Santa Barbara County operates a SPLIT short-term rental regime that differs sharply between the unincorporated Inland Area (where STRs are tightly restricted by zone) and the unincorporated Coastal Zone (where STR-specific regulations have not yet been adopted into a Coastal-Commission-certified Local Coastal Program). In the Inland Area, the County prohibits advertising or renting any residential property for periods of 30 consecutive days or less without first obtaining either a Short-Term Rental (Vacation Rental) permit or a Homestay permit through the County Planning & Development Department. Vacation rentals (no owner present) are permitted only in most commercial zones; Homestays (owner or long-term tenant on-site during the stay) are permitted in residential and certain other zones. The County's Inland STR/Homestay framework was adopted following the Board of Supervisors' 2018 decision (after a 2016 Planning Commission recommendation) to restrict non-hosted vacation rentals out of residential zones while continuing to allow Homestays. In the Coastal Zone, the Coastal Act and Local Coastal Program (LCP) require California Coastal Commission certification before any STR ordinance can take effect, and the County has not yet completed certification for STR-specific Coastal Zoning Ordinance amendments, so STRs/Homestays in the Coastal Zone are currently 'unregulated' for permitting purposes. REGARDLESS of Coastal vs. Inland status, every operator in the unincorporated County must obtain a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate within 30 days of commencing business and collect/remit the 14% Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) under Santa Barbara County Code Chapter 32, Article II. South County operators (within the South County Tourism Business Improvement District) also remit a monthly TBID assessment. The cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Buellton, Solvang, Lompoc, Carpinteria, and Santa Maria each operate their own STR ordinances independently of the County.
JURISDICTIONAL SCOPE. These rules apply only in the UNINCORPORATED area of Santa Barbara County. The seven incorporated cities (Santa Barbara, Goleta, Buellton, Solvang, Lompoc, Carpinteria, Santa Maria) each have their own STR ordinances administered by city planning departments and are NOT covered by the County rules. Within the unincorporated County, the territory is further split into (a) the INLAND AREA, governed by the County Land Use and Development Code (LUDC, County Code Chapter 35) and Article II Coastal Zoning Ordinance for any inland portions, and (b) the COASTAL ZONE, defined by the California Coastal Act of 1976 (Public Resources Code Division 20, sections 30000 et seq.) and governed by the certified Local Coastal Program (LCP) — the Coastal Land Use Plan plus the Coastal Zoning Ordinance (Article II of the County Code).
KEY DEFINITIONS. (a) 'Short-Term Rental' (also called 'Vacation Rental' or 'STVR' in County materials) means the rental of an entire residential dwelling unit, with no owner or long-term tenant on-site, to transient guests for periods of 30 consecutive days or less. (b) 'Homestay' (also called 'Homeshare') means the rental of a portion of a residential dwelling unit (one or more bedrooms) for periods of 30 consecutive days or less while the property owner or a long-term tenant remains on-site as the primary resident throughout the guest's stay. (c) 'Transient' means any person who rents lodging for 30 consecutive days or less.
INLAND AREA RULES. Under the County's Inland STR/Homestay framework adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 2018, it is illegal to advertise or rent any residential property in the Inland Area on a short-term basis (30 consecutive days or less) without first having obtained a Short-Term Rental permit or a Homestay permit. The permit requirement applies to listings on Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, FlipKey, HomeAway, and any other platform or marketing channel.
INLAND ZONING. (a) NON-HOSTED VACATION RENTALS / STRs are permitted in MOST COMMERCIAL ZONES (e.g., C-1, C-2, C-V Visitor-Serving Commercial, and similar designations) and are PROHIBITED in residential zones in the Inland Area. (b) HOMESTAYS are permitted in RESIDENTIAL ZONES and certain other zones identified in the LUDC. (c) Properties must verify their zoning designation through the County Land Use and Zoning Map before applying. Agricultural-zoned land in the Inland Area was specifically addressed in earlier 2016 Planning Commission recommendations as an exception where short-term rentals were allowed; current operators on agricultural-zoned land should confirm their zone with County Zoning Information.
INLAND PERMIT APPLICATION PROCESS. Step 1: Verify property zoning via the Santa Barbara County Land Use and Zoning Map. Step 2: Submit a Planning Permit application online through the County Planning & Development Department's online permitting portal, indicating in the project description whether the application is for a Short-Term Rental or a Homestay. Step 3: Planning & Development Department staff review the application for compliance with the LUDC, Building Code, and Fire Code, and issue the permit upon approval. Permits may include conditions of approval addressing parking, occupancy, noise, trash, and the designation of a local responsible party.
COASTAL ZONE RULES. The unincorporated Coastal Zone in Santa Barbara County includes the Gaviota Coast, Isla Vista, parts of Carpinteria Valley outside the city, Toro Canyon/Summerland, Hope Ranch coastal frontage, and Santa Barbara County's coastal Channel Islands. STRs and Homestays in the Coastal Zone are currently UNREGULATED for permitting purposes — the County has not adopted (and the California Coastal Commission has not certified) Coastal Zoning Ordinance amendments creating an STR permit program in the Coastal Zone. The California Coastal Commission's longstanding policy treats short-term rentals as a form of public coastal access and visitor-serving accommodation, and the Commission has historically opposed local ordinances that ban or unduly restrict STRs in the Coastal Zone without an LCP amendment certified by the Commission. Until the County completes an LCP amendment for the Coastal Zone STR rules and obtains Coastal Commission certification, no County STR or Homestay permit is required in the Coastal Zone, and operators may not be cited for operating without one. Operators in the Coastal Zone must still obtain a TOT registration certificate and remit the 14% TOT (and any applicable TBID assessment) to the County Treasurer-Tax Collector.
TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT). Santa Barbara County Code Chapter 32, Article II imposes a Transient Occupancy Tax on the rent for any occupancy of a hotel, motel, vacation rental, or other lodging within the unincorporated County for 30 consecutive days or less. The TOT rate is 14% of rent paid by the guest. Every operator (including STR and Homestay operators in BOTH the Inland Area AND the Coastal Zone) must obtain a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate from the County Treasurer-Tax Collector within 30 days after commencing business. The certificate must be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises. TOT is collected from the guest at the time rent is paid, held in trust for the County, and remitted to the Treasurer-Tax Collector together with a return on or before the last day of the month following the close of each calendar month. Marketplace facilitators (Airbnb, Vrbo) may collect and remit TOT on the operator's behalf under voluntary collection agreements with the County, but the operator remains ultimately responsible for ensuring TOT is properly collected and remitted.
SOUTH COUNTY TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (TBID). Operators in the South County (the Coastal Zone communities and unincorporated South Coast areas) also pay a Tourism Business Improvement District assessment on monthly rental income, which is remitted monthly together with the TOT. The TBID was established under California Streets & Highways Code section 36600 et seq. (the Property and Business Improvement District Law of 1994) and supports tourism marketing for the South Coast.
LOCAL RESPONSIBLE PARTY. Inland STR and Homestay permits typically require designation of a local responsible party (sometimes called a Local Contact or 24-hour Contact) who can respond to complaints and emergencies, with current contact information on file with the County and posted at the property.
CONTACTS. North County Zoning Information: (805) 934-6251. South County Zoning Information: (805) 568-2090. Treasurer-Tax Collector (TOT/TBID): (805) 568-2158. Planning & Development Department permit portal: accessible from countyofsb.org under Planning & Development. The County's official STR Ordinance information page is at countyofsb.org/776/Short-Term-Rental-Ordinance and the Homestays FAQ is at countyofsb.org/777/Homestays-Frequently-Asked-Questions.
INCORPORATED CITY RULES (separate, not County). Operators inside city limits should consult the relevant city: (a) CITY OF SANTA BARBARA: STRs in residential zones are generally prohibited; the City restricts STRs to hotel/lodging zones under City Municipal Code Title 28 (Zoning). The City launched a Short-Term Rental Enforcement Program on August 1, 2023, and the Planning Commission has been considering further STR ordinance amendments. (b) CITY OF GOLETA, CITY OF SOLVANG, CITY OF BUELLTON, CITY OF LOMPOC, CITY OF CARPINTERIA, CITY OF SANTA MARIA each have their own programs and contacts.
WINE COUNTRY / SANTA YNEZ VALLEY CONTEXT. The unincorporated Santa Ynez Valley (Los Olivos, Ballard, Santa Ynez area, Los Alamos) is in the Inland Area; Solvang and Buellton are incorporated cities with their own rules. STRs in unincorporated Santa Ynez Valley residential and rural-residential zones are not permitted as of-right; operators should confirm zoning and apply for the appropriate permit (Homestay or vacation rental) through the County's online portal.
Operating, advertising, or offering for rent any residential property in the unincorporated Inland Area of Santa Barbara County for periods of 30 consecutive days or less WITHOUT a valid Short-Term Rental or Homestay permit is a violation of the County Land Use and Development Code (Chapter 35) and is enforceable through the County Planning & Development Department's code enforcement program. Penalties may include administrative citations, civil fines, abatement orders, and recording of notices of violation against the property under California Government Code section 38773.5. Continuing violations are typically subject to per-day fines under California Government Code section 25132 (counties may impose civil penalties of up to $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second within one year, and $500 for each additional violation in a 12-month period; the County may also pursue greater penalties for ongoing nuisances). FAILURE TO OBTAIN A TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE within 30 days of commencing business, or to collect and remit the 14% TOT to the County Treasurer-Tax Collector, is a violation of County Code Chapter 32, Article II — the County may assess delinquency penalties, interest, and the full unpaid tax, may revoke the registration certificate, and may pursue collection through civil action; failure to remit collected TOT (which is held in trust for the County) may also be prosecuted as a misdemeanor under the County Code. South County operators who fail to remit the TBID assessment face the same delinquency consequences. Advertising an Inland Area STR without a permit on Airbnb, Vrbo, or any platform is itself a violation; the platform listing is treated as evidence of the operating activity. In the Coastal Zone, while there is no County STR/Homestay permit requirement, operators who fail to register for and remit TOT and (in the South County TBID) the TBID assessment face the same tax penalties as Inland operators. Operating outside the permitted zones (e.g., a non-hosted vacation rental in an Inland residential zone) is not curable by paying TOT — the use itself is prohibited. Conditions of approval imposed on issued permits (parking, occupancy caps, noise, local-contact designation) are enforceable; violations may result in modification, suspension, or revocation of the permit.
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