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2140 Fell St

North Panhandle, SF 94117 1213003A 12 units · 3 fl · 1926

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. A handful of unresolved issues. Worth a careful walk-through and pointed questions.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in North Panhandle
At or below average
avg 1.7
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the North Panhandle average of 1.7.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 2140 Fell 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 1926
2 or more units
12 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM3
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
Units12
Floors3
Year built1926
Total area9,825 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1213003A
Ownership

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

Owner name
2130-2140 Fell Street Llc
Mailing address
Arthur J Zanello 1869 Market St San Francisco CA 94103
Last sale
040999

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
AI summary

The 12-unit, 3-story multi-family residential building at 2140 Fell Street in Park North, constructed in 1926, has undergone significant safety improvements and maintenance over the past decade. Most recently, in August 2023, the building completed a fire alarm system upgrade costing $35,400 to meet current fire code requirements. The property achieved important seismic safety milestones by completing a mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2015 (cost: $93,000) and related structural improvements. Critical systems have been updated or replaced, including the main water line (2016), steam boiler (2012), sewer line (2011), and hot water storage tank (2009). The building has had recurring fire system maintenance requirements, with multiple fire alarm and sprinkler system inspections showing "Condition Corrected" status, though there have been occasional system malfunctions requiring attention.

The property experienced some resident concerns in recent years, including a 2020 complaint regarding unpermitted construction and COVID-19 safety practices, though this complaint was marked as not active. A routine safety inspection in 2016 noted elevated noise levels during garage work. The building's history includes several 311 calls regarding sidewalk cleaning and debris removal, with the most recent clustering around early 2025, though these appear to be external to the building itself. The property's management has generally addressed maintenance issues promptly, as indicated by the "Completed" status of most building permits and the correction of violations noted in 2003 related to fire safety and security requirements.

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Risk rating

How 2140 Fell 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
10th percentile

Out of 797 buildings in this neighborhood, 717 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
41%
No DBI
violation
59%
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 17.1%
Moderate concern 38.6%
Severe concern 44.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

2140 Fell St event timeline

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

2023
Building Permit Aug 18
Upgrade existing f/a system to comply with sffc section 1103.7.6.1
$29,500 · Complete
Fire ComplaintAug 18
Alarm Systems

See all 6 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 2140 Fell 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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