Santa Barbara County, CA Rental Property Rules: Just Cause Eviction (2026)
Just cause eviction rules in Santa Barbara County, CA, sometimes called tenant protection or "for cause" eviction ordinances, list the specific legal reasons a landlord can end a tenancy.
Key Facts
- Governing law
- County Code Sec. 44-19 to 44-25
- Qualified tenant
- 12+ months continuous lawful occupancy
- No-fault relocation payment
- Required, set by Sec. 44-2
- Substantial remodel notice
- 60-day early tenant alert notice
- Remedy for non-compliance
- Defense to unlawful detainer, damages, fees
Summary
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 no-fault terminations. The county adopted this ordinance as more protective than the state Tenant Protection Act of 2019.
(A)The owner of a rental unit shall not terminate the tenancy of a qualified tenant without just cause stated in full in the termination notice.(B)Just cause includes at-fault just cause or no-fault just cause as defined in section 44-25.
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
2. Just cause splits into eleven at-fault grounds under Section 44-25(B)(1), including nonpayment of rent, lease breach, nuisance, waste, criminal activity, and refusal to renew a lease that terminated on or after January 1, 2020, and four no-fault grounds under Section 44-25(B)(2), covering owner move-in, permanent withdrawal from the rental market, government-ordered vacation, and demolition or substantial remodel. For no-fault terminations, Section 44-21 requires the owner to pay each qualified tenant a relocation assistance payment in the amount set by Section 44-2, divided equally among multiple qualified tenants in a unit, with any state-mandated relocation assistance credited against it.
A substantial-remodel termination under Section 44-25(B)(2)(iv) additionally requires an early tenant alert notice at least sixty days ahead, all necessary permits obtained first, and a copy of those permits served with the termination notice. Section 44-22 exempts transient hotel stays, certain nonprofit and licensed care housing, dormitories, owner-occupied shared units, single-family homes where the owner rents no more than two units or bedrooms, duplexes where the owner occupies one unit, units with a certificate of occupancy issued within the prior fifteen years, and deed-restricted affordable housing.
Section 44-23 requires the written notice to state the facts and circumstances for the just cause, and curable at-fault violations require a prior cure notice before a three-day notice to quit can issue.
Violations & Fines
Under Section 44-24, an owner's failure to provide or fully complete a required just-cause notice is a defense to any unlawful detainer action, and failure to prove compliance with Chapter 44 bars recovery of possession. A tenant may seek injunctive relief for themselves and other affected tenants, and any violation entitles the aggrieved tenant to actual damages, costs, and attorney's fees under Section 44-24(G).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Santa Barbara County landlord evict a tenant without a reason?
Do tenants get paid to move out for a no-fault eviction?
Are single-family homes covered by this ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Barbara County
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