SF pushes back fire sprinkler deadline 5 years (+ hardship rules expanded)
The committee delayed the sprinkler retrofit deadline by five years, rewrote parklet rules, advanced 25 District 8 landmarks, and approved Carmen Johnson Way.
San Francisco
Land Use and Transportation Committee Meeting
February 23, 2026
TL;DR
- First sprinkler retrofit deadline for residential high-rises moves from January 2027 to January 2032; final completion date stays at 2035. The undue hardship definition now explicitly includes financial hardship and displacement.
- Parklet rules rewritten: Planning Department dropped as design reviewer, public seating and neighbor notice requirements eliminated, and parklets must now stay open during the associated business's hours.
- Adaptive reuse ordinance for historic buildings cleared committee citywide, with carve-outs preserving Mission-area land use controls and Proposition X PDR replacement requirements.
- 25 District 8 properties advanced for landmark designation; St. Aidan's Church at 601 Belvedere tabled at Planning's request.
- Carmen Johnson Way commemorative street name passed for the 1100 block of Pierce between Turk and Eddy.