MURALS UNDER ARTS COMMISSION JURISDICTION
In accordance with City Charter Article V, Section 103. – The Arts Commission shall: Approve the design and location of all works of art before they are acquired, transferred or sold by the City and County, or are placed upon or removed from City and County property, or are altered in any way; maintain and keep an inventory of works of art owned by the City and County; and maintain the works of art owned by the City and County;
The San Francisco Arts Commission must approve all:
- Murals to be placed upon city owned property, and
- Murals financed in whole or in part with city funds even if proposed for privately owned property.
*If your mural is on private property and funded with private dollars, you do not need approval from the Arts Commission.
REQUIREMENTS FOR MURAL DESIGN APPROVAL
The Arts Commission reviews mural proposals to determine that the work is appropriate to the setting, architecture, and social context. Approval of the mural proposal is contingent on a review of the required documents detailed in the Checklist below. Contact Paris Cotz, Program Associate, Public Art Program, at (415) 539-6213, or paris.cotz@sfgov.org with any questions about the process.
StreetSmARTS murals are exempt from this approval process. Please contact Paris Cotz, Program Associate, Public Art Program, at (415) 539-6213, or paris.cotz@sfgov.org.
MURAL DESIGN APPROVAL PROCESS
- If your mural (painted or tile mosaic) is to be placed on city owned property you must obtain a letter of approval or resolution from the appropriate city department to proceed with the project prior to submitting a proposal to the Arts Commission. The Arts Commission will not review a proposal without a permission letter from the city department with jurisdiction over the proposed site. For example, if your mural is located in a city park, then you will need approval from the Recreation & Park Commission.
- Artists seeking funding through the Community Challenge Grants program must receive their grant notification before submitting any documents to the Arts Commission for approval. The Arts Commission will only review mural proposals after grantee has been notified of their CCG grant award. For more information contact the Challenge Grants Program Manager, Robynn Takayama at Robynn.Takayama@sfgov.org or at 415-624-7874.
- Following Arts Commission staff review and recommendation for approval, the proposed mural design is placed on the consent calendar of the Visual Arts Committee, (VAC) an Arts Commission subcommittee. The VAC meets on the third Wednesday of each month, at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco CA. The VAC will make a recommendation for approval to the full commission. The full Arts Commission meets on the first Monday of each month in City Hall. Arts Commission approval is complete when the Commission approves the mural design by Resolution. Mural applicants are welcome to attend the Visual Arts Committee or Full Arts Commission meetings; however, attendance is not required.
- In determining the time frame for the approval process, artists should allow sufficient time for the mural proposal to be reviewed a second time by the staff in the event a recommendation is made for a design revision. Therefore, requests for approval should be received no later than 90 days prior to actual implementation of the mural.
- Photographic documentation of completed projects is required for our records.
- Please note that approval of mural design does not constitute acceptance into the Civic Art Collection, unless specifically commissioned by or acquired by the Arts Commission for the City and County of San Francisco.
The Arts Commission does not take responsibility for maintenance or preservation of artworks approved by this body which are not included in the Civic Art Collection.
CHECKLIST
- Signed letter or resolution approving the proposed mural from the property owner or city department with jurisdiction over the proposed site, including any additional requirements.
- Completed Mural Design Approval Information Form
- Lead artist’s resume/qualifications and examples of previous work.
- Color image of mural designs, including any proposed text and exact mural dimensions.
- One image of the proposed site; indicate the exact location of the proposed mural on the proposed wall. Please include dimensions and address.
- Three (3) letters of community support for the project, e.g. letters of support from neighborhood associations, neighborhood petitions, individuals and businesses etc.
- Signed Artist Waiver of Proprietary Rights for Artworks. *Required for each artist involved in project.
- For murals placed on City Property
- For murals placed on Private Property
Digital submissions of the required checklist items are preferred. Please send via email in one combined .pdf document, under 20mb. Mail to: paris.cotz@sfgov.org
*Please note that we do no accept incomplete mural approval packets.
The information submitted as part of the Mural Approval Packet will be posted on a public website. If you do not wish to have personal information publicly accessible, please also submit a redacted version of your Mural Approval Packet for us to post online.
OTHER APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
Permits for the location of the mural must be gathered from the appropriate City agency or private property owner before coming to the Arts Commission for approval. For non-wall locations please contact:
Surface Mounted Facilities at smf@sfdpw.org
Also, see Surface Mounted Facilities FAQs
San Francisco Public Works Bureau of Street Use & Mapping
49 South Van Ness Avenue, Suite 1600
San Francisco, CA 94103
(628) 271-2000
Operating Hours : Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Permit Processing Hours : 9:30 AM-3:30 PM
subdivision.mapping@sfdpw.org
Visit website
If you have a specific location in mind, you can look up the property owner here:
Planning Department’s Property Information Map
San Francisco Planning Department
49 South Van Ness Avenue, Suite 1400
San Francisco, CA 94103
(628) 652-7600
Operating Hours : Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
pic@sfgov.org
Visit SF Planning mural website
TEMPORARY MURALS – LESS THAN SEVEN DAYS
Temporary Murals fall under the Guidelines for Temporary Public Art. Murals requiring Arts Commission approval that will be installed for less than seven days have an expedited review process.
For more information, please contact Paris Cotz, Public Art Program Associate, at paris.cotz@sfgov.org or (415) 539-6213.
StreetSmARTS PROGRAM
StreetSmARTS is a Public Works (PW) program, administered through the San Francisco Arts Commission. The program connects artists with private property owners and City Departments to create vibrant murals on their buildings, enhancing the character of their property and surrounding neighborhood, while deterring ongoing vandalism. Private property owners who have received Notices of Violation from PW to remove graffiti on their property have the option of participating in this program.
HOW IT WORKS
- The property owner fills out this form to determine eligibility (view as PDF)
- SFAC confirms eligibility and availability to participate in the program and will recommend artists for consideration
- Eligibility is determined by the following conditions: proof of repeated vandalism; paintable surface;
- The property owner selects an artist from the StreetSmARTS Mural Program Artist Pool to design and execute a mural on the frequently tagged property
- The artist and property owner agree on the design of the mural
- The Arts Commission approves the proposed design prior to issuing funding and moving forward with the mural
- The artist contracts with Intersection for the Arts, who holds the insurance and manages artist payment
- The artist signs an agreement (MOU) with the property owner (view the MOU here)
- The property owner will:
- clean and prepare the wall
- Provide access to restroom + water
- Provide space for the artist to store materials while the mural is being created
- The artist paints a mural
- The artist protects mural with Anti-Graffiti Barrier Top Coat
For more information, please contact Paris Cotz, Public Art Program Associate, at paris.cotz@sfgov.org or (415) 539-6213.
No, the City does not keep a list of available walls for murals.
No, there is no comprehensive list of murals in San Francisco. If they are on private property and funded privately, they have not gone through a City approval process and are not in the City’s records. Here is a list of websites, which might be helpful to your search:
- Street Art SF
- SF Mural Arts
- Precita Eyes
- ARTSTOR (national archive, requires an account for login)
If the purpose is strictly advertising, it does not fall under the Arts Commission’s jurisdiction. Permits for advertising need to be discussed with the appropriate agency whose jurisdiction covers the proposed location of the advertisement. For example, if the location is in a park, then contact San Francisco Recreation & Park Department.
Please note, that San Francisco Public Works does not allow for any temporary or permanent signs per ARTICLE 5.6 of the Public Works code. According to the code, "sign" means any card, decoration, poster, campaign sign, poster or any object containing or bearing writing, drawing, painting, figures,designs or symbols that is affixed, posted or fastened in any manner to any property that is permanently attached to the public right-of-way".
The City does not keep a list of mural artists. The Arts Commission recommends contacting local neighborhood art agencies or mural collectives if you are looking for a specific type of artist or have a location in mind.
Yes, the San Francisco Arts Commission’s StreetSmARTS program funds murals on private property that have received notices of violation for the removal of graffiti from Public Works. Artists must be included in the StreetSmARTS Prequalified Artist Pool to be eligible to participate in this program. Calls for the Prequalified Artist Pool are posted in the Artist Opportunities section.
The City's Community Challenge Grant Program and SF Shines offers grants for neighborhood beautification projects, which include murals.
Please refer to the following legislation regarding destruction of murals.
You can report murals on City property or funded by the City in need of restoration to 311 or to:
Grace Weiss, Project Manager
Civic Art Collection and Public Art Program
(415) 310-0259
grace.weiss@sfgov.org
*Please note that the Arts Commission is not responsible for maintaining murals on private property.
StreetSmARTs is a joint program between Arts Commission and Public Works; this program operates on a limited budget. The city contributes $50 per square foot to create a mural (a 10' x 10' wall is a $5,000 mural). Your financial contribution will allow us to create more murals. We recommend a $1,500 contribution.
We recommend wall surfaces of 10’ high and under, i.e. the surface area reachable by ladder.
Walls that have received a Notice of Violation will be prioritized.
Property owners are responsible for power washing and priming the wall.
SFAC reviews eligibility on a first come first served basis, we commission up to six murals per year.
The artist will apply a layer of Anti-Graffiti Barrier Top Coat to protect the mural. In the event of vandalism, it is the property owner’s responsibility to clean and maintain the mural.
Please contact Paris Cotz, paris.cotz@sfgov.org.
Murals commissioned through StreetSmARTS program do not become part of the Civic Art Collection. Property owners are responsible for the maintenance of the mural once completed.
Artists will be compensated at a rate of $50 per square foot. For example, a mural size of 200 square feet would have a budget of $10,000. This fee is inclusive of the artist fee, materials, and all other associated cost.
StreetSmARTS Artist Pool is open every 2 years. The next opportunity to apply for the StreetSmARTS Artists Pool will be made available in 2026.
Thirty-three artists have been selected for the 2024 – 2026 Artist Pool.