Visitor Guidelines

Join us in protecting the health of our community. We ask that guests follow these enhanced safety precautions, developed in response to COVID-19.

• Under the weather? Take care, stay home, feel better soon.
• Masks are mandatory for all visitors age 3 and older.
• Maintain social distance. Stay six feet apart from others.
• Follow distancing signage.
• Daily museum attendance is limited to 2,500 people, 25% of total capacity. If elevators, stairs, or galleries are at capacity, please wait before entering.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• No food or drink in the galleries.
• Keep moving through the museum. Please don’t gather or linger in one area — transmission risk (including asymptomatic transmission) increases with prolonged exposure within an enclosed space.
• Any behavior or activity that disrupts the safe or orderly use of the Museum, or that affects the staff’s ability to provide services, is prohibited.
• Please treat each other and our staff with respect — no profanity and/or engaging in rude, inconsiderate, or abusive behavior. We can all use a little kindness.

Visitors not following the COVID-19 Code of Conduct will be asked to leave, as will guests who engage in behavior outlined below under “Grounds For Immediate Ejection From SFMOMA.”

All visitors (including members and visitors 18 and under, who always receive free admission) require a ticket so we can ensure the museum does not exceed capacity. Order timed tickets in advance for all members of your party so everyone can enter the galleries at the same time. Tickets for visitors 18 and under can be booked online in conjunction with a paid or member ticket.

Please note that only a limited number of tickets will be available at the ticketing desk and availability is not guaranteed; we strongly encourage all visitors to reserve tickets online. Contact visit@sfmoma.org or 415.357.4000 with any questions.

If you have a timed ticket please arrive at or before your scheduled time. You’re more than welcome to stay until the museum closes that day. Please note the museum opens at 10 a.m. Friday through Monday and opens at 1 p.m. on Thursdays.

Photography/videography is allowed for personal, noncommercial use (except where indicated). No flashes, tripods, or selfie sticks.

No smoking is permitted in the Museum. Eating and drinking are not allowed in the galleries, but are allowed in designated areas. Sealed food and drink containers are allowed if they are packed away inside a bag.

Cafe 5 will have grab-and-go dining with socially distanced tables and outdoor seating in the museum’s fifth floor Jean and James Douglas Family Sculpture Garden.

We welcome breastfeeding and bottle-feeding in all spaces. The Museum does not provide any dedicated spaces for feeding.

Strollers are allowed unless otherwise noted for specific exhibitions.

Our staffed coat checks are temporarily closed, and we are taking all appropriate precautions to keep our visitors and staff healthy. A self-service coat check will be available in the Haas Jr. Atrium off Third Street. Please note that SFMOMA is not liable for the belongings left behind.

For all things Lost and Found while you’re at SFMOMA, ask any staff member on the museum floor. If you need to contact us about lost items after your visit, please call 415.357.4000 or email visit@sfmoma.org.

Backpacks may not be worn on your back; they must be carried by hand (below the waist) or worn on the front of your body at all times.

Umbrellas may not be carried in the galleries. Please place them in your purse or bag.

The use of all pens and any other writing/drawing/marking implement or implement that may be used to mark and/or deface SFMOMA property are strictly prohibited in the galleries (where art is on display). If making notes is necessary, please use a pencil. (Please see a Visitor Experience staff manager regarding working with art supplies such as charcoal, watercolors, etc.). Possession of spray cans is prohibited in any area of the Museum.

Find detailed information about our accessibility options here.

Parking is available at the SFMOMA Parking Garage, located at 147 Minna Street. The garage is open every day between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. SFMOMA will offer free parking to all visitors during Free Community Days on October 4–18. After October 18, SFMOMA members receive 25% off and non-members are offered a 10% discount. Parking tickets can be self-validated at the Ticketing Desk. Any issues with a parking ticket or the SFMOMA Garage itself should call 415.813.4266.

Art safety barriers are not to be violated. Please honor all art safety barriers and maintain a distance of at least 18 inches from all artwork, and at least six feet from other guests.

Animals are not permitted at SFMOMA. The only exception is for service animals on a leash and under their owner’s control as authorized by applicable law.

Disruptive noise is prohibited. Visitors with electronic/sound-producing devices, including but not limited to cellular phones, PDAs, Game Boys, et cetera, will be asked to turn the volume down.

The interior of the Museum is not a public forum and is not designated for use for protests, rallies, petition signature gathering, or other similar activities.

The use or possession of any type of weapon or explosives is strictly prohibited.

In response to COVID-19, the museum has temporarily paused all group tours. Unauthorized tours, meaning tours operated by private tour operators that are not affiliated with the museum, are prohibited and may be asked to stop the tour and/or leave the museum. Tour operators may reach out to groups@sfmoma.org for details on becoming a contracted partner.

The following are prohibited and grounds for immediate ejection from SFMOMA:

• Non-compliance with SFMOMA’s COVID-19 Code of Conduct, specifically:
  • Refusal to wear a face mask on SFMOMA premises
  • Refusal to maintain social distancing
  • Refusal to follow directions from SFMOMA staff
• Use of profanity and/or engaging in rude, inconsiderate, or abusive behavior
• Blocking Museum areas, including any entrance areas, entrance steps, platforms, gallery spaces, or access ramps or otherwise interfering with the free flow of pedestrian traffic in and around the Museum
• Blocking or interfering with admission lines or special event-related activities, including valet parking services for special events
• Littering on Museum property including entrance areas, entrance steps, platforms, and access ramps and any surrounding areas
• Petition signature gathering or leafletting activities in any museum area, including any entrance area, entrance steps, platforms, or access ramps
• Smoking any tobacco or other product, including smokeless devices, inside the Museum or in an outdoor area within 20 feet of a main exit, entrance, or operable window of the Museum
• Excessive intoxication while on SFMOMA’s premises
• Possession, use, and/or being under the influence of controlled substances while on SFMOMA’s premises is strictly prohibited, except as authorized by physician prescription
• Creating a physically offensive condition, including disturbing odors or infested clothing or personal effects
• Lack of clothing covering the upper and lower body; lack of shoes or other footwear
• Refusal to follow directions from SFMOMA staff
• Consumption of food or beverages in prohibited areas
• Unauthorized entry into controlled or restricted areas
• Repeated violation of art safety barriers
• Failure to maintain control of minor children
• Actual or attempted misappropriation of and/or damage to SFMOMA property

In addition to the above, any behavior or activity that disrupts the safe or orderly use of the Museum, or that affects the staff’s ability to provide services, is prohibited.