Anyone using a SFUSD facility outside of the regular school hours must have a permit, and must pay permit fees- including nonprofit groups, public agencies, and private or commercial users. Even SFUSD staff or a parent group needs a permit for events that require custodial services.
Only a school’s own committees or organizations – such as the School Site Council, ELAC, or PTA- can have a meeting outside of school hours without needing a permit, if the site principal and/or site administrator determines that no custodial services are required for this meeting.
Please note that if your permit is to provide services to SFUSD students, you may also need a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). You can find more information about MOUs under the Community tab at www.sfusd.edu.
Important facts about all SFUSD facility use permits
It is possible to have a permit for the entire regular school year (Fall and Spring semester). All school-year permits expire at the end of the spring semester on the last day of school. You must obtain a separate permit to use SFUSD facilities during the summer. We have special procedures during the summer because of the limited availability of our facilities. Please contact the Real Estate Office for more details.
Here's a general overview of the permit process. Please go to www.sfusd.edu, select the blue "Community" box and select "Using and Renting SFUSD Facilities" for a copy of the Facilities Use Permit instructions.
Permit applicant must work with the site principal and/or site administrator to clearly define the facilities you intend to use before you complete the permit application. You should also be prepared to provide details of the "Where, When, What and Who" related to your facility use.
Be sure to carefully read the entire permit's Terms of Agreement before signing it: this is a formal, legal document. Permit applicant signature/initial is required on the last page of the Terms and Conditions page (and on any applicable addenda).
When using any gymnasium or indoor basketball court, permit holders must require everyone participating in the use of SFUSD property to wear footwear with non-marking soles.
When using District grass fields or play areas, permit holders must not allow anyone participating in your use of SFUSD fields to wear cleated shoes, or any other footwear that could damage or destroy grass or turf.
Addendum A - Use of Athletic Field/Track will automatically generate when you print your permit application. Addendum A has two pages. Permit applicant must sign off on page 2. Submit the signed Addendum A with the rest of your complete and signed permit application to the Real Estate Office.
Only SFUSD staff may use district computers or computer equipment. Permit holders who are not SFUSD employees are not allowed to use District computers or equipment, or to plug any equipment into the District network systems at any time.
As a convenience, permit holders may be given permission to connect to the SFUSD GUEST wireless signal at sites with access to this service. (Please verify this with the site).
Please note that this service is offered as a convenience, and there is no guarantee that a wireless signal will be accessible or supported at any given site on any given day.
To use this network, connect to the wireless SFUSD-GUEST signal on your device, open a browser, and accept the Terms of Service on the displayed web page. After two hours you will be required to connect again, to limit excessive use of this shared, free service.
The cost for your permit will depend on the times, activities, and the spaces you request in your permit application. Permit fees recover the cost to the District for use of our facilities, including staff to support this use: custodians, security guards, kitchen staff, and technical personnel.
Facilities fees include direct costs (such as maintenance, utilities, furnishings, supplies and equipment) and indirect costs (including staff to process the applications and manage invoices).
At the beginning of each school year the Real Estate Office will update the facilities use permit fee. To see a fee structure please go to www.sfusd.edu, select the blue "Community" box and select "Using and Renting SFUSD Facilities" or contact the district's Real Estate office at (415) 241-6090 for more details.
After completing your online permit application the itemized estimated fees page can be found at the end of your permit application. These fees are calculated automatically based on how you filled out the permit application. Please note that these estimated fees are subject to change based on review of your permit application and any staffing required by your requested facilities use. These fees will be confirmed by the Real Estate office when your permit application is reviewed and approved.
SFUSD's general guidelines require security guards for programs or events where:
Site principal and/or site administrator and the Real Estate Office have the right to require security and/or police protection for any event, program or activity. Permit applicant is responsible for all security costs. The site principal and/or site administrator may also waive the security requirement based on past experience with the user group. The site principal and/or site administrator needs to indicate on your permit application whether security is needed or not needed, by checking the box on the site principal/asst. principal/site administrator page of the permit application.
If the permitting school/site has District Security T-10 available, site principal/administrator must assign the SecurityT-10 to provide security services for this event. Site principal/administrator must complete and sign Addendum B - Security Contract for District Security T-10, and obtain signatures from the assigned District Security T-10 and applicant. Applicant must submit the complete Addendum B with the rest of the permit application to the Real Estate Office. After performing the work, District Security T-10 must complete the lime green time report (Form 116), obtain his/her supervisor's signature (certifying that District Security T-10 has performed the work), and submit the lime green time report (Form 116) to the Real Estate Office in order to receive payment. District Security T-10 must go to the District's website, select the blue "Community" box and select "Using and Renting SFUSD Facilities" to download the lime green report (Form 116).
If the permitting site does NOT have District Security T-10 available, or private security is preferred, site principal/administrator must inform permit applicants that they are required to hire private security services at their own expenses directly from the District's approved list of security companies. Applicant must go to the District's website, select the blue "Community" box and select "Using and Renting SFUSD Facilities" for the approved list. Applicant must submit a fully executed private security contract with the rest of the permit application to the Real Estate Office.
After filling out the permit application online, applicant will need to print your completed Facilities Use Permit application and submit that to the SFUSD's Real Estate Office at least 20 business days prior to the first requested date of use. Be sure the permit application includes all required signatures and applicable addenda, the required insurance certificate and endorsement, and [if required] the non-refundable $50 application fee. Submit your permit application to:
SFUSD Real Estate Office
135 Van Ness Ave., room 116;
San Francisco, CA 94102
The Real Estate Office will not accept any permit application submitted less than four business days prior to the first requested use date. Permit applications will be accepted as late as five (5) business day prior to the first use date only if the permit application is complete, with all required signatures, all required addenda, insurance endorsements, and full payment.
For most facility use permit applications, the $50 non-refundable application fee is due when the permit application is submitted to the Real Estate Office, and the application will not be accepted without the permit application fee.
Public departments from the City and County of San Francisco, State of California, or Federal agencies will be billed for the permit application fee, and are not required to submit the $50 non-application fee with their permit application.
These permit applicants are exempt from the $50 application fee:
The SFUSD Real Estate Office will review the permit application and applicable addenda, and will send permit applicant an invoice within five business days after the facility use permit application is submitted to the Real Estate Office. The invoice will itemize all permit fees, which include fees for the facility use itself, as well as staffing costs (for custodians, security, kitchen and technical services staff). Full payment of any applicable permit fee is due no later than five business days prior to the first requested date of use.
The forms of acceptable payment are company checks, personal checks, cashier's checks or money order. Make remittances to "San Francisco Unified School District". Credit cards and cash will NOT be accepted.
Permittee must notify the Real Estate Office of any changes to the schedule or facilities on your approved Permit. Permittee will be responsible for any additional fees resulting from these changes, per Section 21 of the Terms and Agreements ("Fee for Cancellation/Change").
To cancel an approved Permit you must give written notice to the Real Estate Office at least five business days prior to the first requested use date. For cancellation at least 10 business days prior to the first requested use date the District will refund your permit fees, minus 15% cancellation fee. For cancellation from 5-9 business days prior to the first requested use date, the District will refund fees minus 30% cancellation fee. No refund will be issued for cancellation less than five business days prior to the first requested use date.
Permittee shall be responsible for any Additional Fees incurred if Permittee's actual use of the School Property goes beyond the use and scheduled approved in the Permit. The Additional Fees include all applicable permit fees for Permittee's use of School Property beyond the use and schedule approved in this Permit, plus an additional charge of $100 per day for each day of Permittee's use of the School Property beyond the use and schedule approved in the Permit.
All permit applicants must pay for custodial services. Even SFUSD staff or the school's parent group needs an approved permit for events that require custodial services.
SFUSD's schools are being used more than ever - and it's harder to keep them clean and safe for our students and staff. Many sites struggle to control rodents, roaches, fleas and other pests. While many people believe they won't make a mess, or can clean up after themselves, in fact nearly everyone uses the bathrooms and impacts garbage and waste collection.
District procedures require SFUSD custodians to clean school bathrooms before children arrive in the morning; deal properly with the garbage and compost; and use non-toxic cleansers to ensure student safety. For these reasons, anyone using the building is required to have a permit, and to cover the costs for custodial services.
If unable to gain access to school property, please call the emergency number: (415) 695-5665.
Please make sure permittee have a copy of the approved permit with you. Opening of the school facilities for use will depend on you showing a valid, approved permit (hard copy or electronic copy from an electronic device) to the custodian or SFUSD security staff on site.
