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<title>Terms of Service — sfpermits.ai</title>
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<div class="container">
<section class="legal-hero">
<p class="eyebrow">Legal</p>
<h1>Terms of Service</h1>
<p class="updated">Last updated: January 2025</p>
</section>
<div class="legal-body">
<div class="legal-section">
<h2>Beta Status</h2>
<p>
sfpermits.ai is currently in beta. This means:
</p>
<ul>
<li>Features may change, be added, or be removed without advance notice.</li>
<li>Data accuracy is best-effort — we aggregate public government data but cannot guarantee it is always current or complete.</li>
<li>Service availability is not guaranteed — we may have downtime for maintenance or unexpected issues.</li>
<li>Beta access may be revoked if the program becomes oversubscribed or if terms are violated.</li>
</ul>
<p>
We appreciate your patience and feedback as we improve the product. Please report issues to
<a href="mailto:tim@sfpermits.ai">tim@sfpermits.ai</a> or via the in-app feedback widget.
</p>
</div>
<div class="legal-section">
<h2>Data Accuracy</h2>
<div class="notice-box">
<p>
<strong>This is not legal advice.</strong> Permit timelines, fee estimates, and routing predictions
are based on historical data and statistical models. Always verify critical information directly
with the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI) before making business decisions.
</p>
</div>
<p>
We aggregate public permit data from <a href="https://data.sfgov.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data.sfgov.org</a>
and update our database nightly. However:
</p>
<ul>
<li>There may be a lag between DBI updates and our database refresh.</li>
<li>Timeline estimates are statistical predictions based on historical permit patterns — individual permits vary significantly.</li>
<li>Fee estimates are calculated from published DBI fee schedules and may not reflect special circumstances or recent updates.</li>
<li>Entity data is derived from permit contact records and may contain errors or duplicate records.</li>
<li>All permit data is public record sourced directly from the City and County of San Francisco.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="legal-section">
<h2>Acceptable Use</h2>
<p>By using sfpermits.ai, you agree not to:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Scrape or bulk-download</strong> permit data programmatically beyond normal use. For bulk data, use <a href="https://data.sfgov.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data.sfgov.org</a> directly.</li>
<li><strong>Automate API calls</strong> at rates that exceed your account tier's rate limits.</li>
<li><strong>Attempt to access</strong> other users' accounts, data, or private information.</li>
<li><strong>Reverse engineer</strong> the service to circumvent rate limits or access controls.</li>
<li><strong>Use the service</strong> for any purpose that violates applicable law.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="legal-section">
<h2>Rate Limits</h2>
<p>
Rate limits are enforced per account tier (see <a href="/docs">API Documentation</a> for current limits).
Exceeding your tier's limit results in temporary throttling (HTTP 429) — not account termination.
Repeated, deliberate circumvention of rate limits may result in account suspension.
</p>
<p>
To request a higher tier, contact <a href="mailto:tim@sfpermits.ai">tim@sfpermits.ai</a>.
</p>
</div>
<div class="legal-section">
<h2>Account Termination</h2>
<p>
We may suspend or terminate accounts that:
</p>
<ul>
<li>Violate the acceptable use terms above</li>
<li>Attempt to circumvent rate limits or access controls</li>
<li>Use the service in ways that harm other users or our infrastructure</li>
</ul>
<p>
To appeal a suspension, email <a href="mailto:tim@sfpermits.ai">tim@sfpermits.ai</a>.
We will review appeals within 5 business days.
</p>
</div>
<div class="legal-section">
<h2>Intellectual Property</h2>
<p>
<strong>Permit data</strong> is public record sourced from the City and County of San Francisco.
It is not our intellectual property and remains in the public domain.
</p>
<p>
<strong>Our analysis, intelligence tools, UI, and presentation</strong> — including the timeline
estimation models, entity resolution algorithms, knowledge base, and web interface — are proprietary
to sfpermits.ai. You may not reproduce or redistribute them without permission.
</p>
</div>
<div class="legal-section">
<h2>Limitation of Liability</h2>
<p>
sfpermits.ai is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied.
We make no warranty that the service will be error-free, uninterrupted, or that data
will be accurate or complete.
</p>
<p>
To the fullest extent permitted by law, sfpermits.ai and its operators shall not be liable
for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the service,
including but not limited to permit delays, incorrect fee estimates, or decisions made based on
data provided by this service.
</p>
<p>
Our total liability for any claim arising from use of the service shall not exceed the amount
you paid for the service in the 12 months preceding the claim. For beta users (who pay nothing),
our liability is zero.
</p>
</div>
<div class="legal-section">
<h2>Changes to These Terms</h2>
<p>
We may update these terms as the product evolves. For significant changes, we will send
an email notification to all registered users at least 14 days before the changes take effect.
Continued use of sfpermits.ai after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
</p>
</div>
<div class="legal-section">
<h2>Contact</h2>
<p>
Questions about these terms: <a href="mailto:tim@sfpermits.ai">tim@sfpermits.ai</a>
</p>
<p>
See also: <a href="/privacy">Privacy Policy</a> · <a href="/docs">API Documentation</a>
</p>
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