A new permit-fee waiver program aimed at encouraging the growth of new small businesses in San Francisco launched this week.

The “First Year Free” pilot program will help businesses with less than $2 million in gross receipts that plan to open a new ground-floor location before Oct. 31, 2022.

“Right now, opening a restaurant in San Francisco requires about 20 different permits while opening a retail shop requires up to 11. Each of these permits comes with a fee,” Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who sponsored the ordinance that created the program, said in a news release.

(Video courtesy of San Francisco Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector/YouTube)

The city’s Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector will automatically screen new businesses for eligibility and the city has set aside $12 million for the program.

Some of the fees that will be waived include the “initial year” business registration fee for new businesses, the application, inspection and one-time permit fees and the initial license fees.

Fee waivers are also available for businesses opening a new location but not for “formula retail” businesses, according to city officials.

Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.