Santa Barbara County, CA Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

County Code Sec. 44-2, adopted by Ord. No. 4444 and amended by Ord. No. 4772 in 2010, responds to findings that Santa Barbara County rental units and rooms have been found with severe code violations threatening resident safety, forcing tenants out for repairs in an already overburdened rental market. 'Relocation' is defined as the required vacating of a household because repairs are needed to bring a unit into health and safety code compliance, as determined by the county building official, or because a building of four or more units loses two units or ten percent of its units to demolition, substantial rehabilitation or a change of use within ninety days.

A displaced resident household is entitled to relocation benefits equal to three months of HUD fair market rent for the area or $7,000, whichever is greater, paid per rental unit on top of the returned security deposit. Payment is due within ten days after the building official's vacate order is mailed and posted, or at least twenty days before the vacate date, whichever is later; if fewer than ten days separate posting from the vacate date, payment is due within twenty-four hours. Owners are exempt from paying if the tenant caused the condition, is offered the right to return once repairs clear code enforcement, is given a comparable replacement unit within five miles, or is behind on rent not lawfully withheld. Owners who complete relocation payments and security-deposit refunds can request fast-track permit processing from the Planning and Development Department under Sec. 44-3.