Pop. 88,665 · Santa Barbara County
The City of Santa Barbara's own noise ordinance (SBMC Chapter 9.16) bars any noise disturbance plainly audible 50 feet from the source. Radios, TVs, music players and instruments…
In the City of Santa Barbara, construction is allowed 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily under SBMC 9.16.040. Building, demolishing, excavating or repairing between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m…
Under City of Santa Barbara Municipal Code Section 9.16.030(A)(3), it is unlawful to keep or harbor any animal or bird that frequently or for long duration howls, barks, meows or…
The City of Santa Barbara bans gasoline-powered leaf blowers citywide (SBMC 9.16.060, voter Measure D97 of 1997). All other leaf blowers must meet a 65-decibel ANSI noise standard, and…
City of Santa Barbara Municipal Code Section 9.16.080 limits amplified sound to music or the human voice and caps it at 60 dB(A) measured outdoors at the property line and 45 dB(A)…
City of Santa Barbara Municipal Code Section 9.16.070 limits motor-vehicle horns to a sound level of 60 dB(A) at 200 feet. Broader vehicle exhaust and muffler noise is controlled by…
The City of Santa Barbara uses a 50-foot 'plainly audible' standard for general noise (SBMC 9.16.020) plus specific decibel caps: 60 dB(A) outdoor / 45 dB(A) indoor for amplified sound…
Outdoor music in the City of Santa Barbara must meet the noise code's 50-foot 'plainly audible' rule (SBMC 9.16.020) and the 60 dB(A)-at-the-property-line amplified-sound cap…
In the City of Santa Barbara, exterior mechanical equipment may not exceed 53 dB(A) at a residential property line (SBMC 9.16.070(D)), and equipment near residential, institutional or…
Aircraft noise is regulated by the federal government, not the City of Santa Barbara — federal law (City of Burbank v. Lockheed) preempts local in-flight noise rules. The City's only…
Every Santa Barbara STR operator must hold a City business tax certificate and register with the City Finance Department's Accounts Receivable office within 30 days of starting…
Santa Barbara levies a 12% Transient Occupancy Tax on every short-term rental stay of 30 days or less, of which 10% is unrestricted revenue and 2% is restricted to Creeks Restoration…
Because Santa Barbara regulates STRs as hotels, occupancy and building standards follow hotel and Building Code rules rather than a fixed nightly guest cap. The City notes that a…
Santa Barbara applies hotel parking standards to short-term rentals: one space per guestroom or sleeping unit, or the residential housing-type requirement, whichever is greater, with…
Santa Barbara does not impose a separate STR-specific noise ordinance; short-term rentals are subject to the City's general noise regulations and nuisance rules. Noise, parking…
Santa Barbara's current code does not offer a primary-residence 'home share' permit; STRs are treated as commercial hotel uses and are barred from single-unit and two-unit residential…
Current Santa Barbara code has no host-presence requirement because STRs are treated as commercial hotels, not hosted home shares, and are barred from residential zones. The City's…
Santa Barbara does not use an annual night cap; instead it sets a 30-day stay threshold that defines what counts as transient. Any rental of 30 consecutive days or less (less than 30…
The City of Santa Barbara's published STR materials do not impose a specific liability-insurance minimum for short-term rentals, because STRs are regulated as hotel uses through zoning…
The City of Santa Barbara treats short-term rentals as 'Hotels and Similar Uses' and strictly prohibits them in single-unit residential zones. An STR is only allowed in zones where a…
The City of Santa Barbara bans all fireworks. Under the City Fire Code (Municipal Code Ch. 8.04, adopting Fire Code Section 5601.1.3), the manufacturing, possession, storage, sale…
Properties in Santa Barbara's High Fire Hazard Areas must maintain defensible space by clearing flammable vegetation 30 to 150 feet around structures, depending on the fire zone, under…
The City Fire Code (Municipal Code Ch. 8.04, amended Section 308.1.4.1) limits propane appliances. LP-gas burners with a container over 25 pounds (5 gallons) water capacity may not be…
In Santa Barbara's High Fire Hazard Areas, outdoor fires require a permit from the fire code official and are banned during high winds, when unattended, or during a Red Flag Warning…
Smoke alarm requirements in Santa Barbara follow California law. State Health and Safety Code Sections 13113.7 and 13113.8 require State Fire Marshal-listed smoke alarms in every…
Santa Barbara's foothills are mapped as High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones / Wildland-Urban Interface. The City Fire Code (Municipal Code Ch. 8.04) defines four zones…
Outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, and barbecues are regulated by the City Fire Code (Municipal Code Ch. 8.04). In High Fire Hazard Areas they must sit at least 30 feet from grass, brush…
Open burning of household and yard waste is not allowed in Santa Barbara. The City Fire Code prohibits open burning that is offensive due to smoke, and the Santa Barbara County Air…
The City of Santa Barbara restricts on-street parking of recreational vehicles, trailers, and oversized rigs. SBMC 10.44.200 bans recreational vehicles from parking between midnight…
Santa Barbara has no blanket citywide overnight street-parking ban, but its Municipal Code creates targeted overnight restrictions: recreational vehicles are banned midnight-6 a.m. in…
Santa Barbara's Municipal Code tightly limits commercial-vehicle street parking. Trucks over 3/4-ton capacity, trailers, semi-trailers, and buses may not stay on a street longer than…
The City of Santa Barbara treats abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles as public nuisances under SBMC Chapter 10.58, an abatement ordinance adopted under California…
Santa Barbara has a distinctive oversized-vehicle ordinance, SBMC 10.44.220(B), adopted by the City Council on November 15, 2016. Any vehicle exceeding 25 feet long, 80 inches wide, or…
Santa Barbara operates 40+ public Level-2 EV chargers in City lots and garages and expedites EV-charger permits under SBMC Chapter 22.93. Enforcement of who may occupy an EV stall is…
Santa Barbara's loading-zone rules are in SBMC Chapter 10.48. Yellow curbs are freight loading zones limited to 30 minutes for commercial vehicles (7 a.m.-6 p.m. except Sunday), and…
Colored curb markings in Santa Barbara are defined and controlled by SBMC 10.48.041: red (no stopping), yellow (loading), white (passenger loading), green (15-minute), and blue…
Blocking a driveway or parking on a sidewalk in Santa Barbara is enforced primarily under the California Vehicle Code, which the City's red-curb rule (SBMC 10.48.041) expressly…
Santa Barbara's own Municipal Code Title 10 governs on-street parking, layering posted time limits, colored curbs, and street-sweeping enforcement on top of the California Vehicle…
Residential fences and walls not over 3.5 feet high are exempt from a building permit. Residential retaining and non-retaining walls not over 4 feet (footing to top) are exempt unless…
The City Zoning Ordinance sets height and location limits but does not assign cost-sharing for shared fences. Cost and maintenance of a boundary fence are governed by California's Good…
Residential retaining walls not over 4 feet (footing to top) are permit-exempt unless they support a surcharge or impound flammable liquids. Where a fence sits on a retaining wall, the…
No fence, screen, wall or hedge over 3.5 feet may stand in a driveway visibility triangle: 10 ft along the driveway and 10 ft back from the front lot line where a sidewalk and parkway…
The Fence Guidelines set height and location but defer the exact material, color, width and style to design-review boards. Front-yard fences, walls and gates over 3.5 feet go to the…
Decorative elements up to 9 by 9 inches may exceed the fence height limit by up to 12 inches if spaced at least 6 feet on-center. Guardrails may rise above the limit only to the…
In residential zones, fences and walls within 10 feet of a front lot line are limited to 3.5 feet; screens and hedges to 8 feet. Within front setbacks (10-35 ft) and interior setbacks…
California's Swimming Pool Safety Act in Health and Safety Code Section 115920 mandates statewide drowning prevention barriers around residential pools, with cities prohibited from…
The City of Santa Barbara allows residents to keep chickens and other fowl, with numeric limits that scale by zoning. Roosters are banned citywide. Coops must be kept clean and set…
Exotic-pet ownership in the City of Santa Barbara is governed primarily by California state law, which bans possessing many wild and exotic species without a state permit. Ferrets…
The City of Santa Barbara restricts livestock to large lots. Cows, hogs, sheep, goats, and other hoofed animals (except horses) require a lot of at least 1.5 acres, with a 35-foot…
The City of Santa Barbara requires licensing for dogs over four months old and for unaltered cats. The City runs its own Animal Control through the Police Department and licenses via…
The City of Santa Barbara requires a license for each unaltered cat over four months old, obtained from the City. There is no leash requirement for cats. Reduced license fees encourage…
The City of Santa Barbara does not publish a dedicated wildlife-feeding ban in its general animal regulations, but feeding wild animals can create a public nuisance and is discouraged…
The City of Santa Barbara addresses animal hoarding through its care-and-keeping and nuisance provisions plus California's anti-cruelty law. Keeping animals in unsanitary, overcrowded…
The City of Santa Barbara does not ban any dog breed. Like all California cities, it regulates dangerous dogs by behavior, not breed. Chapter 6.22 lets the City declare an individual…
The City of Santa Barbara requires dogs in streets and public places to be on a leash no longer than six feet and under immediate control of the handler. The Police Department's Animal…
The City of Santa Barbara regulates beekeeping under its Title 6 animal control code. Statewide, anyone keeping honeybees must register their apiary annually with the Santa Barbara…
The City of Santa Barbara has no fixed numeric lawn-height limit for ordinary front-yard grass. Height rules apply through wildfire defensible-space requirements in the high fire…
Removing a protected tree in the City of Santa Barbara requires a permit. Street, setback, specimen, and historic trees are reviewed by the Parks and Recreation Commission or a design…
The City of Santa Barbara requires property owners in its high fire hazard area to clear weeds, dry grass, and flammable brush as defensible space. Required clearance ranges from 30-50…
The City of Santa Barbara encourages rainwater capture and graywater reuse, offering Creeks Division rebates for rain barrels, rain gardens, and downspout disconnects, plus a…
The City of Santa Barbara's Water Efficient Landscape Standards push new and substantially redeveloped landscapes toward low-water and native plants, requiring residential plans to hit…
The City of Santa Barbara does not reward artificial turf as a water-saving measure. Its Sustainable Lawn Replacement Rebate explicitly excludes artificial turf, and the City's Water…
California's SB 1383 requires organic-waste recycling, but the City of Santa Barbara meets it differently. Residents are not given separate kitchen-compost carts; food scraps go in the…
The City of Santa Barbara's Water Regulations (SBMC Chapter 14.20) keep certain rules in force at all times, even outside a drought, prohibiting wasteful runoff, requiring leaks to be…
In the City of Santa Barbara, only City staff may trim, plant, or remove street trees in the parkway or right-of-way. Significantly pruning a protected tree, including setback trees…
The City of Santa Barbara Building & Safety Division requires a building permit before constructing or remodeling any private swimming pool or spa. Plans must show plumbing…
Santa Barbara requires a protective enclosure around residential pools and spas. The City's pool handout adopts the California enclosure standard: a minimum 60-inch (5-foot) barrier…
When the City issues a permit to build or remodel a residential pool or spa, the City's pool handout requires at least two of the seven state drowning-prevention safety features under…
Hot tubs and spas need a City permit and generally follow the same pool barrier and safety rules. However, the City's handout adopts a key state exception: per HSC 115925, hot tubs and…
Santa Barbara's pool ordinance does not exempt above-ground pools. A building permit is required, and the same barrier and two-of-seven safety-feature rules under CBC 3109 and HSC…
Santa Barbara expressly allows cottage food operations as a home occupation. The City permits one full-time-equivalent cottage food employee, kitchen equipment that keeps residential…
Santa Barbara uses a no-fee Home Occupation Affidavit (self-certification) rather than a discretionary permit. You submit the affidavit online through the Accela Citizen Access portal…
State-licensed family day care homes are allowed in Santa Barbara's residential zones. The legacy City code permitted small family day care homes by right and required a Performance…
The City of Santa Barbara allows home occupations as an accessory use to a residence when they stay compatible with the neighborhood. Activities must occur entirely within the home…
Santa Barbara effectively prohibits home-business signage. The City's home occupation rules require that the residential appearance be maintained with 'no exterior indication of the…
Home occupations in Santa Barbara must not generate traffic, parking demand or deliveries beyond what is normal for a residence; significant customer visits can disqualify the use.
The City of Santa Barbara allows an existing garage to be converted into an ADU or JADU under Municipal Code 30.185.040. No setback is required to convert legally permitted floor area…
In the City of Santa Barbara, work or storage sheds for non-commercial use are a permitted accessory use in residential zones. Accessory buildings may not exceed 30 feet and two…
In the City of Santa Barbara, a private garage, carport, or parking space is a permitted accessory use in residential zones. Covered parking must meet zone setbacks (street-facing…
The City of Santa Barbara has no separate 'tiny home' zoning category. A permanently founded small dwelling is regulated as an ADU under Municipal Code 30.185.040, which sets a 150 sq…
The City of Santa Barbara permits accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and junior ADUs (JADUs) ministerially in residential zones under Municipal Code Section 30.185.040, implementing…
Backyard smokers are allowed in Santa Barbara as recreational cooking. The City Fire Code treats them like barbecues: in High Fire Hazard Areas they must be at least 30 feet from…
Propane and charcoal barbecues are allowed in Santa Barbara, but the City Fire Code restricts placement. In High Fire Hazard Areas, barbecues and grills must be at least 30 feet from…
Required setbacks vary by zone. In lower-density zones, interior setbacks range from 6 ft (RS-6) up to 35 ft (RS-1A). In R-2, R-M and R-MH zones, the front setback is generally 10 ft…
In lower-density residential zones, main buildings are limited to 30 feet; in R-M and R-MH zones the limit is 45 feet. Accessory buildings are limited to 30 feet and 2 stories…
Santa Barbara controls building intensity mainly through maximum floor area, open-yard requirements, and a floor-to-lot-area ratio (FAR) guideline rather than a single lot-coverage…
Removing a protected tree in the City of Santa Barbara requires a permit under SBMC Chapters 15.20 and 15.24. A Minor Tree Removal Permit covers one to three protected trees, with…
California provides statewide protections for native oak woodlands and heritage trees through CEQA review, Public Resources Code, and Forest Practice Rules that apply uniformly.
The City of Santa Barbara enforces property-maintenance standards through its Community Development Code Compliance program and Administrative Code Enforcement Procedures. Officers act…
Since July 1, 2025, City of Santa Barbara residents wheel MarBorg carts to the curb for service. Carts must be placed curbside by 6:00 a.m. on the service day (no earlier than the…
The City of Santa Barbara adopts the California Fire Code in SBMC Chapter 8.04 and requires owners of property in High Fire Hazard Areas to maintain defensible space and clear…
Santa Barbara Municipal Code Chapter 8.20 (Vegetation Obstructing Public Places) requires owners to maintain trees, hedges, shrubs, vines and plants so they don't obstruct sidewalks or…
The City of Santa Barbara treats residential garage and yard sales as an exempt temporary use under its Zoning Ordinance, so no permit is required when limits are met. Exempt garage…
City of Santa Barbara residents must place MarBorg carts curbside by 6:00 a.m. on the service day (no earlier than the night before), keep at least 12 inches of clearance between carts…
The City of Santa Barbara requires all single-family (1-4 unit) and multi-family (5+ unit) residential properties to subscribe to trash, recycling and yard waste service through…
All City of Santa Barbara residences are eligible for four (4) bulky item pickups each calendar year through franchised hauler MarBorg Industries. MarBorg also offers free curbside…
All City of Santa Barbara residential properties must subscribe to recycling service, and unlimited recycling and yard-waste carts are provided at no extra charge. Under California's…
Santa Barbara has a population over 70,000 and is NOT rural-exempt from SB-1383. The City takes a distinctive approach: single-family residents put food waste in the trash cart, which…
The City of Santa Barbara has no dedicated garage-sale-sign permit, but garage-sale signs are treated as temporary noncommercial signs limited to six square feet total per residential…
The City of Santa Barbara allows noncommercial signs, including political/election signs, without a permit. On residential lots the total noncommercial sign area is limited to six…
The City of Santa Barbara's Outdoor Lighting Ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 22.75, Ord. 5035) protects the night sky by prohibiting certain fixtures, requiring shielded lighting…
Under Municipal Code Section 22.75.060, outdoor lighting in or adjacent to residential zones in the City of Santa Barbara must control glare and prevent light trespass onto neighboring…
Santa Barbara participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and enforces floodplain-development standards in FEMA-mapped special flood hazard areas near creeks and the coast…
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…
California Water Code sections 13260 and 13383 implement the federal Clean Water Act through statewide MS4 NPDES permits issued by the State and Regional Water Boards, binding all…
The City of Santa Barbara has no cryptocurrency mining ordinance. A commercial mining operation is treated as an industrial use in the M-C or M-I manufacturing zone and is bound by the…
The City of Santa Barbara caps mechanical equipment at 53 dBA measured at the property line of any adjacent parcel used or zoned residential, public, or semi-public. SBMC Section…
The City of Santa Barbara has no data-center ordinance and no data center use classification. A server facility is assigned by the Planning Director to the closest listed use…
Commercial drone operations in California follow uniform federal rules under 14 CFR Part 107 plus statewide California provisions in Civil Code 1708.8 and Public Utilities Code 21401…
Recreational drone flight in California is governed primarily by FAA regulations under 14 CFR Part 107 and 49 USC 44809, with state-level rules added by Civil Code 1708.8 and…
California sets a statewide minimum wage floor under Labor Code 1182.12, $16.90 per hour for all employers as of January 2026. Local governments are not preempted and may set higher…
California's Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act under Labor Code 245-249 mandates paid sick leave for nearly all employees statewide. SB 616 (2023) raised the minimum to 40 hours…
California regulates concealed carry weapons licenses statewide under Penal Code 26150 through 26225. Senate Bill 2 (2023) imposes uniform sensitive-place restrictions and applicant…
California preempts most local firearm regulation under Government Code 53071 and Penal Code 25605, reserving licensing, registration, and manufacture authority to the state. However…
California broadly prohibits open carry of firearms statewide under Penal Code 25850 (loaded firearms in public) and Penal Code 26350 (open carry of unloaded handguns). The prohibition…
California prohibits carrying loaded firearms in vehicles statewide under Penal Code 25400 and 25850. Unloaded handguns transported in private vehicles must be in a locked container or…
California Retail Food Code (Health and Safety Code 113700-114437) sets uniform mobile food facility permit, equipment, and food safety standards enforced by counties statewide.
California's Safe Sidewalk Vending Act (SB 946) preempts most local bans on sidewalk vending, allowing only objective health, safety, and welfare regulations.
California HOAs may levy regular and special assessments, charge late fees and interest, record liens, and ultimately foreclose on delinquent owners under the Davis-Stirling Act. State…
California tightly regulates HOA governance. The Common Interest Development Open Meeting Act (Civil Code 4900-4955) governs board meetings and member access, sections 5100-5145…
California HOAs enforce recorded CC&Rs and architectural rules, but Civil Code section 4765 requires architectural decisions to be fair, reasonable, and in good faith, and sections…
California HOAs may fine members for rule violations, but only under a published schedule of fines and after strict due-process steps. Civil Code section 5855 requires written notice…
California overrides HOA governing documents on several owner protections. The Davis-Stirling Act and related Civil Code sections bar HOAs from prohibiting solar systems, U.S. flag…
California prohibits state and local governments from requiring private employers to use the federal E-Verify system except where federal law mandates it, under Labor Code 2812. The…
The California Values Act (SB 54, 2017) codified at Government Code 7284-7284.12 limits state and local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. It applies…
California evictions run through the unlawful detainer process. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 1161, nonpayment requires a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit (excluding weekends and…
California landlords must keep rentals fit to live in. Civil Code §§ 1941 and 1941.1, reinforced by Green v. Superior Court, imply a warranty of habitability covering plumbing, heat…
Civil Code 1946.2 requires landlords statewide to have just cause to terminate tenancies of qualifying tenants who have lived in a covered unit at least 12 months.
California Civil Code § 1954 limits when a landlord may enter a rented home. Except in emergencies, abandonment, or with tenant consent, the landlord must give reasonable written…
California sets no fixed dollar or percentage cap on rent late fees, but a late fee in a residential lease is treated as liquidated damages. Under Civil Code § 1671, such a fee is…
To end a California month-to-month tenancy, a tenant gives 30 days' written notice. A landlord gives 30 days if the tenant has lived there under a year, or 60 days if a year or more…
California limits annual rent increases statewide to 5% plus the local change in the cost of living, capped at 10%, under the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB-1482). It also lets…
California requires written notice before raising a month-to-month tenant's rent. Under Civ. Code § 827, increases of 10% or less in 12 months need 30 days' notice; increases above 10%…
As of July 1, 2024, California landlords may collect no more than one month's rent as a security deposit, regardless of whether the unit is furnished. The deposit, minus any lawful…
California adverse possession requires five years of continuous, open, hostile possession AND payment of all property taxes during that period under Code of Civil Procedure § 325. A…
The California Land Conservation Act of 1965 (Williamson Act), Government Code 51200-51297.4, allows landowners to enter contracts with counties restricting land to agricultural use…
The California Right to Farm Act under Civil Code 3482.5 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits brought by neighbors who moved in after farming began. The…
California prohibits grocery stores and large retailers from providing single-use plastic carryout bags under Public Resources Code 42280-42288, enacted by SB 270 (2014) and ratified…
California restricts expanded polystyrene food containers statewide through SB 54 (2022) packaging requirements under Public Resources Code 42040-42081. The law mandates that…
California Public Resources Code 42270-42273, enacted by AB 1884 (2018), prohibits full-service restaurants from providing single-use plastic straws unless requested by the customer…
Civil Code section 714 voids HOA covenants and rules that prohibit or unreasonably restrict residential solar energy systems, preempting private and local restrictions.
California's Solar Rights Act and the SolarAPP+ mandate (SB 379) require expedited permit review of small residential solar systems, preempting restrictive local processes.
California prohibits sale of tobacco and vapor products to anyone under 21 statewide under Business and Professions Code 22958, enacted by SBX2-7 in 2016. The Tobacco 21 standard…
California bans retail sale of most flavored tobacco products statewide under Health and Safety Code 104559.5, enacted by SB 793 (2020) and upheld by voters via Proposition 31 in…
California requires statewide licensing of tobacco and vape retailers under the STAKE Act and the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Licensing Act. Business and Professions Code 22970…