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 operations to remit Transient Occupancy Tax and the TBID assessment. Coastal-zone rentals use business tax schedule 37-02 and non-coastal use 37-01. A Zoning Clearance documenting the change of use is also required.
Registration in the City of Santa Barbara involves several distinct city steps documented in the City's STR informational packet and Transient Occupancy Tax pages. First, an STR operator must obtain a Business Tax Certificate from the City Business Licensing Office; applications are filed online, using schedule 37-02 Vacation Rental Coastal for properties in the coastal zone or schedule 37-01 Vacation Rental Non-Coastal for all other areas. Second, operators must register with the City Accounts Receivable office within 30 days of commencing short-term rental operations to remit Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) and the Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) assessment; the City issues a Transient Occupancy Registration Confirmation Letter containing a TOT registration number required on the monthly remittance form. Third, because converting a home to an STR is a change from residential to nonresidential use, the operator must obtain a Zoning Clearance to operate; if no building permit is required, this is requested through a Planning (PLN) Application. The City strongly recommends a Planner Consultation (a pre-application focused review) before attempting to convert a property. For coastal-zone STRs specifically, the City's enforcement guidance directs operators to contact the City Finance Department to begin the Business Tax Certificate and TOT registration process. These are city-administered registrations, separate from Santa Barbara County's own STR registration program for unincorporated areas and from any state filing.
Failure to register for a Business Tax Certificate or to comply with TOT registration requirements is something the City states it 'can and will proactively enforce,' even in the coastal zone where land-use enforcement against unpermitted STRs is otherwise limited to complaint-driven nuisance situations. Unregistered operators are subject to investigation by the City Attorney's Short-Term Vacation Rental Enforcement Program, collection of back taxes plus penalties and interest, and referral to the City Prosecutor. Late TOT remittance carries a 10% penalty beginning the day after the deadline, with additional penalties for payments delinquent beyond 30 days.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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