City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Santa Barbara, CA
How Santa Barbara regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Rules here limit which homes may operate as short-term rentals, how many, where, or for how many nights a year.
- Whole-home STR classified hotel use, prohibited in R-S / R-2 inland and A-E / R1 / R2 coastal
- STR change-of-use only in commercial, hotel, and multi-residential zones
- Active city attorney STR enforcement program
- Coastal-zone enforcement enjoined by Kracke (2021) pending LCP certification
- Ordinance rewrite pending council, September 2026
Based on: SBMC Title 30 (Inland Zoning) + Title 28 (Coastal Zoning) classify STR (<30 days) as 'hotel' use; hotel use prohibited
Summary of the rule
STRs (hotel use) strictly prohibited in single-unit residential zones under Title 30 (Inland); STRs/hotels allowed only where listed as an allowed or CUP-conditional zone
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Active litigation / open question
Kracke v. City of Santa Barbara, 63 Cal.App.5th 1089 (2d Dist. 2021) — Court of Appeal affirmed an injunction barring the City from enforcing its STR ban within the Coastal Zone, holding the ban was 'development' under the Coastal Act requiring a CDP/LCP amendment the City never obtained; coastal enforcement since limited to nuisance/complaint action pending a certified ordinance.
Reported as fact only, reflecting the code as currently in effect — not legal advice, and not a prediction of the outcome. Verify current status before relying on it.
Regulatory change ahead
Inland (Title 30) and coastal (Title 28) short-term rental ordinances creating a license and permit path for STRs were considered by City Council on October 6, 2026, and return for final adoption on October 27, 2026. Coastal provisions take effect only after California Coastal Commission certification. Source ↗
Reported as fact only, reflecting the code as currently in effect — not legal advice, and not a prediction of the outcome. Verify current status before relying on it.
Last reviewed Sep 10, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Santa Barbara · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
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City Watch provides good-faith summaries of publicly available information as of the review date shown. Rules, enforcement, and permit availability can change, and summaries may contain errors or omissions. Ratings describe the general regulatory environment; they do not establish whether a particular property or stay is permitted. This is general information, not legal advice. Before buying, listing, or hosting, verify applicable requirements with the responsible authorities and review any HOA, condominium, deed, or lease restrictions.