Santa Barbara County, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- County Code Sec. 29-47
- Enforcing agency
- County Public Works Department
- Illicit connection deadline
- 30 days after ordinance took effect
- Construction permit trigger
- 1+ acre of land disturbance
- Unpaid abatement cost
- Becomes a lien on the property
Summary
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 separately bans dumping refuse or litter where it can wash into that system. The public works department enforces it countywide in the unincorporated area.
(a)Waste Disposal Prohibitions. No person shall effect or permit the throwing, depositing, leaving, maintaining, or keeping, or permit to be thrown, deposited, left or maintained any refuse, rubbish, garbage, litter, or other discarded or abandoned objects, and accumulations in or upon any public or private property, driveway, parking area, street, road, alley, sidewalk, component of the storm drain system, so that the same may cause or contribute to pollution. Wastes appropriately deposited in proper waste receptacles for the purposes of routine collection are exempted from this prohibition.(b)Prohibition of Illegal Discharges.(1)No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged into the storm drain system any materials, including but not limited to pollutants, or waters containing any pollutants that cause or contribute to a violation of applicable water quality standards.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 44 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 29-47(a) prohibits depositing refuse, rubbish, garbage or other discarded material on property, streets, or storm drain components where it may cause or contribute to pollution; routine trash placed in proper receptacles is exempt. Sec. 29-47(b) separately bars illegal discharges, meaning any non-storm water discharge that causes or contributes to a water quality standard violation, while carving out a defined list of "authorized non-storm water discharges" such as water line flushing, air conditioning condensation, footing drains, and dechlorinated pool discharges under Sec. 29-41, unless the public works director finds one of those causes a nuisance.
Illicit physical connections to the storm drain system are separately banned under Sec. 29-47(c), and any such connection made before the ordinance's effective date had to be eliminated within thirty days of that date. Construction sites disturbing an acre or more, or part of a common plan that will, must hold an NPDES construction permit and comply with it under Sec. 29-48. The article applies to all discharges from developed or undeveloped land in the unincorporated county; agricultural discharges regulated under a state or regional water board waiver are exempt under Sec. 29-42. New development and redevelopment must also meet post-construction stormwater standards from Central Coast Regional Water Board Resolution No. R3-2013-0032 under Sec. 29-53.
Violations & Fines
The public works director issues a written notice of violation under Sec. 29-54 that can require ceasing discharges, abatement, monitoring, and payment of a fine; a responsible party has ten business days to appeal to the director under Sec. 29-55. If the violator does not fix the problem, county crews or a contractor can enter and abate it, with the reasonable cost, plus administrative charges, billed to the responsible party under Sec. 29-57 and recorded as a lien on the property if unpaid after ninety days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hose down my driveway into the street in unincorporated Santa Barbara County?
Who enforces stormwater rules in the unincorporated county?
Does a home construction project need a stormwater permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Barbara County
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