Police told KCBS radio that the man was veteran skyscraper climber Dan Goodwin.
Watch a video of the climb
Mr Goodwin used suction cups but no ropes to scale Millennium Tower, a 197m (645ft) residential building overlooking San Francisco Bay, without permission.
He ignored orders to stop climbing, police said.
Mr Goodwin was too high to reach by the time firefighters arrived at the building, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.
Local media reported that police shut down the street below the building during the ascent.
He reached the top about three hours after he began.
Mr Goodwin then stepped onto the landing where he was escorted away by police.
In a statement posted on his website, Mr Goodwin said he climbed the building to call attention to what he described as the ongoing vulnerability of skyscrapers to attacks.
He also said he wanted to inspire patients battling cancer, which he said he overcame to continue climbing.
The 54-year-old Lake Tahoe resident's other climbing credits include Chicago's Sears Tower.
