Onshore field guides · San Francisco & the Peninsula
PDR Zoning in San Francisco: What Tenants Can and Can’t Do
PDR means Production, Distribution and Repair. Whether an operation is allowed depends on its defined use, the parcel’s district, applicable controls, and existing approvals. A warehouse appearance or a landlord’s description is not a zoning determination. Ask Planning about the actual activity before signing.
Onshore · Updated
Look up the parcel, then describe the operation
Start with the address in SF Planning’s Property Information Map. Note the zoning district, special-use districts, and permit history. Give Planning a written description of activities, equipment, floor areas, employees, visitors, hours, and materials. A floor plan should show what happens where.
Avoid describing the business only as robotics, AI, design, or a startup. A company can combine several activities, and a tenant’s classification may differ from the prior occupant’s. Ask for the appropriate written confirmation and keep it with the lease documents.
Translate the activity into a use question
Table 210.3 distinguishes PDR-1-B, PDR-1-D, PDR-1-G, and PDR-2. Its P, C, and NP entries mean principally permitted, conditionally permitted, and not permitted, subject to definitions and footnotes. The following is a screening table, not a substitute zoning clearance.
| What you plan to do | What to ask Planning |
|---|---|
| Make, assemble, or repair products | Which defined manufacturing or trade-shop use applies to the process and scale? |
| Store and distribute goods | Which warehouse or distribution classification applies, including delivery patterns? |
| Run tests or experiments | Does the operation fall under laboratory, life science, manufacturing, or another use? |
| Use most of the floor for desks | Is this office use or permitted accessory space, and what limits apply? |
| Display products to buyers | Is this design showroom, trade-related display, accessory sales, or retail? |
| Sell to walk-in customers | Which retail use, floor-area limits, and approval requirements apply? |
A conditional use and a variance are different
Conditional use authorization is a specified approval path for uses or circumstances the code identifies. A variance seeks relief from certain code standards. SF Planning explicitly states that use requirements are not variable. Do not sign on the assumption that a prohibited office or retail use can be solved with a variance.
A retail showroom does not automatically need a variance. The first question is how the activity is classified and whether it is allowed at that address. Ask Planning to distinguish the use approval from any separate physical-building standard requiring relief. A lease contingency should match the approvals actually needed.
Sources: SF Planning: variance requirementsSF Planning: zoning and address lookup
Check current controls and existing decisions
As checked September 20, 2026, Planning lists interim controls requiring conditional use authorization for outdoor laboratory uses in PDR-1-G, effective December 16, 2025 through July 16, 2027. A robotics team contemplating outdoor testing should raise that specific issue with Planning; a generic indoor industrial search will not answer it.
Existing lawful use, historic-building provisions, and prior approvals can change the analysis. Request the relevant decisions, approved plans, conditions, and permit records from the landlord. Confirm that any conditions can be met by your intended operation.
A real public case: showroom-to-office conversion
SF Planning’s public 2 Henry Adams case record describes a proposed conversion of 49,999 square feet of PDR showroom space to office use in a landmark building. The stated approvals included conditional use authorization and office allocation. This was a specific project under specific provisions, not a rule that showrooms can simply become offices.
The lesson for a tenant is to distinguish the prior use, proposed use, and approval path before relying on an attractive space. This is a public Planning example, not an Onshore client transaction.
Put the unanswered questions into the lease process
For Peninsula space, use that city’s planning and building departments. San Francisco’s PDR labels and procedures do not carry across the city line.
- Send the same written operating description to Planning, the landlord, your architect, and counsel so each reviews the same project.
- Ask whether the existing occupancy, permits, and building systems support the proposed operation without changes.
- Separate zoning approval from building, fire, mechanical, electrical, and other required permits.
- Have counsel address approval contingencies, access for investigations, the work letter, rent commencement, and a defined remedy if approvals fail.
- Keep the written determination and approved plans. A marketing flyer or a friendly verbal assurance should not be your only record.
Common questions
Can I put a normal office in a PDR building?
Do not assume so. Ask Planning to classify the operation and confirm the applicable district rules, accessory-use limits, and any site-specific exception or approval.
Can a variance make a prohibited use legal?
SF Planning states that use requirements are not variable. Establish the correct use and approval path instead of relying on a variance.
Does the landlord’s consent establish permitted use?
No. Landlord consent and government approvals are separate checks. Obtain both as applicable to your operation and proposed work.