Santa Barbara County, CA Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- County LUDC Sec. 35.30.160
- Planning permit
- not required for roof or freestanding solar
- Still required
- Building, Electrical, Plumbing permits
- Discretionary permit
- Solar Use Permit, adverse-impact finding only
- Appeal path
- Planning Commission, Ch. 35.102
- Permit condition
- must mitigate impact at lowest feasible cost
Summary
Roof-mounted and freestanding solar energy systems in the unincorporated county skip design review and planning permits outright, but still need a Building, Electrical, and Plumbing permit, and, if the Building Official has a good-faith concern about a specific health or safety impact, a discretionary Solar Use Permit.
35.30.160 - Solar Energy Systems. Solar energy systems located on the roof of an existing structure and freestanding solar energy systems are exempt from design review and do not require planning permit approval, however such systems do require the issuance of a Building Permit, Electrical Permit, Plumbing Permit and/or Solar Use Permit, as applicable, in compliance with Chapter 10 (Building Regulations) of the County Code. A. Solar Use Permit. If the Building Official has a good faith belief that the solar energy system could have a specific, adverse impact upon the public health and safety, the Building Official may require the applicant to additionally apply for a Solar Use Permit in compliance with this Subsection. The decision of the Building Official to require the applicant to apply for a Solar Use Permit may be appealed to the Commission in compliance with Chapter 35.102 (Appeals).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 44 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
LUDC Sec. 160 exempts roof-mounted and freestanding solar energy systems from design review and from needing a planning permit, but they still must go through Chapter 10's Building Permit, Electrical Permit, and Plumbing Permit process like any other installation. 80's permit-filing rules. The Building Official cannot deny a Solar Use Permit unless written findings, based on substantial evidence, show a specific adverse impact with no feasible way to mitigate or avoid it; those findings must also explain why other, less restrictive options were rejected. To approve or conditionally approve a Solar Use Permit, the Building Official has to find that the installation will not have a specific adverse health or safety impact, that it conforms to the Development Code or fits a legal nonconforming exception, that it sits on a legally created lot, and that the property is current on zoning compliance and any zoning-violation fees.
Any conditions attached to a Solar Use Permit have to mitigate the specific impact at the lowest feasible cost. 102, and the permit itself stays valid only as long as the installation keeps complying with the Development Code and its own conditions.
Violations & Fines
A Solar Use Permit lapses the moment the installation falls out of compliance with the Development Code or its own conditions, per Sec. 35.30.160.A.4. Installing solar equipment without the required Building, Electrical, or Plumbing permit exposes the owner to the same additional penalty fee under Sec. 10-1.15 that applies to any other unpermitted construction in the unincorporated county.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a planning permit to put solar panels on my roof in unincorporated Santa Barbara County?
When would the County require a Solar Use Permit for solar panels?
Can I appeal if the County denies my Solar Use Permit?
Does a Solar Use Permit stay valid forever once issued?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Barbara County
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Barbara County to another location·View the California solar energy overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.