between $25,000 and $75,000 for improvement and repair needs”. The San Francisco page adds “availability is limited at this time” and that a completed application may go on a waitlist.
Pages read Oct 7 and again Oct 27 2026
See 9 more
Rebuilding Together San Francisco: home repair
The nonprofit “provides home repair and renovation programs for homeowners, renters, non-profit organizations and community spaces.” Its application page says: “Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. We have funding to serve 100 people before December 31st, 2026.” Income limits are based on area median income; the page’s table gives $98,500 for a household of 4. Phone 415-905-1611. Its Our Services page lists “year round home repair and modification work” and “addressing accessibility, structural repairs, and fall prevention installations”, and names no roof or gutter work.
Funding line runs to Dec 31, 2026; pages read Oct 7 and again Oct 27 2026
SFPUC Floodwater Grant: up to $100,000 per property
The grant “can provide a maximum grant amount up to $100,000 per property” for flood protection, for San Francisco property owners who experience flooding from the public right-of-way or from backflow events from the sewer system during heavy rains. The SFPUC’s guidebook lists what must be met, among them a site visit and flooding analysis by the grant team and an active SFPUC wastewater account. Ineligible costs include “On-site maintenance and repairs such as roof repairs or clogged pipes”, and “Any work completed prior to receiving funding approval letter from the grant team” is ineligible. “A grant may be considered income and may be taxable.” Contact (415) 523-4412.
Guidebook of September 2025; program page read Oct 7 2026
SFPUC lower sewer lateral repair or replacement
The SFPUC says: “If the SFPUC inspection determines that lower lateral repair or replacement work is necessary, under most circumstances, the SFPUC will complete this work at no extra cost to you.” The lower lateral is the part between the curb and the sewer main; a plumber who finds the need tells the SFPUC by calling 3-1-1. “The upper sewer lateral is an extension of your home, even if you can’t see it, which means you’re fully responsible for it.”
The page carries no date
SFPUC Stormwater Credit
The SFPUC says “Customers who capture stormwater on their property using green infrastructure to help improve the performance of the sewer system can apply for this credit”, and “We will calculate credits based on the area of a property that drains to green infrastructure when it rains.” The page says the Commission approved these changes on May 23, 2023, and that they came into effect on July 1, 2023.
Commission approval May 23, 2023; in effect July 1, 2023
Check back SFPUC Green Infrastructure Grants for Homes: check back
The SFPUC pilot “provides grant funding for green infrastructure projects on residential properties”, such as “rain gardens, permeable pavement, infiltration trenches, and rainwater harvesting cisterns”. The page says: “Due to overwhelming interest in the Green Infrastructure Grants for Homes program and limited funding, we have now filled the available spaces for the Pilot Program Participants.” It offers an interest list.
Page read Oct 7 2026; the page’s own dates are Spring 2025 and 2011-2025
Check back Senior Home Repair Program: check back
Rebuilding Together San Francisco’s page says: “The Senior Home Repair Program is no longer accepting applications”.
Page read Oct 7 2026
BayREN EASE Home: weatherization for income-qualified homes
BayREN “covers 80% of the cost for essential weatherization upgrades, including insulation and duct sealing. Your portion is capped at 20% of the project cost.” To qualify, household income must be “under or at 120% AMI”, and you “Live in a single-family home (four or fewer units) built before 2010” and “Are a PG&E customer”. The page lists San Francisco among its nine counties and does not mention roofs or gutters.
Page read Oct 7 2026
PG&E Energy Savings Assistance: free home upgrades
PG&E’s page says: “Upgrade or repair heat pump water heaters, furnaces, lighting-even refrigerators.” Participants “must live in a house, mobile home or apartment that is at least five years old”, renters and homeowners alike. Apply online or call 1-800-933-9555. PG&E serves San Francisco; the program page does not name San Francisco.
Page read Oct 7 2026
Check back Earthquake Brace + Bolt: check back
The California Residential Mitigation Program’s Earthquake Brace + Bolt offers “a grant of up to $3,000 toward a building code-compliant earthquake retrofit” for wood-framed, pre-1980 homes with a raised foundation in eligible ZIP Codes, San Francisco’s among them on the 2025 list. The program says: “The EBB Program is currently closed.”
ZIP list of 2025; closed state read in Chrome Oct 20 2026 (California sheet)
Who serves your home in San Francisco
- Fire: The San Francisco Fire Department.
- Water: The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), whose home page says it is “Providing retail drinking water, power, and sewer services to the city.”
- Sewer: The SFPUC; “most of San Francisco is served by a combined sewer system”, in its words.
- Storm drains: The SFPUC, which counts 25,000 storm drains, or catch basins, in the city.
- Garbage: Recology, whose San Francisco pages describe the standard residential service; “State and local laws require that all properties in San Francisco arrange for organics, recycling, and trash services.” The City’s page names the current license collectors as Recology Sunset Scavenger and Recology Golden Gate.
- Electricity: CleanPowerSF, the City’s community choice program, run by the SFPUC, buys the power; PG&E delivers it and sends the bill. Hetch Hetchy Power, also run by the SFPUC, serves municipal customers.
- Gas: PG&E; San Francisco is on its gas service territory list.
- Air: The Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which regulates stationary sources of air pollution in the nine counties around San Francisco Bay, San Francisco among them.
Useful links: San Francisco Unified School District · San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) · SFPUC Flood Map (100-year storm flood risk) · San Francisco Public Works (sandbags and street trees) · SF311 (report street flooding and clogged catch basins) · San Francisco Recreation and Park Department · San Francisco Public Library · NERT, the City’s free neighbourhood emergency training
The homes of San Francisco
According to the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 survey, by our own calculation about 45 percent of San Francisco’s housing units were built in 1939 or earlier and about 76 percent before 1980. About 30 percent are one-unit homes, about 20 percent are in buildings of two to four units and about 49 percent are in buildings of five or more units.
About 1870-1910
Victorians
The Planning Department’s bulletin describes the Victorian styles by “multi-textured or multi-colored walls, asymmetrical facades, and steeply pitched roofs”, and says “The use of wood, false fronts, and raised basements differentiate San Francisco Victorians from other nationwide examples.” The Second Empire style is recognised by its mansard roof, “a dual-pitched hipped roof, often with dormer windows in the steep lower slope.”
1906-1930
Craftsman, and the rebuilding after 1906
The bulletin says “After an estimated seventy-five percent of the city’s housing stock burned in the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, many buildings were replaced in new, fashionable styles of the Progressive Era.” Craftsman structures “are typically of natural wood construction and siding with shingles or clapboard siding” and have “projecting eaves with structural wood elements”.
1915-1940
Spanish Colonial and Mediterranean Revival
The bulletin says the Mediterranean Revival style is “extremely popular in San Francisco” and that “the majority of residences constructed west of Twin Peaks post-1920 are a derivative of the style”, with “red tile roofs and parapets, white- or pastel-colored stucco walls”.
1925-1950
The Sunset District’s one-story-over-garage houses
The Planning Department’s history of the Sunset District says nearly all its single-family houses share “small-scale massing; one-story over integrated garage; a prominent, often deeply recessed garage opening; flat roof; ornamented parapet; and front yard setback.” It says there are “no known examples outside of San Francisco (and later, Daly City)” of the format.
1935-1970
Contractor Modern and midcentury
The bulletin says “Approximately 51,000 buildings – more than a third of San Francisco’s building stock – were constructed between 1935 and 1970”, and that the midcentury modern style uses “flat or shed roof forms”.
Across the city
The rooflines you see
The Residential Design Guidelines say “Predominant rooflines found on buildings in San Francisco include front gabled, multi-gabled, hipped, or flat.”
Older roofs and gutters need a different hand: Gutter Repair · Roof Repair · Gutter Installation
The story of San Francisco
History and character
The National Park Service says: “The Ramaytush are the original peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula, including Alcatraz Island.”
In 1776, the Presidio Trust says, Spain built a military fort, a “presidio”, overlooking what is now San Francisco Bay; the State Library’s guide adds that a mission was founded the same year.
The Presidio was operated as a military post by Mexico from 1822 until 1846, the Presidio Trust says, when the United States Army took it over after winning the Mexican-American War.
In the 1830s, the State Library’s guide says, a trading village known as Yerba Buena was established next to San Francisco Bay under Mexican jurisdiction.
On January 30, 1847, the State Library’s account says, Lieutenant Washington Allon Bartlett of the U.S. Navy, the first Anglo alcalde, signed an ordinance that the name San Francisco “shall hereafter be used in all official communications and public documents, or records appertaining to the town.”
After the gold discovery, the guide says, “the population of San Francisco exploded, and in the following decades it became California’s financial, industrial, and cultural center.”
The Consolidation Act of 1856 joined the two bodies: “Originally the county of San Francisco was much larger than the city, but after the Consolidation Act of 1856 they became synonymous,” the guide says.
Recreation and Park says Golden Gate Park was created from windswept sand dunes in the “Outside Lands”, starting in 1870, by surveyor, designer and first Superintendent William Hammond Hall, and that the Conservatory of Flowers, opened in 1879, was its first formal structure.
SFMTA says San Francisco’s cable cars were “Invented here 150 years ago and named a National Historic Landmark in 1964”.
The Public Library says its doors first opened on June 7, 1879, in Pacific Hall, a rented space with 6,000 books in a Bush Street office building in the Financial District.
The Ferry Building first opened on July 13, 1898, the Ferry Building Marketplace says, as a transportation hub.
On April 18, 1906, the SFPUC says, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake destroyed “over four square miles and more than 28,000 buildings in San Francisco.” Afterwards, Recreation and Park says, 200,000 homeless residents camped in Golden Gate Park, and Mission Dolores Park, which the City bought in 1905, served as a refugee camp for more than 1,600.
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 was the city’s celebration of its recovery, the State Library’s guide says, and Recreation and Park says the Palace of Fine Arts was “Originally built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition”.
A granite building “housing 200,000 volumes” opened as the Main Library in the Civic Center on February 15, 1917, the Public Library says. When the “new” Main Library opened on April 18, 1996, the old one was repurposed as the Asian Art Museum.
In 1931, Stern Grove’s history page says, Rosalie M. Stern bought the Greene family’s 12 acres and gave the grove to the City in memory of her husband Sigmund, and in 1938 she founded the Stern Grove Festival Association.
San Francisco Opera says the War Memorial Opera House, a California Historical Landmark, opened on October 15, 1932 with a performance of Puccini’s Tosca.
Coit Tower has been an emblem of the skyline since its completion in 1933, Recreation and Park says, and the murals inside its base, painted in 1934 by artists employed by the Public Works of Art Project, “depict life in California during the Depression.”
The War Memorial says the Herbst Theatre is “distinguished as the site of the United Nations Charter signing in 1945.”
The Presidio Trust says the Presidio was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1962; Congress created the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1972, the Presidio joined the national park system as part of it in 1994, and the Presidio Trust began operations in 1998.
The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake damaged the double-deck Embarcadero Freeway, which was demolished, the Ferry Building Marketplace says, and in 2003 the Ferry Building reopened after a four-year restoration that turned its nave into the marketplace.
In 2017, Recreation and Park says, “San Francisco became the first city where every resident lives within a 10-minute walk of a park.”
San Francisco, roof and gutters
The National Weather Service’s 1995 climate memo describes San Francisco as about seven miles by seven miles, at the northern end of a peninsula. Public Works says the city possibly has over 26 microclimates, and the memo adds that “The diversity of San Francisco’s microclimates in general and its rainfall patterns in particular must be considered when utilizing the data from a single site.”
Yearly rain averages about 22 inches at the two nearest federal weather stations, Downtown San Francisco (22.89 inches) and Oceanside, on the west side (20.64 inches), by NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals and our own calculation. At both, November through March brings about 84 percent of the year’s rain, and June through September together bring less than half an inch.
The SFPUC says that stormwater “enters the combined sewer system through building roof drains or the catch basins along the street”, and that most of San Francisco is served by that combined system. It adds that “During intense storms, residents may see stormwater ponding at intersections where storm drains have become blocked by debris, including leaves, pushed by the runoff.”
The City’s Urban Forest Plan says San Francisco’s streets and parks “resemble a global arboretum with over 200 species of trees”, and that the big early plantings were mostly blue gum eucalyptus, Monterey pine and Monterey cypress. The Forest Service’s 1993 species pages say blue gum bark is “shreddy, peeling in large strips” and Monterey pine needles “persist for approximately 3 years”. The City’s street-tree inventory lists the London plane, the Brisbane box and the New Zealand Christmas tree as the three most common street trees.
We have been working on Bay Area roofs and gutters since 2002. If yours hasn’t had a look in a while, we’d be glad to come by.
Landmarks and parks
Ferry Building
The Ferry Building Marketplace calls its clocktower “iconic” and 245 feet tall, “looming over Market Street”.
Coit Tower
“A slender white concrete column rising from the top of Telegraph Hill”, Recreation and Park says.
Golden Gate Park
Recreation and Park says it offers something for everyone, “from the Japanese Tea Garden to Stow Lake”.
Palace of Fine Arts
Recreation and Park calls it “one of the most photographed sites in the City”.
Mission Dolores
Today, the Mission says, “the Mission Dolores Parish comprises both the Basilica and the Old Mission.”
The Presidio
Its 1,500 acres include “spectacular vista points, restored natural habitats, trails, picnic areas, museums, historic sites, art installations, schools, a golf course, a campground, hotels and restaurants”, the Presidio Trust says.
Golden Gate Bridge
The Bridge District’s page gives its length with approaches as 1.7 miles and the height of a tower above water as 746 feet.
War Memorial Opera House
Home of San Francisco Opera, which says “We have been thrilling audiences in San Francisco since 1923.”
Cable Car Museum
It “Houses a collection of historic cable cars, photographs, mechanical displays and gift shop” and is run by the nonprofit Friends of the Cable Car Museum.
Sigmund Stern Grove
Recreation and Park calls it “Home to the famous free summer concerts”.
How we can help in San Francisco
Why Sunshine Gutters and Roofing
- Family-owned since 2002, trusted by thousands of returning Bay Area homeowners
- Licensed (CSLB #1053780), bonded, with $2 million in general liability coverage
- Our own crew, never subcontractors
- We keep track of local regulations, fire safety rules and insurance programs
- We show you what we found, with photos, so you decide what happens next
The year in San Francisco
| January | SF Sketchfest, the San Francisco Comedy Festival (January 14 to 31, 2027) |
|---|---|
| March | The wet stretch ends (November through March) |
| May | Bay to Breakers (May 16, 2027) |
| July | The San Francisco Marathon, held each July |
| August | Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park (August 6 to 8, 2027) |
| September | Comedy Day at Robin Williams Meadow, every September |
| November | The wet stretch begins (November through March) |
| December | Tree Lighting at McLaren Lodge, each December |
San Francisco questions
What San Francisco homeowners ask us
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in San Francisco?
To replace it, yes. The City has a reroofing permit, and where the work needs plans or replaces structural parts such as framing or decking, an over-the-counter building permit. The Building Code’s list of work exempt from a permit (section 106A.2, item 13) names reroofing only when it involves no work on the roof sheathing and “the total surface area of the roof reroofed in any 12-month period does not exceed 25 percent of the entire surface area of the roof.” If you wish, we can also pull the permit for you, as most of our customers ask us to.
Can I remove a tree on my property in San Francisco?
It depends on the tree. The City’s page says “Permits are required for planting or removing street trees and significant trees.” The Public Works Code (section 810A) calls a tree on private property significant when any portion of its trunk is within 10 feet of the public right-of-way and it has a diameter at breast height in excess of 12 inches, a height in excess of 20 feet, or a canopy in excess of 15 feet. Removing one follows the street-tree rules: the City posts a notice on the tree 30 days before removal, a hearing is held if anyone objects in writing, and “For each tree removed, a replacement tree is required.”
Is my home in the 100-year storm flood zone in San Francisco, and where do I get free sandbags?
To find out, the SFPUC asks you to “click on the searchable map below and enter your address” on its Flood Map page. The map shows flood risk from stormwater runoff only; it “does not show flood risk from other causes, such as water coming in from San Francisco Bay, the Pacific Ocean, or lakes”. Free sandbags come from San Francisco Public Works.
Where may I send my downspouts in San Francisco?
San Francisco’s Plumbing Code (section 1101.2.1) says: “All storm water or casual water from roof areas, balconies, lightwells, courtyards or similar areas which total more than 200 square feet (18.4 square meters) aggregate shall drain or be conveyed directly to the building drain, or building sewer, or to an approved alternate location based on approved geotechnical and engineering designs.” It adds: “Such drainage shall not be directed to flow onto adjacent property or over public way, including sidewalks.”
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Get a free estimate
We usually respond promptly within the day. Phone first for emergencies: (510) 525-0880.
Where we work
San Francisco neighbourhoods we serve
Sunset/Parkside
The Planning Department’s history says the Sunset District “contains over 25,000 buildings-more than 15% of the City’s building stock.”
Inner Richmond
Outer Richmond
Marina
Recreation and Park runs the Marina Yacht Harbor, which it calls “The oldest recreational marina operating in San Francisco, and perhaps the Greater Bay Area”.
Pacific Heights
North Beach
Presidio
The Presidio Trust says “The Presidio is like a small town, home to 3,000 residents and 200 organizations.”
Treasure Island
The City’s 2025 hazards plan counts Treasure Island, with the Farallon Islands, within the county’s boundaries.
Haight Ashbury
Castro/Upper Market
Mission
Noe Valley
Bernal Heights
Glen Park
Potrero Hill
Also serving nearby: Daly City · Brisbane