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History

Two men dumping waste into the back of an old early 20th century Street Cleaning truck in front of San Francisco City Hall.

San Francisco Public Works was officially created on January 8, 1900 with the official name of Board of Public Works. Our first task was to organize and regulate street construction and paving projects throughout the city. Our original four bureaus were: Streets, Lighting, Building, and Light & Water Services. Over the next century and nearly two decades our roles have shifted and expanded dramatically.

In 2014, after a year-long rebranding process, the department switched its name from the San Francisco Department of Public Works, or DPW, to San Francisco Public Works. Our budget for our first year of operations was $637,194.00. Today, the operating budget for Fiscal Year 2015-16 is approximately $256 million.