SEC. 4.106. BOARD OF APPEALS.
§ 4.106
The Board of Appeals is a five-member body appointed by the Mayor (three members) and the President of the Board of Supervisors (two members), subject to Board of Supervisors approval. The Board hears and decides appeals regarding denied, suspended, or revoked permits and licenses (with certain exceptions), and appeals challenging zoning decisions or denials of variance requests.
San Francisco has a Board of Appeals made up of five people. The Mayor picks three of them and the President of the Board of Supervisors picks two of them. The Board of Supervisors has to approve these picks at a public hearing. If the Board doesn't vote within 60 days, the person is automatically approved. The Board listens to complaints from people who were denied permits or licenses, or whose permits were taken away. It also hears appeals about zoning rules and requests to vary (change) zoning requirements. When the Board disagrees with a department's decision, at least four members have to vote to overturn it, and the Board must write down why they changed the decision.
- Complex:Section (a) contains intricate appointment procedures, Charter cross-references, automatic approval triggers, and a historical staggering mechanism (lots determination on July 1, 2002) that may confuse readers unfamiliar with municipal governance structures.
- Could be simpler:The July 1, 2002 transition language in subsection (a)(1) is now 20+ years old and could be streamlined or removed entirely since initial terms have long since been established.
AI-generated · claude-haiku-4-5 · informational only, not legal advice.
Official text
(a) The Board of Appeals shall consist of five members nominated and appointed pursuant to this section. Three of the members shall be nominated by the Mayor, and two of the members shall be appointed by the President of the Board of Supervisors. Charter Section 4.101 shall apply to these appointments. Vacancies shall be filled by the appointing officer.
Each nomination of the Mayor and the President of the Board of Supervisors is subject to approval by the Board of Supervisors, and shall be the subject of a public hearing and vote within 60 days. If the Board fails to act on the nomination within 60 days of the date the nomination is transmitted to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, the nominee shall be deemed approved. The appointment shall become effective on the date the Board adopts a motion approving the nomination or after 60 days of the date the nomination is transmitted to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.
Members may be removed by the appointing officer only pursuant to Section 15.105.
In order to stagger the terms, three members shall initially serve two-year terms, and two members shall initially service four-year terms. The initial two and four-year terms of office shall be instituted as follows:
1. The respective terms of office of members of the Board of Appeals who hold office on the first day of July, 2002, shall expire at 12 o'clock noon on that date, and the three members appointed by the Mayor and the two members appointed by the President of the Board of Supervisors shall succeed to said offices at that time.
2. The Clerk of the Board of Supervisors shall determine by lot which two of the three Mayoral appointees shall serve an initial two-year term, and which one of the two appointees of the President of the Board of Supervisors shall serve an initial two-year term. The remaining appointees shall serve four-year terms. All subsequent terms shall be four years.
The Board shall appoint and may remove an executive secretary, who shall serve as department head.
(b) The Board shall hear and determine appeals with respect to any person who has been denied a permit or license, or whose permit or license has been suspended, revoked or withdrawn, or who believes that his or her interest or the public interest will be adversely affected by the grant, denial, suspension or revocation of a license or permit, except for a permit or license under the jurisdiction of the Recreation and Park Commission or Department, or the Port Commission, or a building or demolition permit for a project that has received a permit or license pursuant to a conditional use authorization.
(c) The Board of Appeals shall hear and determine appeals:
1. Where it is alleged there is error or abuse of discretion in any order, requirement, decision or determination made by the Zoning Administrator in the enforcement of the provisions of any ordinance adopted by the Board of Supervisors creating zoning districts or regulating the use of property in the City and County; or
2. From the rulings, decisions and determinations of the Zoning Administrator granting or denying applications for variances from any rule, regulation, restriction or requirement of the zoning or set-back ordinances, or any section thereof. Upon the hearing of such appeals, the Board may affirm, change, or modify the ruling, decision or determination appealed from, or, in lieu thereof, make such other additional determinations as it shall deem proper in the premises, subject to the same limitations as are placed upon the Zoning Administrator by this Charter or by ordinance.
(d) After a hearing and any necessary investigation, the Board may concur in the action of the department involved, or by the affirmative vote of four members (or if a vacancy exists, by a vote of three members) overrule the action of the Department.
Where the Board exercises its authority to modify or overrule the action of a department, the Board shall state in summary its reasons in writing.
(Amended March 2002)