Citywide Tent Counts Rose as Maintenance Reports Mixed
The city counted 148 tents in September 2026, marking a 29% increase from May, even as vehicle-based living and graffiti declined.
Updated on Oct. 9, 2026 in Home Cleaning
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San Franciscans dealing with shifting street conditions now face a rise in citywide tent encampments, according to the latest controller's office report. While tent counts grew over the summer, the city saw a concurrent decrease in occupied vehicles and large dumped items.
Why it matters
The report highlights the evolving state of street cleanliness and housing, with residents in neighborhoods like the Tenderloin and SoMa seeing disparate impacts. The sustainability of current interventions, such as the $19 million RESET Center, remains a subject of ongoing community scrutiny.
Citywide tent encampments increased 29% between May and September 2026, reaching a total of 148. Meanwhile, sightings of feces in the Tenderloin occurred during 81% of evaluations, up from 54% two years prior.
The players
Mayor Lurie
The current executive head of the city who addressed recent street conditions.
Controller's Office
The municipal agency responsible for auditing and publishing citywide maintenance performance metrics.
The details
City surveyors tracked street conditions by auditing routes for litter, graffiti, and sanitation issues. While the Tenderloin saw reduced graffiti averages—dropping from 75 to 46 tags per visit—observations of feces rose to an 81% occurrence rate. Simultaneously, the RESET Center continues to operate at less than 30% capacity. Future data releases from the controller's office will continue to monitor these street maintenance indicators.
Timeline
September 2025: 168 tents were recorded in the citywide survey.
May 2026: The city recorded 115 tents and 315 occupied vehicles.
September 2026: The city recorded 148 tents and 249 occupied vehicles.
October 7, 2026: Mayor Lurie addressed street conditions in a video.
October 8, 2026: The controller's office published the maintenance standards report.
Across the Bay
This report follows the standard set by the city's established biannual cleanliness survey protocols. It updates the tracking of street conditions against historical markers used to evaluate the efficacy of municipal maintenance efforts.
Residents in the Tenderloin may continue to see high rates of street sanitation issues based on the latest observation data. Meanwhile, those in SoMa should note the rise in local encampments from 4 to 13 reported between May and September.
The takeaway
The data suggests a shift in how street homelessness manifests, with tent counts rising even as other indicators like graffiti and large dumped items improve. Residents should continue to monitor the controller's office reports to track the performance of the $19 million RESET Center.
Further reading
For more information on the city's efforts to manage neighborhood maintenance, visit Home Cleaning.
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Are street conditions and public cleanliness in your local community getting better or worse?
