Privacy & Surveillance in San Francisco, CA (2026)
4 verified privacy & surveillance rules for San Francisco, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Security Camera Rules
SFPD may enter agreements with homeowners and businesses to receive footage from private security cameras, but citywide use of surveillance tech needs Board approval.
SF Police Access to Private Security Cameras
Some RestrictionsSan Francisco, CA, Administrative Code § 19B.2(a)(4)-(5)
(a)(4) Entering into agreement with a non-City entity to acquire, share, or otherwise use Surveillance Technology; or (5) Entering into an oral or written agreement under which a non-City entity or individual regularly provides the Department with data or information acquired through the entity's use of Surveillance Technology.
Recording & Consent Laws
California is a two-party (all-party) consent state. Recording private conversations without all parties' consent is a criminal offense under CA Penal Code §632. Video in public is legal. SF has additional surveillance oversight laws.
Recording Laws in San Francisco (California)
Some RestrictionsCalifornia Penal Code Section 632
632. (a) A person who, intentionally and without the consent of all parties to a confidential communication, uses an electronic amplifying or recording device to eavesdrop upon or record the confidential communication, whether the communication is carried on among the parties in the presence of one another or by means of a telegraph, telephone, or other device, except a radio, shall be punished...
Facial Recognition Ban
San Francisco bars every City Department, including the Police Department, from obtaining, retaining, accessing, or using Face Recognition Technology on City-issued software or devices, and from using any information that such technology produces.
SF City Departments Facial Recognition Ban
Heavy RestrictionsSan Francisco, CA, Administrative Code § 19B.2(d)
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Chapter 19B, it shall be unlawful for any Department to obtain, retain, access, or use: 1) any Face Recognition Technology on City-issued software or a City-issued product or device; or 2) any information obtained from Face Recognition Technology on City-issued software or a City-issued product or device. This subsection (d) is subject to the exceptions in...
License Plate Readers
San Francisco law names automatic license plate readers as regulated Surveillance Technology, so SFPD cannot acquire, borrow, or expand ALPR use until it publishes a Surveillance Impact Report, obtains a COIT recommendation, and wins Board of Supervisors approval of a Surveillance Technology Policy by ordinance.
San Francisco ALPR Board Approval Rule
Significant RestrictionsSan Francisco, CA, Administrative Code § 19B.1 (Definitions)
“Surveillance Technology” means any software, electronic device, system utilizing an electronic device, or similar device used, designed, or primarily intended to collect, retain, process, or share audio, electronic, visual, location, thermal, biometric, olfactory, or similar information specifically associated with, or capable of being associated with, any individual or group. Surveillance Tec...