Onshore field guides · San Francisco & the Peninsula
How Long Does It Take to Lease Office or Industrial Space in SF?
The controlling question is when your operation can start, not just when the lease can be signed. A usable furnished suite has a different path from industrial space requiring power, ventilation, or a change of use. Work backward from the operating date and resolve the longest approval or construction dependency first.
Onshore · Updated
Separate four dates
Ask for all four dates in every proposal. An available-now listing generally describes possession or marketing status, not your operation’s readiness. A sublease can also depend on consent from the master landlord and the current tenant’s departure.
| Milestone | What it means |
|---|---|
| Lease signing | The contract is executed; approvals or work may still be outstanding. |
| Possession | You can access the premises under the agreed conditions. |
| Rent commencement | The contract starts charging rent, which may differ from possession. |
| Operating readiness | Your equipment, services, staff, and required approvals are ready. |
Choose a planning scenario
These are illustrative scheduling allowances for starting a search, not measured Onshore deal averages or promised permit durations. Size alone does not set the schedule. A small unit needing a difficult utility upgrade may take longer than a large ready-to-use office.
| Scenario | Illustrative search-to-occupancy allowance | What must be true |
|---|---|---|
| Existing office, roughly 1,000–5,000 SF | 1–3 months | Little work, acceptable documents, available possession, and consent resolved. |
| Office or flex, roughly 5,000–15,000 SF, with changes | 3–6+ months | Design, bidding, approvals, work, and services fit the plan. |
| Industrial / hardware facility with process work | 6–12+ months | Utility, permitting, construction, and equipment dependencies are established; some projects take longer. |
Run the workstreams together
Record an owner and next decision for each workstream. Waiting for a signed lease to begin every technical question can leave the tenant paying rent while still discovering whether the building works.
- Brief and shortlist: define must-haves, budget, delivery needs, and the actual use before booking tours.
- Technical diligence: request records, inspect the unit, and assess power, loading, floor, ventilation, and materials while terms are discussed.
- Commercial and legal review: align the proposal, financial review, work letter, lease, and any master-landlord consent.
- Design and approvals: ask the project team to identify each submission, reviewer, dependency, and information still needed.
- Delivery and opening: arrange construction, installation, inspections, insurance, internet, access, moving, and operational checks.
Hardware adds dependencies that an office calendar misses
An electrical upgrade is not complete when a broker says the building can accommodate it. Determine the tenant load, landlord scope, design, utility requirements, procurement, installation, and energization. Apply the same discipline to process ventilation, fire systems, anchoring, and material storage.
SF Planning handles land-use questions and planning permits; building and trade work can require additional approvals. South San Francisco publishes separate commercial permit guidance. Ask the relevant jurisdiction about the actual scope, and do not apply one city’s review process to another.
Sources: SF Planning: permit servicesSouth SF: commercial work and required permits
Use actual listing uncertainties to build the schedule
831 Sweeney’s existing public screening notes describe improvements as underway and call for confirmation of their completion and the condition delivered. That unresolved delivery date belongs in a schedule before treating the space as ready.
At 111 Pine, building-level power and access still need unit-specific confirmation. At 1350 Rollins, recorded sources differ on clear height. These are current diligence questions from the inventory, not claims that Onshore completed a lease or measured a construction duration at those addresses.
Make the deadline negotiable in the right places
Tell the landlord which date matters: receiving equipment, ending another lease, starting testing, or opening to customers. Ask counsel to connect delivery obligations, access, approval contingencies, rent commencement, remedies, and any outside dates. A vague target date is harder to manage than a defined handover condition.
If time is tight, prioritize a compatible existing space, keep a backup candidate, and consider the cost of temporary overlap. Do not trade away unresolved permitted-use or utility questions just to make the signing date look faster.
Common questions
Can an available-now space take months to occupy?
Yes. Possession can be available while your work, permits, utility service, or operational approvals remain unfinished.
Is a sublease always faster?
No. Reusable furniture and layout can help, but master-landlord consent, documents, possession, and services can still control the schedule.
Are these Onshore’s average deal times?
No. The ranges are illustrative planning allowances. A project-specific schedule requires estimates for the actual address, work, and approval path.