San Francisco Open Data Policy - Bylaw & API Access

Technology and Data California 3 Minutes Read · published February 06, 2026 Flag of California

San Francisco, California maintains an open-data program that publishes city datasets and provides API access for developers, researchers, and the public. This guide explains the city open-data policy, how to find and call APIs, the offices responsible for publication and compliance, and practical steps to request new datasets or report issues. It summarizes enforcement and appeals where available and points to official documentation and contacts for DataSF and the city API platform.[1][2]

What the open-data policy covers

The City of San Francisco publishes datasets to the public catalog and documents standards for metadata, formats, and discoverability. The policy sets goals for transparency, reuse, and machine-readable publication, and the portal offers programmatic API endpoints for published datasets.[1][2]

Check the dataset’s page for licensing and field-level notes before reuse.

Accessing APIs

Most city datasets published on the official portal expose RESTful endpoints with query, filter, and export parameters. Developers should consult the developer documentation for endpoint patterns, rate limits, and recommended client usage.[2]

  • Find the dataset record on the city catalog and copy the dataset API endpoint.
  • Review dataset metadata for schema, update cadence, and license information.
  • Use the API explorer or developer docs to test queries and pagination.

Penalties & Enforcement

The official open-data pages describe program goals and operational responsibilities; they do not set out specific fine schedules or civil penalties on the policy pages cited here. Where monetary penalties or enforcement triggers exist, they are not specified on the cited pages and may appear in separate ordinances or departmental rules.[1]

The open-data policy page does not list fines or explicit monetary penalties.
  • Enforcer: Mayor’s Office of Data and Innovation / DataSF is the program lead and point of contact for publication and compliance; official contact information is provided on program pages.[3]
  • Fine amounts: not specified on the cited page.
  • Escalation: first/repeat/continuing offence procedures are not specified on the cited page.
  • Non-monetary sanctions: potential actions may include publication orders, data takedown requests, or administrative review; specific remedies are not specified on the cited page.
  • Inspection and complaint: report data quality or availability issues via the official program contact or dataset-specific contact on the portal.[3]
  • Appeals/review: formal appeal routes and time limits are not specified on the cited page; use program contact to request review.

Applications & Forms

The official open-data policy and portal do not publish a single universal application form for dataset publication on the policy page cited here. Publication typically follows the portal’s dataset submission or partner onboarding workflow described on program pages or by contacting the program directly.[1][3]

Contact the program before preparing large or sensitive data transfers to confirm format and privacy review requirements.

Common violations

  • Failure to publish required datasets or metadata (penalty: not specified on the cited page).
  • Publishing datasets with missing or incorrect schema (remedy: correction request via program contact).
  • Publishing private or sensitive information without redaction (enforcement pathway: report to program; specifics not specified).

FAQ

How do I access datasets via the city API?
Locate the dataset on the official portal, open the dataset record to find the API endpoint and query examples, then use the documented query parameters and formats in the developer documentation.[2]
Can I request a new dataset to be published?
Yes. Contact the DataSF program or use the portal’s dataset submission guidance to propose publication. Follow the program’s onboarding instructions for metadata and format requirements.[1][3]
Are there fees to publish or access data?
The policy and portal pages cited do not specify fees for access or publication; verify with the program contact if your request may involve costs or resource agreements.

How-To

  1. Find an existing dataset on the portal and review its metadata and API endpoint.
  2. Test queries using the API explorer or developer docs to confirm fields and formats.[2]
  3. Contact the DataSF program with dataset metadata or to request publication; follow any onboarding steps provided.[3]
  4. After publication, monitor the dataset record for updates and correct issues by contacting the dataset owner shown on the record.

Key Takeaways

  • Use the official portal and developer docs as the authoritative source for dataset endpoints and API usage.
  • Contact DataSF for publication requests and for help with metadata and format standards.

Help and Support / Resources

  1. [1] DataSF Open Data Policy and program pages
  2. [2] City API developer documentation and API explorer
  3. [3] Mayor's Office of Data and Innovation / DataSF contact and onboarding guidance

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