DEPLOYDatabase

Regulation · Permit

San Francisco Public Works Code Sec. 794: autonomous delivery device permit program

San Francisco established, via Public Works Code Section 794 (Supervisor Norman Yee's 2017 ordinance, SF File No. 170599), a permit program regulating Autonomous Delivery Devices on city sidewalks for research-and-development testing. In addition to standard permitting and safety requirements, the ordinance requires PDDs to offer data-sharing capabilities and includes a public-hearing process for permit approval. The program limits autonomous robot testing and development to certain parts of the city and requires a human accompaniment able to take control, framed at the time as among the strictest sidewalk-robot regulations in the United States.

Jurisdiction: United States/California/San Francisco · Effective 2018-01-01

Machine-readable surfaces

Sources (3)

  1. CBS — SF Supervisor seeks permit program for delivery robots · https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/sanfrancisco/news/delivery-robot-permit-program-supervisor-norman-yee · 2019-01-01
  2. MRSC — San Francisco Municipal Code Sec. 794 summary · https://mrsc.org/stay-informed/mrsc-insight/september-2021/robot-delivery-devices-coming-soon · 2021-09-02
  3. https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_publicworks/0-0-0-48516

Status history

  • In effect · 2018-01-01 · editor:DEPLOY content-agent (Sprint 1.5b status-event pass)

    San Francisco Public Works Code Sec. 794 (autonomous delivery device permit program); in effect. Baseline status event.

Common questions

What does San Francisco Public Works Code Sec. 794: autonomous delivery device permit program cover?
San Francisco established, via Public Works Code Section 794 (Supervisor Norman Yee's 2017 ordinance, SF File No. 170599), a permit program regulating Autonomous Delivery Devices on city sidewalks for research-and-development testing. In addition to standard permitting and safety requirements, the ordinance requires PDDs to offer data-sharing capabilities and includes a public-hearing process for permit approval. The program limits autonomous robot testing and development to certain parts of the city and requires a human accompaniment able to take control, framed at the time as among the strictest sidewalk-robot regulations in the United States.
Where does San Francisco Public Works Code Sec. 794: autonomous delivery device permit program apply?
San Francisco Public Works Code Sec. 794: autonomous delivery device permit program is recorded as a permitting requirement applying in San Francisco on the DEPLOY registry.
When did San Francisco Public Works Code Sec. 794: autonomous delivery device permit program take effect?
San Francisco Public Works Code Sec. 794: autonomous delivery device permit program is recorded as effective January 1, 2018 on the DEPLOY registry.
Is San Francisco Public Works Code Sec. 794: autonomous delivery device permit program still in effect?
San Francisco Public Works Code Sec. 794: autonomous delivery device permit program is currently in effect and applies to covered operators in the named jurisdiction.
What types of robots does San Francisco Public Works Code Sec. 794: autonomous delivery device permit program apply to?
San Francisco Public Works Code Sec. 794: autonomous delivery device permit program is recorded as applying to sidewalk robots on the DEPLOY registry.
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-10

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-10

Architectural position

Cohort: sidewalk

Sources by quality tier

3
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for San Francisco Public Works Code Sec. 794: autonomous delivery device permit program.

Canonical ID 199e3313-fd6e-4ae5-89d3-88cb5360be08