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 zones regardless of whether the host lives there. A proposed program would add a 'home share' category requiring the unit to be the primary residence of the owner or host, but it is not yet adopted.
Under the City of Santa Barbara's current rules, there is no primary-residence pathway that lets an owner short-term rent a home simply because they live in it. STRs are classified as 'Hotels and Similar Uses' and are prohibited in single-unit and two-unit residential zones; whether the property is owner-occupied does not create an exception. The City's August 2025 Council Agenda Report frames this as a deliberate policy 'to promote occupancy of existing housing for residents by limiting STRs in single-unit and two-unit residential zones.' The concept of tying STRs to a primary residence appears only in the City's proposed (not yet adopted) STR program. In that proposal, a 'home share' is defined as a short-term rental that is the primary residence of either the property owner or a designated host, distinguished from a whole-house STR; the report defines home share to mean 'the home serves as the primary residence of an owner and involves rental of all or a portion of the unit.' The Council in August 2025 directed staff to draft an STR program, including a Home Share Ordinance, for both inland and coastal areas, and zoning amendments were considered by the Planning Commission in early 2026 before going to the Ordinance Committee and City Council. Until any such ordinance is adopted, no primary-residence or home-share permit exists in the City. This differs from California's accessory-dwelling and rental rules and from Santa Barbara County's STR ordinance for unincorporated areas.
Because the City currently has no primary-residence or home-share exception, short-term renting an owner-occupied home in a single-unit or two-unit residential zone is still a prohibited nonresidential use and is enforceable like any unpermitted STR. The City Attorney's Short-Term Vacation Rental Enforcement Program investigates such operations, pursues back TOT, penalties, and interest, and refers non-compliant cases to the City Prosecutor. Operators should not assume that living in the home legalizes a short-term rental under current code.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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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...
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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 wh...
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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 si...
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The City of Santa Barbara addresses animal hoarding through its care-and-keeping and nuisance provisions plus California's anti-cruelty law. Keeping animals ...
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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 n...
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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. Red...
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