San Francisco Home Seller Disclosure Requirements (2026)
San Francisco has California's full disclosure requirements plus additional city-specific forms. The Bay Area's established pre-offer disclosure practice means completing everything correctly before listing is standard — not optional.
California's Mandatory Disclosures
Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS) — mandatory for all California residential sales. No payment alternative. Covers all known defects and material facts. Sellers complete Part II; sign and date; deliver to buyers.
Natural Hazard Disclosure (NHD) Report — San Francisco's NHD flags:
Hire an NHD report provider ($100–$200) to generate this automatically.
Lead Paint Disclosure — SF has extensive pre-1960 housing stock (Victorians, Edwardians). Pre-1978 homes require federal lead paint disclosure.
Smoke/CO Detector and Water Heater Strapping — required certification at closing.
San Francisco-Specific Disclosures
3R Report (Report of Residential Building Record) The 3R Report shows:
Order the 3R Report from the SF Department of Building Inspection at sfdbi.org. Current cost: ~$162. Takes 1–5 business days. This report is standard in SF real estate transactions and buyers' agents expect it.
Rent Ordinance Disclosure San Francisco's Rent Ordinance (Chapter 37, SF Administrative Code) provides significant tenant protections. If your property:
...you must disclose the rent ordinance status and any relevant rental history. SF rent control applies to most residential rental units built before June 13, 1979.
For TIC units: Tenancy-in-common properties have additional disclosure requirements including the TIC agreement, any fractional financing in place, and the property's position in SF's condo conversion lottery (if applicable).
Earthquake Insurance Disclosure
California law (Insurance Code §10086) requires sellers to disclose whether earthquake insurance coverage on the property will be terminated, or whether the seller knows of any conditions that would cause an insurer to terminate coverage.
In practice, SF sellers provide the disclosure form, and buyers make their own earthquake insurance decisions. Much of SF's housing stock in certain neighborhood is not insurable for earthquake (policies are expensive and coverage is limited post-Northridge quake reforms). Be accurate about whether you have earthquake coverage.
The Pre-Offer Disclosure Package
San Francisco's standard practice is to provide buyers with complete disclosures before they submit offers. A typical SF pre-offer disclosure package includes:
For a FSBO seller, assembling this package before listing positions you to receive clean offers without disclosure contingencies. Buyers who've reviewed complete disclosures are more likely to submit without contingencies, or to proceed confidently with streamlined contingency periods.
SF Documentary Transfer Tax
San Francisco's documentary transfer tax has a tiered structure:
On a $1.1M sale: $8,250 in SF transfer tax alone. This is a seller cost. Add state ($1.10/$1,000) and you're at approximately $9,460 in transfer taxes on a $1.1M SF sale.