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120 Pierce St

Hayes Valley, SF 94117 0861020 14 units · 3 fl · 1905

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. A handful of unresolved issues. Worth a careful walk-through and pointed questions.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Hayes Valley
Above average
avg 2.3
7
FewerMore

This building has 7 novs (7y), above the Hayes Valley average of 2.3.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 120 Pierce St rent-controlled?

San Francisco's Rent Ordinance caps rent increases and provides eviction protection for most residential units built before 1979 with 2+ units. Here's how this building scores.

Built before 1979
Built 1905
2 or more units
14 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH3
Likely rent-controlled. Building age and unit count suggest this property falls under San Francisco's Rent Ordinance.

Based on SF Assessor records. Not legal advice — confirm with the SF Rent Board.

Building characteristics
Units14
Floors3
Year built1905
Total area16,500 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0861020
Ownership

Registered owner per SF Assessor-Recorder (secured roll).

Owner name
Grinsell Dorland Llc
Mailing address
1248 Noriega St San Francisco CA 94122
Last sale
031199

Landlord portfolio

Other SF properties this owner holds, with risk grades for each.

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

120 Pierce Street is a three-story, 14-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1905 in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The property, owned by Grinsell Dorland Llc, has undergone significant recent improvements, including multiple unit renovations between 2020 and 2023, focusing on kitchen and bathroom updates, with the most recent work completed in Unit B in February 2023 costing $45,215. The building successfully completed its mandatory soft-story seismic retrofit in 2017, demonstrating compliance with San Francisco's seismic safety requirements, and has received regular maintenance updates including a new storage tank installation in May 2023.

The building has had its share of regulatory scrutiny, particularly in 2023 when multiple violations were cited relating to fire safety and emergency preparedness, including issues with fire extinguisher maintenance, gas utility shutoff tools, and fire escape ladders. These violations were all abated by September 2023. Historical records show a pattern of fire alarm system maintenance issues, with violations noted in 2022 and past complaints in 2015, 2011, and 2009, though no injuries have been reported in associated fire incidents. The property has maintained regular upkeep through various building permits over the years, including roofing work in 2003 and sidewalk improvements in 2008, along with necessary plumbing and electrical upgrades, particularly during unit remodels. Recent 311 calls from January 2025 have primarily concerned external issues such as graffiti and sidewalk maintenance.

AI-generated · may contain errors · check the source data tables below

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Risk rating

How 120 Pierce St's risk score is calculated

We trained a model on 7 years of SF DBI inspection data — notice of violation filings, complaint history, and owner track records. It estimates the probability that DBI inspectors will issue a Notice of Violation at this address in the next 12 months. Lower % = safer.

What the score means for you

Grade A–B — Low risk

DBI rarely finds violations here. Strong maintenance history and a clean complaint record.

Grade C — Moderate risk

Some past violations or complaints on record. Worth asking the landlord about any open issues before signing.

Grade D–F — High risk

Elevated violation and complaint history. DBI has found issues here before and is statistically likely to again.

Neighborhood percentile
15th percentile

Out of 1027 buildings in this neighborhood, 873 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
38%
No DBI
violation
62%
DBI violation
likely
Model explanation

What's driving this score

The three data points that most influenced this building's risk rating — ranked by the weight the model placed on each one.

Number of units

The number of units affects how the model reads complaint and violation totals — more units means more potential sources.

Building size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 57.5%
Moderate concern 33.4%
Severe concern 9.1%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

120 Pierce St apartment reviews

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The story over time

120 Pierce St event timeline

Violations, complaints, fire incidents, permits, and buyouts — most recent records in order.

2025
Fire Complaint Oct 09
Alarm Systems
Condition Corrected
Electrical PermitOct 06
Replacement of existing fire alarm system with additional low frequency horns in sleeping areas to comply 1103.6.1, reference bpa#2025-0806-2397.

See all 23 events

Full history back to 2020 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 120 Pierce St apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

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Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

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