Santa Maria, CA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Santa Barbara County does not have a single stand-alone 'blight' ordinance; instead, blighting conditions are reached through several codes enforced in unincorporated areas. The County Fire Prevention code (Chapter 15, adopting the California Fire Code with County amendments, Ord. No. 5170) at Section 304.1.1 provides that, when determined to be a fire hazard, 'accumulations of wastepaper, wood, hay, straw, weeds, litter, or combustible or flammable waste or rubbish of any type shall not be permitted to remain on a roof or in any court, yard, vacant lot, alley, parking lot, open space,' or beneath similar structures. Fire Code Section 4911 (Santa Barbara County Fire Hazard Abatement) separately makes it unlawful to 'place, deposit or dump combustible material, which in the opinion of the code official constitutes a fire hazard, on a parcel.' Visual blight from stored materials is regulated through the Land Use & Development Code (Chapter 35): for example, Section 35.24.050 requires that areas for trash or outdoor storage in commercial zones be 'enclosed and screened to conceal all trash or stored material from public view.' Complaints about junk, debris, and unpermitted uses are handled by the Planning & Development Department's Code Compliance (Code Enforcement) Program, which enforces County ordinances and permit standards. Enforcement is generally complaint-driven, and the County can pursue abatement, administrative fines (Chapter 24A), and cost recovery.