Using the San Francisco building data MCP tools

Category: SF Housing
Read time: 5 minutes
Applies to: San Francisco buildings only

The Augrented MCP server gives AI coding agents read-only access to every SF building dataset in the platform — DBI Notices of Violation, building permits, fire safety records, 311 service requests, tenant buyout agreements, and rent-control analysis. SF's data is structured differently from NYC (no HPD equivalent), so the tools are organized around the Department of Building Inspection and the Rent Board.

What you can do

The SF-specific MCP tools (sf_* prefix) after selecting a building by block-lot give your agent the ability to:

Pull the full building risk profile with DBI violation counts, rent-control status, and risk forecast
Fetch recent records from any of 13 SF datasets
Search landlords and rank their portfolios by DBI Notice of Violation severity
Check soft-story seismic retrofit compliance
Look up tenant buyout (Ellis Act) filings

SF tool reference

Tool	What it returns
`sf_find_buildings(query, limit)`	Search SF buildings by address fragment. Returns address, block-lot, neighborhood, and summary violation counts.
`sf_get_building_profile(blocklot)`	Full building profile: ownership, physical specs, risk score, rent-control analysis, DBI violation aggregates, and premium report availability.
`sf_get_building_records(dataset_name, blocklot, limit)`	Recent records from one dataset. See the table below for valid `dataset_name` values.
`sf_find_landlords(name, limit)`	Search owners and management companies. Returns portfolio summaries with building counts, units, and DBI NOV totals.
`sf_select_landlord(name)`	Set this session's landlord for subsequent `sf_list_landlord_buildings` calls.
`sf_list_landlord_buildings(landlord_name, limit)`	A landlord's buildings sorted by DBI Notice of Violation count — worst properties first.
`sf_get_selected_building()`	Return the currently selected building's block-lot and address.

Available SF datasets

These are the dataset_name values you can pass to sf_get_building_records:

Data source	Key	Agency	What it shows
Building Permits	`building_permits`	SF DBI	Construction, alteration, repair permits — with estimated costs and status
Plumbing Permits	`plumbing_permits`	SF DBI	Plumbing installation, repair, and replacement permits
Electrical Permits	`electrical_permits`	SF DBI	Wiring, panel upgrades, and related electrical permits
Soft Story Program	`soft_story`	SF DBI	Seismic retrofit compliance for soft-story wood-frame buildings
DBI Violations (NOV)	`building_violations`	SF DBI	Notices of Violation for code violations — unresolved ones can escalate to legal action
DBI Complaints	`dbi_complaints`	SF DBI	Code violation complaints filed with DBI, lifecycle from filing to abatement
Planning Projects	`planning_project`	SF Planning	Entitlements — discretionary review, conditional use, variances
Planning Non-Projects	`planning_non_project`	SF Planning	Administrative records — pre-app meetings, compliance, referrals
311 Service Requests	`calls_311`	SF 311	Maintenance, street, and quality-of-life requests geocoded to the parcel
Fire Complaints	`fire_complaints`	SFFD	Fire code complaints, type, disposition, and outcome
Fire Incidents	`fire_incidents`	SFFD	Structure fires, alarms, and emergency responses
Fire Violations	`fire_violations`	SFFD	Fire code violations with corrective actions
Tenant Buyout Agreements	`buyouts`	SF Rent Board	Ellis Act buyout amounts paid to tenants to vacate rent-controlled units

Applies to: San Francisco buildings only. SF has 13 datasets vs. NYC's 26+ — a smaller set that reflects fewer agency silos. DBI functions as both NYC's HPD and DOB.

Example queries

Find a building and check its rent control status:

Look up 500 Jones Street in SF and tell me if it's rent-controlled

Your agent calls sf_find_buildings("500 Jones Street") to get the block-lot, then sf_get_building_profile to get the full report — which includes rent-control analysis (pre-1979 construction, Costa-Hawkins exemptions, Rent Board registration).

Check soft story compliance:

Is 888 Howard Street compliant with the soft story program?

Calls sf_get_building_records(dataset_name="soft_story", blocklot="..."). Returns retrofit compliance status for this wood-frame building.

Look up landlord risk:

Show me the worst buildings owned by Veritas Investments in SF

Calls sf_find_landlords(name="Veritas") then sf_list_landlord_buildings(landlord_name="Veritas Investments"). Results sorted by DBI Notice of Violation count.

What's different from NYC via MCP

Aspect	NYC MCP	SF MCP
Building identifier	BBL (10-digit)	Block-Lot (e.g., `1234-567`)
Code enforcement agency	HPD (violations) + DOB (permits)	DBI (does both)
Rent regulation	Rent Stabilization (DHCR/RGB)	Rent Control (SF Rent Board)
Unique SF datasets	Not available	Soft story compliance, tenant buyouts
Unique NYC datasets	Bedbug, rodent, OATH, tax liens	Not available

Tips

Block-lot format — block-lot separated by a hyphen, e.g., 1234-567. Unlike NYC's BBL, there's no borough prefix
Some datasets are locked — DBI complaints, fire incidents, and premium-owned records require an Augrented account and may need credits
Tenant buyouts are SF-specific — this data comes from the SF Rent Board and has no NYC equivalent. It reflects Ellis Act buyout agreements
Rent control vs. rent stabilization — SF uses the pre-1979 threshold and Costa-Hawkins exemptions. The analysis is included in the building profile

Search any SF address — free for your first 10 buildings.