Santa Barbara County, CA Ordinances (2026)

On unincorporated county roads, parking is shaped by Santa Barbara County Code Chapter 23 (Article III) and the California Vehicle Code. The County may set time-limited zones and…

Santa Barbara County Code Chapter 23 restricts parking buses, trucks, and tractors in residential districts to two hours unless a permit is issued (Sec. 23-304), and regulates truck…

Unincorporated Santa Barbara County has no blanket overnight ban on residential roads; the limit is the 72-hour rule. The County may post county highways as no-parking between 1:00…

In unincorporated Santa Barbara County, a yellow-painted curb marks a loading zone under County Code Sec. 23-11.1 and 23-11.5. Vehicles may stop there only to load or unload, and only…

In identified unincorporated residential areas facing chronic nonresident parking congestion, the board of supervisors may create a permit parking district by resolution under County…

In residential zones, a driveway inside the required front setback can't exceed 50 percent of that lot's street frontage, though a 10-foot-wide driveway is always allowed regardless…

In unincorporated Santa Barbara County, red curb paint along county roads means a designated bus zone: Sec. 23-11.11 lets the public works director authorize transit and school bus…

Unincorporated Santa Barbara County has no RV- or boat-specific street ordinance. RVs, boats, and trailers on a county highway fall under the general 72-hour limit and California…

In county-owned off-street lots, Santa Barbara County Code Sec. 12A-25 makes it unlawful to park in a marked electric vehicle charging stall unless the vehicle is actually plugged in…

Santa Barbara County declares any abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle on private or public property (not counting highways) in the unincorporated area a public…

Santa Barbara County Code Chapter 40 (Nighttime Noise Restrictions) bars loud, unreasonable amplified noise broadcast outdoors in the unincorporated county from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m…

Driving a motor vehicle on unimproved land in unincorporated Santa Barbara County without the landowner's permission is banned outright under County Code Sec. 24-29, a rule the board…

Grading work that needs a county grading permit cannot run between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. under County Code Sec. 14-22, unless the director of planning and development finds the work won't…

A dog that emits excessive noise, loud, frequent barking that denies two or more neighboring households the comfortable enjoyment of their homes, is a public nuisance under County Code…

County Code Sec. 40-2 prohibits loud, unreasonable amplified music broadcast outdoors at night in the unincorporated county. Loud and unreasonable sound is defined as clearly…

Santa Barbara County does not impose breed-specific bans. County Code Chapter 7, Article VIII (Vicious and Restricted Dogs), Sections 7-53 through 7-62, regulates dogs by behavior, not…

In unincorporated Santa Barbara County, chickens and poultry are regulated as "small non-hoofed animals" under the County Land Use & Development Code Section 35.42.060. Hens are…

Grooming shops in unincorporated Santa Barbara County cannot open without a county grooming shop permit, renewed every January 1. Animal Services will only issue one after confirming…

Dogs and other animals in unincorporated Santa Barbara County must be kept under restraint whenever they're on public or private property without that property owner's permission. An…

Every dog or cat over six months old in unincorporated Santa Barbara County must be spayed or neutered, unless the owner instead buys an unaltered animal license after a licensed…

Sec. 26-26 makes it unlawful to injure, take, kill or molest any bird, or disturb its habitat, within a Santa Barbara County park, beach, trail or other recreation area in the…

Santa Barbara County does not require a permit to nurse sick or injured wildlife back to health. LUDC Sec. 35.42.060(F)(5) allows wildlife species rehabilitation by right in every zone…

In the county's AG-I and AG-II agricultural zones, an animal hospital needs a Minor Conditional Use Permit (AG-I) or a Land Use Permit (AG-II) under Development Code Table 2-1, and…

Unaltered cats six months or older need a county unaltered animal license and tag, valid one year, before their owners may keep them in Santa Barbara County. At the shelter, staff must…

Santa Barbara County's beekeeping ordinance keeps apiaries away from roads, neighbors and dry brush in the unincorporated area. Hives must sit at least 300 feet from any property line…

In unincorporated Santa Barbara County, Land Use & Development Code Section 35.42.060.F.1 limits households to no more than three dogs per lot as an accessory residential use. County…

In unincorporated Santa Barbara County, a building permit from the Planning & Development Building & Safety Division is required to construct or remodel a residential swimming pool or…

Pool barrier requirements in unincorporated Santa Barbara County come from California's Swimming Pool Safety Act (Health & Safety Code 115922-115923). An enclosure used to satisfy the…

County Code Sec. 20-1.2 bars anyone under 18 from unincorporated public places between 10 p.m. (11 p.m. during daylight saving time) and sunrise, with a parallel daytime curfew during…

Under County Code Section 26-10, county park facilities open no later than 8:00 a.m. and close at sunset, and it is unlawful to use park facilities outside the posted hours. The…

County Code Sec. 9-1 splits e-bikes into three classes by motor type and top assisted speed, then groups all of them under the county's shared mobility device (SMD) rules covering…

Any shared mobility business, including electric or motorized scooter rental services, must hold a county encroachment permit before operating in the unincorporated area. Scooters…

Santa Barbara County shields established agricultural operations on land zoned A-I, A-II, or exclusively for agriculture from nuisance lawsuits once they have run for more than three…

Commercial farms and ranches on land zoned AG-I, AG-II, or exclusively for agriculture in unincorporated Santa Barbara County cannot become a nuisance over dust, noise, or odor once…

Filming crews wanting to close a county road need a film permit from the film permit officer, and the board of supervisors sets which public roads and rights-of-way can be restricted…

Any filming activity in unincorporated Santa Barbara County, or on county-owned property, needs a film permit from the film permit officer obtained in advance, under County Code Sec…

When the film permit officer issues a county film permit, Sec. 14C-10(g) requires conditions restricting amplified sound sources, lighting and other noise-creating devices used during…

Every new one- and two-family dwelling and townhouse built in unincorporated Santa Barbara County must have an automatic fire sprinkler system, and the requirement extends further…

Grading and excavation work permitted under Santa Barbara County Code Chapter 14 goes through eight numbered inspection stages, from pre-construction through final, run by the planning…

The unincorporated county runs on the 2025 California Electrical Code, based on the 2020 National Electrical Code, and nearly every wiring job needs a County electrical permit. A…

In the unincorporated county, a building permit is required for construction unless the work falls on County Code's itemized exemption list: things like sub-120-square-foot tool sheds…

New construction in the unincorporated county must meet the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen), adopted as the county's primary green building code. The County…

The unincorporated county's plumbing work runs on the 2025 California Plumbing Code, based on the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, and needs a County permit for essentially everything…

Massage establishments in unincorporated Santa Barbara County pay a $50 annual license fee and massage technicians pay $25 a year under the county's business license fee schedule…

Pawnbrokers operating under a county secondhand dealer permit must verify every customer's photo ID, take a fingerprint on pawn transactions, and report each pledged item to the…

Secondhand dealers in unincorporated Santa Barbara County, defined as anyone whose principal business is buying, selling, trading or consigning used personal property, must hold a…

Sexually oriented businesses in unincorporated Santa Barbara County may locate only in C-3, C-S, or M-1 zones, and must sit at least 500 feet from any school, park, church, residential…

Anyone selling tobacco, tobacco paraphernalia, or vape products in unincorporated Santa Barbara County must first get a tobacco retailer license from the county Treasurer-Tax…

Automotive repair or service cannot be run as a home occupation anywhere in unincorporated Santa Barbara County. LUDC Section 35.42.190.F.1.a lists it, alongside painting vehicles…

Santa Barbara County taxes businesses in the unincorporated area through a classified license-fee scheme, not gross receipts. Chapter 22 sets a $25-per-quarter catch-all license for…

Chapter 18A lets the county's eleven-member Historic Landmarks Advisory Commission designate places, buildings and objects in the unincorporated area as county landmarks or places of…

In the unincorporated county, the Board of Supervisors sets collection hours, days and frequency, and can order any household in an urban-boundary or developed rural area to subscribe…

County Code Sec. 17-18 lets residents donate or sell their own source-separated recyclables before setting them out, but once recyclables hit the blue container or a designated…

Under Sec. 17-91, single-family organic waste generators in the unincorporated county must subscribe to the county's organic waste collection service and sort waste into the…

Placing a roll-off dumpster or providing unscheduled hauling service in unincorporated Santa Barbara County requires a nonexclusive county permit under Code Sec. 17-44, and the box…

Dumping, burying, or throwing solid waste or litter on any open, vacant, or private property in unincorporated Santa Barbara County is banned under Code Sec. 17-10, and a dumped-on lot…

Regular residential trash pickup in unincorporated Santa Barbara County must happen at least once a week and only between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, under Code Sec…

Commercial businesses and multi-family properties in unincorporated Santa Barbara County must subscribe to the county's organic waste collection service and sort waste into blue, green…

The county's Solid Waste and Recycling Storage Facilities standard, Section 35.30.170, does not set curbside pickup times for a single-family home's own trash can. It requires a…

Any grading project in unincorporated Santa Barbara County must have an approved erosion and sediment control plan, or an equivalent state SWPPP, under County Code Sec. 14-29. During…

Chapter 29, Article IV of the County Code bans any non-storm water discharge into the county's storm drain system that causes or contributes to a water quality violation, and…

New construction and substantially improved buildings in a Santa Barbara County special flood hazard area must have the lowest floor, including any basement, built two feet above the…

Building, filling, grading or any other development on an unincorporated-area parcel inside a FEMA-mapped Special Flood Hazard Area requires a development permit under County Code…

Santa Barbara County has roughly 110 miles of Pacific coastline (the Gaviota Coast, Refugio, El Capitan, Goleta, Hope Ranch coastal areas, Mesa, Mission Canyon coastal slopes…

Riding a skateboard is unlawful on three named unincorporated roads, San Marcos Road, Painted Cave Road and Gibraltar Road, and on any posted highway or private property marked "No…

Santa Barbara County makes it a misdemeanor to urinate or defecate on any street, sidewalk, alley, plaza, park, beach, public building, or other publicly maintained facility, or any…

Santa Barbara County bans stopping or loitering on overhead crossings and overstructures above state highways, railroads, and county roads in the unincorporated area, under County Code…

Drinking or possessing an open container of alcohol on a public street, sidewalk, highway, parking lot or alley in unincorporated Santa Barbara County is illegal under Sec. 36-2, and…

Smoking, vaping, and other tobacco use is banned outdoors across unincorporated Santa Barbara County: within 20 feet of a doorway, window, or vent of an enclosed workplace, in…

In unincorporated Isla Vista, a deputy can declare a house party a public nuisance once three or more listed offenses, such as battery, vandalism, minors in possession of alcohol, or…

A retaining wall under 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top, needs no building permit in unincorporated Santa Barbara County, unless it holds back a surcharge…

In unincorporated Santa Barbara County, the Land Use & Development Code (Section 35.30.070) ties fence height to where the fence sits. Fences up to 6 ft are exempt from a planning…

Many fences in unincorporated Santa Barbara County are exempt from a planning permit when they stay within the heights in LUDC Table 3-1 (6 ft in front setbacks, 8 ft in side/rear)…

Santa Barbara County's LUDC Section 35.30.070 regulates fences by height and location rather than by a general list of banned materials. It does not set a countywide ban on barbed wire…

Santa Barbara County bans the card-room business outright: no one may operate or engage in the business of running card games or card tables for hire or consideration anywhere in the…

No one may excavate, install, repair, or remove a sidewalk, curb, gutter, or underground facility in a Santa Barbara County road right-of-way without first getting an excavation and…

Contractors working in the unincorporated county cannot block public streets, sidewalks, or private driveways during construction, remodeling, demolition, or grading. County Code…

A business that wants to build a parklet in the county road right-of-way needs an annual business roadway encroachment permit and must meet eight standards, including a…

Any music, dance, or 'rock' festival open to 500 or more people in unincorporated Santa Barbara County needs an outdoor festival license before it happens: a $100 base fee plus $250…

A restaurant that wants to serve food or drinks on the sidewalk or right-of-way in unincorporated Santa Barbara County needs an annual business roadway encroachment permit from the…

Anyone conducting or sponsoring a parade, demonstration, or other event in the unincorporated county's public right-of-way needs a public right-of-way special event permit from public…

Santa Barbara County requires a public right-of-way special event permit from the Public Works Department before any block party closes a county road to traffic. County Code Sec. 28A-2…

Groups that want exclusive use of a picnic area, pavilion, or other portion of a Santa Barbara County park in the unincorporated area need a special use permit from the community…

Landlords in unincorporated Santa Barbara County cannot end a tenancy of twelve months or longer without at-fault or no-fault just cause, and must pay relocation assistance for…

Countywide in unincorporated Santa Barbara County, Code Chapter 44 makes landlords pay relocation benefits, three months of fair-market rent or $7,000, whichever is greater, whenever a…

Santa Barbara County has capped mobile home space rents since 1979, but only inside mobile home parks in the unincorporated area; there is no rent control for apartments or houses…

Every residential rental housing unit inside unincorporated Isla Vista must register with the Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department under the Isla Vista Rental…

When a mobile home park in unincorporated Santa Barbara County wants to raise rent above 75% of the CPI increase, Sec. 11A-5 requires management's written notice to itemize the…

Only the county department of transportation or its contracted agent may plant a replacement tree in a county road right-of-way, and no one else may plant there without the director of…

Removing a deciduous oak tree four inches or more in diameter in the county's inland agricultural and resource zones requires a permit above set thresholds under County Code Sec…

Santa Barbara County bans sleeping or camping between a half hour after sunset and 6:00 a.m. on any public road or public property in the unincorporated area, and on private property…

Within the Laguna County Sanitation District's service area, County Code makes it district policy that recycled water be used wherever it is available in place of potable water for…

Guests staying fewer than thirty days at any hotel, motel, or similar lodging in unincorporated Santa Barbara County pay a fourteen percent transient occupancy tax on rent, collected…

Anyone canvassing, soliciting, or selling door-to-door in unincorporated Santa Barbara County must first secure a license from the county tax collector under County Code Sec. 30-47…

Bonfires, open flames and barbecues are banned on Santa Barbara County beaches under Sec. 26-27 unless the community services director approves them or they're used in a designated…

Flying a drone, kite, balloon, model plane or glider is banned within Goleta Beach County Park west of the pier under Sec. 26-85, one of the county's most specific park-use rules and…

Launching, landing or operating a drone anywhere in a Santa Barbara County recreation area, meaning any county park, beach, trail or open space in the unincorporated county, requires…

Roof-mounted and freestanding solar energy systems in the unincorporated county skip design review and planning permits outright, but still need a Building, Electrical, and Plumbing…

Small residential rooftop solar systems, up to 10 kilowatts AC or 30 kilowatts thermal on a single or duplex home, get a streamlined County permitting track: submit an eligibility…

Santa Barbara County bans using an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit as a Short-Term Rental anywhere in the unincorporated county. LUDC Sec. 35.42.245(A)(4)…

Santa Barbara County waives development impact mitigation fees for any accessory dwelling unit under 750 square feet and for junior accessory dwelling units entirely, under LUDC…

Santa Barbara County requires the owner to live in either the junior accessory dwelling unit or the primary one-family home it sits inside, under LUDC Section 35.42.015.G.7. Standard…

In unincorporated Santa Barbara County, sheds are accessory structures regulated by the Land Use & Development Code. They must meet the setback requirements of the zone, and accessory…

Converting an existing garage into living space or an ADU in unincorporated Santa Barbara County is handled under California ADU law and the County's Land Use & Development Code…

In unincorporated Santa Barbara County, ADUs are ministerial and follow California state law (Gov. Code 66310 et seq., formerly 65852.2) plus the County's Land Use & Development Code…

Santa Barbara County's Isla Vista Rental Housing Inspection Pilot Program, adopted by Ordinance No. 5270 on November 18, 2025, requires every residential rental unit inside the…

Beyond routine sweeps, the Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department will inspect an Isla Vista rental unit whenever it receives a complaint. Sec. 10-18.6 lets the…

Licensed tobacco retailers in unincorporated Santa Barbara County cannot sell any flavored tobacco product at all, including menthol, mint, fruit, candy, or alcohol-flavored items…

Chapter 35.32 implements California's State Density Bonus Law locally: a housing development of five or more units that reserves a share of units for lower-, very low-, or…

Mobile billboards, vehicles carrying signs for hire to advertise, are banned outright across unincorporated Santa Barbara County. Electronic message center (digital) signs are legal…

A nonresidential business in unincorporated Santa Barbara County can cover up to 25 percent of its window area with signage, with no cap on the number of individual signs as long as…

Political and other noncommercial signs are exempt from the county's sign permit requirements under Development Code Sec. 35.38.030.P, with one limit: they cannot go in the public…

In multiple-unit and mixed-use housing projects governed by Chapter 35.33's objective design standards, artificial or synthetic plants are banned outright, with one carve-out…

Santa Barbara County applies California's State Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (CCR Title 23, Section 490 et seq.) to new and rehabilitated landscapes. Day-to-day watering…

Residents in unincorporated Santa Barbara County may keep a backyard composting bin, but Code Sec. 17-10(e) caps it at fifteen cubic yards total of green material, food processing…

Within the county's Highway 101 Corridor (HC) overlay zone in the South Coast urbanized area, landscape plans must favor drought-tolerant native species. Within 100 feet of riparian…

Removing a protected deciduous oak, four inches or more in trunk diameter, in the county's inland rural agricultural and resource zones outside the coastal zone requires an oak tree…

In unincorporated Santa Barbara County there is no general lawn-mowing height rule, but the County Fire Department's hazard-reduction standard requires all parcels to remove weeds or…

Tree trimming in unincorporated Santa Barbara County is driven by wildfire defensible-space rules rather than a general pruning permit. The Fire Department's Standard #6 sets vertical…

Santa Barbara County confines licensed cannabis retail to a short list of commercial zones under LUDC Section 35.42.075. Table 4-11 permits retail with a Land Use Permit in the Limited…

Santa Barbara County keeps every licensed cannabis activity, including retail, cultivation, and manufacturing, at least 750 feet from any K-12 school, day care center, or youth center…

The county applies its Development Code to every property regardless of private CC&Rs, but Sec. 35.10.040.F.3 says the county will not step in to enforce a private covenant or HOA…

Illuminated advertising signs, including off-premise billboards, within the Eastern Goleta Valley Community Plan area of the Coastal Zone must go dark between 11:00 p.m. and sunrise…

Every new or replaced outdoor light fixture in unincorporated Santa Barbara County must be fully shielded or full cutoff, and light spilling across a property line is capped at 0.1…

Within Santa Barbara County's unincorporated Coastal Zone, County Code Sec. 35-139 requires every exterior light fixture to be hooded and bars any unobstructed beam from shining onto a…

Food trucks are exempt from a county planning permit in unincorporated Santa Barbara County, but only when operating as incidental food service tied to an approved agricultural…

In the Coastal Zone's R-1/E-1 Single-Family Residential zone, Santa Barbara County caps buildings at 25 feet, measured as the vertical distance from existing grade to the highest point…

In the Coastal Zone's R-1/E-1 Single-Family Residential zone, Santa Barbara County requires a 50-foot front setback measured from the street centerline (20 feet from the right-of-way)…

A residential or agricultural propane tank does not need a zoning permit under Development Code Sec. 35.20.040.B.18, but installing or operating one still requires a Fire Department…

Burning waste of any kind in an open fire is prohibited across the Santa Barbara County APCD jurisdiction. Backyard burning of dry yard trimmings is allowed only by Fire Department…

A small backyard recreational fire (cooking or ceremonial) is permit-exempt only if the device is 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet or less in height. Burning yard waste is heavily…

Santa Barbara County Fire requires defensible space clearance of not less than 100 feet around all structures (or to the property line, whichever is closer), under California Public…

All fireworks, including 'safe and sane' fireworks, are illegal in every unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County. The County Fire Department states there is no place in the…

Much of unincorporated Santa Barbara County lies in CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones rated Moderate, High, or Very High. CAL FIRE released updated Local Responsibility Area maps on…

Every short-term rental operating as a permitted Homestay in unincorporated Santa Barbara County must hold a Transient Occupancy Tax license and stay current on TOT reports and…

A homestay in unincorporated Santa Barbara County may use up to three bedrooms of a legal dwelling, and occupancy is capped at two persons per bedroom (up to six total), not counting…

Homestays in unincorporated Santa Barbara County must provide parking on the lot in compliance with County Parking and Loading Standards (LUDC Chapter 35.36). Generally two spaces are…

Homestays in unincorporated Santa Barbara County must comply with LUDC standards that include noise and nuisance-response requirements. The County's Homestays FAQ lists noise and…

A Santa Barbara County homestay requires the host - the owner or long-term tenant - to be on the property at the same time the guests are staying. Hosting is defined by simultaneous…

In unincorporated inland Santa Barbara County a short-term rental or homestay permit is required before advertising or renting for 30 days or less. The Coastal Zone is currently…

In unincorporated inland Santa Barbara County, residential-zone short-term rentals must be homestays - the owner or a long-term tenant (six months or more) must live on the property…

In the unincorporated county, the Building Official can inspect and red-tag any structure reasonably suspected of being substandard, unsafe, or built in violation of the 2025…

County Code Sec. 17-9 requires owners of unincorporated commercial and residential lots to keep the property free of litter and solid waste, and Sec. 17-66 declares any solid waste or…

A small or large family day care home serving children is exempt from county zoning permits under Development Code Table 2-1, Note (4), matching the state law that bars local…

Home occupations are allowed in any dwelling in any zone in unincorporated Santa Barbara County under Land Use & Development Code Section 35.42.190, but only as a strictly secondary…

Santa Barbara County's home occupation rules (Land Use & Development Code Section 35.42.190) prohibit any displays or signs naming or advertising a home business on or off the lot…

A home-based business in unincorporated Santa Barbara County can serve no more than five customers, patients, clients, or students on the property at any one time, under LUDC Section…

Santa Barbara County has no data-center-specific ordinance. A data center is treated as an industrial use, belonging in the M-RP, M-1, or M-2 zones, and needs a discretionary land use…

Santa Barbara County has no numeric noise ordinance. Its Environmental Thresholds Manual treats a project as significant if it raises exterior noise at nearby homes above 65 dB(A)…