Santa Barbara County, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

County Code Section 28-3 bars any person from excavating or filling an excavation within a road right-of-way, or installing, maintaining, cutting into, repairing, or removing any sidewalk, curb, gutter, road surfacing, facility, or substructure in, on, over, or under a road right-of-way, without first obtaining a permit and complying with all its conditions; the requirement exempts telephone and power poles with associated anchors and guy wires located behind existing curbs, in alleys, or where no curb exists, and preserves any right that existed before the affected road became a public county road.

Section 28-4 requires the written application to identify the applicant, the location, dimensions, purpose, and nature of the proposed work, and any facilities to be installed, repaired, or removed, and the commissioner's approved signature on the application makes it the permit. Section 28-8 sets a five-dollar issuance fee to cover processing, permit issuance, and county liability insurance, waivable by the commissioner for county-project work, while public agencies are exempt from the fee entirely. Section 28-11 makes every permit nontransferable, and Section 28-12 lets the commissioner refuse or revoke a permit where the work conflicts with an existing or proposed assessment district, or while the applicant is in default on a prior excavation permit, subject to board review of a disputed denial. Section 28-13 requires the permit or a true copy to be kept at the job site at all times while work is underway.