city departments overview
San Francisco is often called "Everyone's Favorite City," a title earned by its scenic beauty,
cultural attractions, diverse communities, and world-class cuisine. Measuring 49 square miles,
this very walk-able city is dotted with landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars,
Alcatraz and the largest Chinatown in the United States. A stroll of the City's streets can
lead from Union Square to North Beach to Fisherman's Wharf, with intriguing neighborhoods to
explore at every turn. View of the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay are often laced with
fog, creating a romantic mood in this most European of American cities.
San Francisco was incorporated as a City on April 15th, 1850 by act of the Legislature.
Although City Government has played a key role in San Francisco's development, the true
wealth of this City resides with the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of its pioneering Citizens.
The City today is governed by the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors.
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
San Francisco International Airport (SFO),
an enterprise department of the City and County of San Francisco, delivers world-class security and customer service in state-of-the-art facilities. SFO, the “gateway to the Pacific,” serves more than 41 million domestic and international passengers annually.
SFO was recently awarded the “Healthiest Place to Work in the Bay Area,” by the San Francisco Business Times. SFO continues to be committed to setting the standard for our industry. SFO and its staff have been recognized as industry leaders in developing innovative programs and initiatives in the fields of security, the environment, customer service, concessions and business. Leadership in each of these areas reflects SFO’s commitment to its mission “to provide an exceptional Airport in service to our communities.”
Department of Building Inspection (DBI)
DBI is charged with implementing and enforcing local, state, and federal regulations and controls that govern the design, construction, quality, use, occupancy, and location of buildings and structures within the City and County of San Francisco. A seven-member Building Inspection Commission governs the Department.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)
SFMTA is composed of the San Francisco Municipal Railway and the Department of Parking and Traffic. The SFMTA was created to support the City's Transit First Policy.
SFMTA provides challenging engineering work for Civil, Traffic, Electrical, and Mechanical engineers in Transportation Planning, Design and Construction.
Port of San Francisco (Port)
Port is responsible for the seven and one-half miles of San Francisco Waterfront adjacent to San Francisco Bay, which the Port develops, markets, leases, administers, manages, and maintains. Its jurisdiction stretches along the waterfront from Hyde Street Pier on the north to India Basin on the south. The Port’s operating portfolio is composed of over 550 ground, commercial, retail, office, industrial and maritime industrial leases, including many internationally recognized landmarks such as Fisherman’s Wharf, PIER 39, the Ferry Building, and AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team. A five member Board of Commissioners governs the department, each of whom is appointed by the Mayor and subject to confirmation by the City's Board of Supervisors.
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)
SFPUC provides water, wastewater, and municipal power services to San Francisco. Under contractual agreement with 28 wholesale water agencies, the SFPUC also supplies water to 1.6 million additional customers within three Bay Area counties. The SFPUC system provides four distinct services: Regional Water, Local Water, Wastewater (collection, treatment and disposal), and Power.
Department of Public Works (DPW)
DPW provides services ranging from cleaning, repairing, and maintaining city streets and sewers, to greening the City’s urban landscape, to designing and managing construction of public facilities.
Recreation and Parks Department (R&P)
The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department administers and maintains more than 200 parks, playgrounds, and open spaces throughout the city, including two outside the city limits- Sharp Park in Pacifica and Camp Mather in the High Sierras. The system also includes 15 large, full- complex recreation centers, nine swimming pools, five golf courses and hundreds of tennis courts, ball diamons, atheltic fields and basketball courts. Also included in the Department's responsibilities are the Marina Yacht Harbor, Candlestick Park, the San Francisco Zoo, and the Lake Merced Complex, which is operated for recreational purposes under the San Francisco Water Department.
Planning Division The Planning Division works to facilitate informed decision-making by providing the Department's executive and management staff with necessary baseline and best practices information. The Planning division is responsible for items and issues related to: land use planning, long range planning, acquisitions, CEQA, and General Plan Referrals, implementation of strategic and operations plans, capital planning, recreation needs assessment and implementation, public outreach, real property transactions, benchmarking data, geo-spatial planning utilizing GIS technologies, GIS data support for site-specific planning, and background research for potential Department policies.
Capital Improvement Division
The mission of the Capital Improvement Division is to provide enriching recreational spaces, building beautiful parks and preserving the environment for the well-being of our diverse community.
