San Francisco Municipal Codes & Ordinances

Municipal Codes

Municipal Codes are the codified laws of the City and County of San Francisco. The Government Information Center (GIC) is the only department of the San Francisco Public Library that maintains print copies of current and historical City and County of San Francisco Municipal Codes. In print, the municipal codes comprise a set of 27 volumes available for consultation at the GIC’s Reference Desk. Accessible online are the current San Francisco Municipal Codes.

Building Codes

Building Codes are the codified laws governing building and construction for the City and County of San Francisco. Although the city is subject to the state’s building codes, it has developed its own building codes in order to best address its building and construction needs. These laws are specific to the city’s unique environment, geology, and topography as well as to its historical preservation of landmark architectural structures.

Sunshine Ordinance

Sunshine Ordinance The San Francisco Municipal Code, Chapter 67, The San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance of 1999 establishes that the “Government's duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public.” This sets forth that all business conducted by all agencies and departments of the City and County of San Francisco must be performed with respect to the people’s right to know.

Ordinances, Resolutions and Motions

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative branch of the City and County of San Francisco government. Legislation generated by the Board of Supervisors is passed by majority vote with final approval or veto by the mayor. The resulting legislative documents are ordinances, resolutions and motions. These legislative documents are a part of the GIC’s San Francisco Documents Collection.

Ordinances are legislation which amend municipal codes and become law.

  • Accessible in print: 1966 - 2019
  • Accessible in electronic format: 1969 - 2019
  • Ordinances from 1999 to present are accessible online at Legislation Passed - Ordinances

Resolutions are policy statements issued to express approval or disapproval.

  • Accessible in print: 1966, 1969 - 2019
  • Accessible in electronic format: 1969 - 2016
  • Resolutions from 2000 to present are accessible online at Legislation Passed - Resolutions

Motions are formal proposals for action.

  • Accessible in print: 1992 - 2019
  • Accessible in electronic format: 1992 - 2015
  • From 2001 to present are accessible online at Legislation Passed - Motions

For earlier resolutions, ordinances and motions, these documents can be researched by using the Government Information Center's collection of the Board of Supervisors' proceedings and other publications.

For a full explanation of the legislative process please see the Legislation Passed section of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors web site.

Furthermore, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Legislative Research Center provides additional sources of legislative information and services.