Santa Barbara County, CA Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

County Code Section 28-125 requires an annual business roadway encroachment permit for any outdoor business, defined in Section 28-124(c) as use of county road right-of-way for food or beverage service or other retail activity tied to an adjacent licensed business, operating in the public road right-of-way; the owner or operator must conduct the business in compliance with the permit, Article X, and the director's administrative regulations. Section 28-126 limits where this is allowed: the public works director can bar outdoor business where traffic speed, volume, or proximity makes it incompatible with the right-of-way, the use must be adjacent to and incidental to a properly licensed business, and the sidewalk or right-of-way must be wide enough to satisfy ADA requirements and normal pedestrian traffic alongside the dining area, with the permittee required to maintain adequate clearance at all times.

Section 28-130 requires applicants to sign an insurance and indemnification agreement, carry commercial general liability coverage of at least two million dollars per occurrence and four million dollars aggregate with the county as additional insured, submit a scaled site plan showing dimensions, affected parking stalls, accessible pedestrian path of travel, and distance to the nearest crosswalk or intersection, and follow adopted design guidelines and community plans. Section 28-131 sets an annual fee by board resolution, and Section 28-132 caps the permit term at one year, renewable, and bars transfer of the permit.