Landscaping Rules in Santa Barbara, CA (2026)
9 verified landscaping rules for Santa Barbara, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Grass Height Limits
The City of Santa Barbara has no fixed numeric lawn-height limit for ordinary front-yard grass. Height rules apply through wildfire defensible-space requirements in the high fire hazard area, where dry grass and weeds must be cleared, and through general nuisance abatement for hazardous overgrowth.
Santa Barbara Grass Height and Overgrown Vegetation
Some RestrictionsTree Trimming
In the City of Santa Barbara, only City staff may trim, plant, or remove street trees in the parkway or right-of-way. Significantly pruning a protected tree, including setback trees and designated specimen or historic trees, requires a City permit, and unpermitted work carries escalating fines.
Santa Barbara Tree Trimming and Pruning Rules
Heavy RestrictionsCity of Santa Barbara Minor Tree Removal Permit Submittal Packet (SBMC Chapters 15.20 and 15.24)
A permit is required to remove or significantly alter (prune) these types of trees: Street Trees. Any tree planted in a parkway strip, tree well, street right-of-way, or public areas... Designated Historic & Specimen Trees... Setback Trees. A setback tree is any tree with 50% or more of the tree trunk located within a front setback.
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Removing a protected tree in the City of Santa Barbara requires a permit. Street, setback, specimen, and historic trees are reviewed by the Parks and Recreation Commission or a design review body, and removing one without a permit triggers fines up to $5,000 based on trunk size.
Santa Barbara Tree Removal Rules
Heavy RestrictionsWeed Ordinances
The City of Santa Barbara requires property owners in its high fire hazard area to clear weeds, dry grass, and flammable brush as defensible space. Required clearance ranges from 30-50 feet in coastal zones up to 150 feet in the Extreme Foothill Zone under City Ordinance #5920.
Santa Barbara Weed and Brush Abatement
Heavy RestrictionsWater Restrictions
The City of Santa Barbara's Water Regulations (SBMC Chapter 14.20) keep certain rules in force at all times, even outside a drought, prohibiting wasteful runoff, requiring leaks to be fixed within 72 hours of notice, and barring irrigation during and within 48 hours after measurable rainfall.
Santa Barbara Water Use Restrictions
Some RestrictionsRainwater Harvesting
The City of Santa Barbara encourages rainwater capture and graywater reuse, offering Creeks Division rebates for rain barrels, rain gardens, and downspout disconnects, plus a laundry-to-landscape graywater rebate. Simple systems follow the California Graywater Code, while complex graywater systems require a City permit.
Santa Barbara Rainwater Harvesting and Graywater
Few RestrictionsNative Plants
The City of Santa Barbara's Water Efficient Landscape Standards push new and substantially redeveloped landscapes toward low-water and native plants, requiring residential plans to hit roughly 80% low-water plants or a 0.5 ETAF. In high fire hazard areas, plant choices must also be fire-resistant.
Santa Barbara Native and Water-Wise Plants
Some RestrictionsArtificial Turf
The City of Santa Barbara does not reward artificial turf as a water-saving measure. Its Sustainable Lawn Replacement Rebate explicitly excludes artificial turf, and the City's Water Efficient Landscape Standards count synthetic turf as a non-pervious surface rather than as qualifying low-water landscape.
Santa Barbara Artificial Turf Rules
Some RestrictionsComposting
California's SB 1383 requires organic-waste recycling, but the City of Santa Barbara meets it differently. Residents are not given separate kitchen-compost carts; food scraps go in the trash and are sorted out at the County ReSource Center, while yard waste uses a dedicated green cart through hauler MarBorg Industries.
Santa Barbara Composting and Organic Waste
Some RestrictionsLooking for Santa Barbara County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Santa Barbara city rules.
Landscaping Rules in Santa Barbara County →