Where short-term rentals are allowed in Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara has no single permit path for a short-term rental today. The city regulates the use as a hotel, so a home has to go through a change-in-use process. Draft ordinances were due before the City Council on October 6, 2026.[4]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Santa Barbara?
Your zoning decides
- Seasonal homes
- 893
- Housing units
- 39,204
- Residents
- 87,779
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleAllowed by zone
- City feeNone published
- Tax on each stay14%
- Seasonal homes23 per 1,000
Santa Barbara short-term rental rules
Santa Barbara classes a short-term rental as a hotel use, allowed only in zones where hotels may be permitted. The city's informational packet says rentals in single-unit zones are strictly prohibited. Converting a home is a permanent change from residential to nonresidential use, which requires a Zoning Clearance. An application in the coastal zone also requires a Coastal Development Permit. Operators must hold a business tax certificate. They must also register for the transient occupancy tax within 30 days of starting operations. Where a lot holds an accessory dwelling unit, no stay may run shorter than 31 consecutive days.[5]
What Santa Barbara asks of you
The city regulates short-term rentals as hotels. They are prohibited in single-unit and two-unit residential zones.[4]
The packet names four inland zones and ten coastal zones where a hotel use is allowed. Five more zones require a Conditional Use Permit.[5]
Converting a home to a short-term rental is a permanent change to nonresidential use. That change requires a Zoning Clearance.[5]
In the coastal zone, an application to permit a short-term rental requires a Coastal Development Permit.[5]
Converting more than one dwelling unit requires a Hotel Conversion Permit.[5]
Lots with an accessory dwelling unit, junior units included, are barred from stays shorter than 31 consecutive days.[5]
Parking follows the hotel standard of one space per bedroom, or the residential housing type if that is greater.[5]
A business tax certificate expires on December 31 of each year. Renewal without a late penalty runs until January 31.[7]
Every operator registers with the Accounts Receivable office within 30 days of commencing operations. The confirmation letter does not constitute a permit.[6]
The packet limits enforcement against unpermitted coastal-zone rentals to complaints about tenant behavior or nuisance-like conditions. That limit applies only if the property has no accessory dwelling unit.[5]
The City Attorney's Office has run the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Program since August 1, 2023.[8]
A draft ordinance, not yet law, would create an STR/Homeshare License. Its text gives January 11, 2027 as the operative date.[9]
What California asks wherever you host
These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.
No state license exists for short-term rentals in California. The state's 2025 act on booking platforms says it does not preempt a local short-term rental ordinance.[1]
Since July 1, 2024, every mandatory fee has to sit inside the rate you advertise. Only government taxes and fees may be added later.[2]
State law caps city fines when a short-term rental violation threatens health or safety. The first ceiling is $1,500. A second violation within the year reaches $3,000, each later one $5,000.[3]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Santa Barbara
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara transient occupancy tax[6] | 12% | The city |
| Santa Barbara South Coast Tourism Business Improvement District assessment[6] | 2% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 14% |
The operator collects both charges and sends them to the city each month. Since August 1, 2026, the remittance form is due by the 15th calendar day. A separate form is filed for each property, even when no payment is due. The city's tax page names no booking platform as collector.[6]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Santa Barbara is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 893 of Santa Barbara's 39,204 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 23 out of every 1,000. It ranks Santa Barbara 26th of the 37 California cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 26th of 37
- Share of housing
- 23 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $1,570,800
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Santa Barbara sits among its neighbors
San Bernardino County, CA
Permit required
Only in the Mountain and Desert Regions. Anywhere else in unincorporated county land, short-term rentals are not allowed.
San Bernardino County short-term rental rulesSonoma, CA
Allowed by zone
269 seasonal homes, 45 per 1,000 housing units.
Sonoma short-term rental rulesOakland, CA
Allowed by zone
1,125 seasonal homes, 6 per 1,000 housing units.
Oakland short-term rental rulesWest Hollywood, CA
License required
465 seasonal homes, 18 per 1,000 housing units.
West Hollywood short-term rental rulesFAQ
Santa Barbara short-term rental questions
Can I rent my house on Airbnb in Santa Barbara?
What taxes does a Santa Barbara short-term rental owe?
Does Santa Barbara have a short-term rental license?
Does Santa Barbara enforce its rules in the coastal zone?
Sources
- Short-Term Rental Facilitator Act of 2025 (SB 346), Government Code sections 50990 to 50996, California Legislative Information, read on October 1, 2026
- Business and Professions Code section 17568.6, lodging price display, California Legislative Information, read on October 1, 2026
- Government Code section 36900, fines for city ordinance violations, California Legislative Information, read on October 1, 2026
- Short-Term Rental Ordinance, City of Santa Barbara, read on October 1, 2026
- Short-Term Rentals (STRs) Informational Packet, City of Santa Barbara, read on October 1, 2026
- Transient Occupancy Tax, City of Santa Barbara, read on October 1, 2026
- Business Tax Certificate Information, City of Santa Barbara, read on October 1, 2026
- Short-Term Rental Enforcement Program, City of Santa Barbara, read on October 1, 2026
- Draft amendments to Title 30, section 30.185.395 Short-Term Rentals (staff draft for September 15, 2026), City of Santa Barbara, read on October 1, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 1, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.
Before you list
Free tools for new hosts
Short-term rental agreement generator
Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.
Airbnb host fee calculator
What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.
Airbnb cleaning checklist generator
Build a printable turnover checklist by room, with restock, photos to take and a place for the cleaner to sign. Free PDF, no sign-up.
Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.