Santa Barbara County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)

The County's Homestays FAQ states that homestays 'must comply with all applicable development standards in addition to any applicable standards of the Santa Barbara County Land Use and Development Code (LUDC),' and it specifies that the 'LUDC includes standards for ownership, compliance with safety codes (fire, building, health), prohibited structures, signs, occupancy, parking, number of visitors, noise, internet listing, proof of ownership or long-term tenancy, and nuisance responses.' In other words, noise and nuisance management are explicit conditions of operating a homestay - the host is responsible for ensuring guests do not create noise or nuisance disturbances, and the County can act on nuisance complaints. Because the host (owner or long-term tenant) must live on the same lot during the guest's stay, the homestay model itself is designed to keep an on-site responsible party available to address noise. These homestay-specific provisions operate alongside the County's general noise regulations that apply to all properties. The County does not publish, in this guidance, a separate decibel limit or fixed quiet-hours window specific to homestays; the requirement is compliance with the applicable LUDC and County noise/nuisance standards. California state law does not impose STR noise limits, leaving this to local code.