San Francisco · security and when to leave
SFO TSA wait times by hour
TSA screens about 72,600 people a day at San Francisco International Airport. Its own hour-by-hour counts for Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026 show when the lines build, and the calculator below turns that into the time to leave home.
Updated Oct 31, 2026By Steven MoHow we check Report a correction
Allow up to 30 min, 10 with PreCheck. About 5,500 people an hour; also 7–8 AM
Allow about 20 min, 5 with PreCheck. About 2,400 people an hour
At the busiest time; 1 h 25 min when it's quieter
TSA's counts, Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026
Quick answer
Allow up to 30 minutes for security at SFO at its busiest (7–8 AM and 9 AM–1 PM) and about 20 in the 6–8 PM lull, or 10 and 5 with PreCheck. TSA doesn't publish wait times by airport, so these are planning allowances from its hourly counts of people screened, not live waits. Get to SFO about 1 h 35 min before a domestic flight around 11:30 AM, or 1 h 25 min before one around 7:30 PM, with just a carry-on. Add about 20 minutes to check a bag, and allow 2 h 35 min for an international flight.
- Busiest hours
- 7–8 AM and 9 AM–1 PM
- Quietest daytime hours
- 6–8 PM
- Busiest day
- Thursday (quietest: Tuesday)
- When it's open
- Screening at SFO picks up around 3 AM, lines build from about 4 AM and it winds down after 12 AM.
- Busiest checkpoint
- Security Checkpoint D, 21% of travelers
- Data
- TSA's counts of people screened, Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026
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When should I leave for SFO?
- 5:55 AM Drive to the airportincludes 5 min for traffic or delays35 min
- 6:30 AM Get dropped off at the terminal5 min
- 6:35 AM Security25 min
- 7:00 AM Walk to your gate15 min
- 7:15 AM Spare time for surprises15 min
- 7:30 AM At the gate when boarding starts30 min
Security at that time: busy in TSA's counts for an average day, so we allow 25 min. That's a planning allowance, not a live wait. How we calculate this
SFO security wait times by hour
People screened per hour across SFO's checkpoints, averaged over 7 weeks of TSA data (Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026), and how long to allow for security in each hour. More people means longer lines, though TSA staffs up for the peaks, so read it as when lines build rather than exact waits.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Busiest
Wait times to allow, hour by hour
| Hour | People | Standard | PreCheck |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 AM–1 AM | 148 | 15 min | 5 min |
| 1 AM–2 AM | 18 | – | – |
| 2 AM–3 AM | 1 | – | – |
| 3 AM–4 AM | 622 | 15 min | 5 min |
| 4 AM–5 AM | 2,055 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 5 AM–6 AM | 3,115 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 6 AM–7 AM | 4,017 | 25 min | 10 min |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 5,037 | 30 min | 10 min |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 4,225 | 25 min | 10 min |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 5,237 | 30 min | 10 min |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 5,513 | 30 min | 10 min |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 5,270 | 30 min | 10 min |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 5,020 | 30 min | 10 min |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 3,749 | 25 min | 10 min |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 3,975 | 25 min | 10 min |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 3,795 | 25 min | 10 min |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 2,792 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 3,156 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 2,301 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 2,445 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 3,158 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 3,408 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 10 PM–11 PM | 2,780 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 11 PM–12 AM | 805 | 15 min | 5 min |
Minutes are what we'd allow at that hour's level of traffic: planning allowances, not measured or live waits.
Security at SFO is busiest 7–8 AM and 9 AM–1 PM, when about 5,500 people go through every hour: 2.3 times as many as in the 6–8 PM lull.
Thursday is the busiest day (about 82,900 people) and Tuesday the quietest (about 61,100). Screening at SFO picks up around 3 AM, lines build from about 4 AM and it winds down after 12 AM.
TSA reports its lines against 30 minutes: on the busy Fourth of July weekend in 2021, 99.7% of travelers in standard lanes waited less than that. So at SFO's busiest hours we plan for 30 minutes in the standard lane and 10 with PreCheck, and less when it's quieter.
These aren't live waits. For today's line, check San Francisco International Airport's official site: many airports post live checkpoint waits.
How early to get to SFO
How long before departure to reach the airport if you're dropped off at the terminal. Flights around 11:30 AM hit security in its busiest hour; flights around 7:30 PM in a quieter stretch.
| Your trip | Flights around 11:30 AM | Around 7:30 PM |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic, carry-on only | 1 h 35 min | 1 h 25 min |
| Domestic, checking a bag | 1 h 55 min | 1 h 35 min |
| Domestic, carry-on, PreCheck or CLEAR | 1 h 15 min | 1 h 10 min |
| International, checking a bag | 2 h 35 min | 2 h 15 min |
Parking adds 15 to 25 minutes and returning a rental car about 30; the calculator above adds them for you. Most U.S. airlines close bag drop 45 minutes before domestic departures and 60 before international ones, and on holiday weekends we'd allow another 15 to 25 minutes. How we work these out
SFO security checkpoints
SFO has 6 main checkpoints in TSA's data. Security Checkpoint D screens 21% of departing travelers.
| Checkpoint (TSA's name) | Share of travelers | Busy from |
|---|---|---|
| Security Checkpoint D | 21% | 3 AM |
| Security Checkpoint B | 19% | 3 AM |
| Security Checkpoint F-1 | 19% | 3 AM |
| Security Checkpoint A | 15% | 7 AM |
| Security Checkpoint T1 B Mezzanine | 13% | 4 AM |
| Security Checkpoint G | 13% | 5 AM |
Terminals: Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and the International Terminal (A and G gates). Since 2024 all terminals are connected inside security in a ring. There's no direct link between International A and G gates: you walk through the domestic terminals, about 20–25 minutes.
Checkpoint names are TSA's own. Use the checkpoint for your terminal or concourse; at many airports any checkpoint reaches every gate, but not at all of them.
TSA also screens airport employees at separate checkpoints; we leave those out of the figures on this page.
Getting through SFO security faster
- Fly Tuesday, or at a time that reaches security in the 6–8 PM lull, if you can: SFO's checkpoints see about 2,400 people an hour then, against 5,500 at the peak.
- TSA PreCheck or CLEAR: in TSA's 2021 holiday-weekend figures 99% of PreCheck travelers waited under 5 minutes. In our plan it saves about 20 minutes at SFO's busiest hours.
- Checking a bag? The bag drop lines peak at the same hours as security, so add about 20 minutes then, and get there before your airline closes bag drop (usually 45 minutes before a domestic flight).
- On the first flights of the day, expect a line as soon as screening starts: lines at SFO build from about 4 AM.
- United is mainly in Terminal 3 and International G.
SFO TSA wait times FAQ
About 1 h 35 min before departure with just a carry-on if your flight leaves around 11:30 AM, when security at SFO is busiest, or 1 h 25 min around 7:30 PM. Checking a bag, allow 1 h 55 min at the busiest times. That's for being dropped off at the terminal; add 15 to 25 minutes to park.
More for SFO
TSA wait times nearby: Los Angeles (LAX) · San Diego (SAN) · Sacramento (SMF) · Orange County (SNA) · San Jose (SJC) · Oakland (OAK)
Sources
Updated Oct 31, 2026 with TSA's counts for Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026. TSA publishes these counts weekly with a delay of about a week, and staffing changes day to day, so check your airport's live wait before you leave.
- TSA FOIA reading room: TSA throughput data, people screened at every checkpoint, hour by hour (7 weekly files, Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026)
- TSA throughput data, latest week used (to Oct 24, 2026)
- TSA: 99.7% of standard-lane travelers waited less than 30 minutes and 99% of PreCheck travelers less than 5 over the Fourth of July weekend (2021)
- San Francisco International Airport official website
- One Mile at a Time: all SFO terminals connected airside
Read how we collect and check this data, or tell us if something's out of date.
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