Permit-ment Issues

Honestly, I fall in love with San Francisco more and more each day. Every little thing she does is magic.

Case in point: At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, the board considered an ordinance proposed by Mistermayor that increases fees for certain permits. (Resolution here: Download Permit Fee Increase.) During the public comment period, two tattoo-parlor owners said they opposed the higher fees. Supervisor Chris Daly then asked that the measure be continued for a week.

Of course, the law itself does not say “tattoo parlor” anywhere, so I went to The City’s municipal code to see what these folks were talking about. And that’s where, in section 2.26 and 2.27 of the police code, I discovered wonderful information about the cost of permits in San Francisco:

Say you own a shooting gallery ($723) where you deal in firearms ($961) as part of your amusement park ($871) where people play ring-throwing games ($477) and see traveling shows ($680). One day after the rodeo show ($651), you decide to gather the junk people left laying around ($439 for residents, $370 for nonresidents) and sell it ($330) using a pushcart ($594). But despite your use of kite advertising ($367) and “public outcry sales” ($716), when customers don’t flock to your wares, you decide to make the cart into a motorized rickshaw ($268) and offer to escort funeral processions ($224) complete with an honorary cannon blast ($400). Along one of the routes you discover the perfect place for an off-heliport landing site which, at $477, is only slightly more expensive than an out-call massage service ($462). 

Here are the full charts: Download Permit Charts

It’s certainly not easy to be a business owner in The City.

At Monday’s Land Use and Economic Development Committee hearing, supervisors Carmen Chu, David Chiu and Sophie Maxwell heard testimony from several city departments on the subject of how to streamline the process of lawfully operating a small business in San Francisco. A Police Department officer explained that many of the above-mentioned permit categories do not really apply anymore to businesses in The City. Chiu seemed eager to eliminate those obsolete categories. And, while I wouldn’t necessarily call getting rid of all those crusty old spice jars in the pantry that I never use “streamlining” the cooking process, it certainly cannot hurt.

Comments

[Brock Keeling]

I really, really love and appreciate this breakdown. (And all I've ever wanted is to pet a pony at a park!) Kudos.

[DJTennessee]

I read that PDF.

What exactly do they mean by "One Night Dance..."??? Are we ALREADY taxing that?

[Benjamin Wachs]

This post was the best reason to go online today.

[chicken john]

You forgot to mention that EACH of these catagories trigger and estimated sales tax portion AND a tax on any and all equipment that your business entity owns that you do not claim a 3 year depreciation on except for fixures attached to the business. Whatever that means. The equipment tax doesn't generate a bill. You just have to know about it. And if you don't pay your licence fee, it is penalized at like 50% a month or something. And if you have more than one licence it's a gaurentee that they will send you the wrong apportioning, which means that in order to straigten it all out, you have to pay the full amount, and request a refund. Which happens over a desk, not at a hearing. The tattoo guys had their licences raised from like $300 to like $1,500 or something. With no improved services or antyhing. It's a "bad economy tax". Oh and there is much, much more. Get it off me. I'll never run a business in this town leggally again. I do however like to be infuriated with SF when your the one writing about it... you make it all sound so funny. I can tell you things about the DMV, however, that not even you with your magic pixie dust of a writing style can make palatable... don't get me started.

chicken