Filing an Appeal to City Council
Appeals to the City Council, Fire and Police Commission, Staff Hearing Officer, and Building and Fire Code Board of Appeals must be filed with the City Clerk's Office located at City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street.
Appeals to any Design Review Boards must be filed with the Planning Division located at 630 Garden Street. Instructions for these types of appeals can be found under “General Information & Resources” on the Planning Forms & Applications page.
The City Clerk’s Office business hours are Monday-Thursday, and open Fridays, from 9 AM – 5 PM (closed 12 – 1 PM for lunch). Please visit the City Calendar to view the closed Fridays and any other closures/holidays.
If you wish to file an appeal with the City Clerk’s Office, please see below for further instructions on how to successfully file an appeal by the deadline, per SBMC 1.30.050:
- Write an appeal letter addressed to the Reviewing Body, containing the following information:
- Name of body whose decision is being appealed;
- Date of meeting when decision was made;
- Description of decision being appealed;
- Grounds claimed for the appeal and identifying in particular all significant issued, facts, and affected parties;
- Appellant’s name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, and signature.
- Make a check payable to City of Santa Barbara in the correct amount of the associated appeal fee.
- Appeal fees vary depending on the body who made the decision that is being appealed. Current appeal fees can be found under the Combined Fee Schedule for the current fiscal year.
- Submittal of Letter and Fee:
- Appeal letter and fee must be submitted no later than the 10th calendar day following the date of the meeting when the decision was made. Should the 10th calendar day fall on a day that City Hall is closed, the appeal must be filed before 5pm on the next business day.
- In Person: The Clerk’s Office is located at City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street, on the main floor. From the De La Guerra Plaza side, first door on your right-hand side.
- Email: The appeal letter can be submitted via email at Clerk@SantaBarbaraCA.gov, but it will not be processed until associated fee is paid (if applicable).
- Via Mail: The appeal letter and fee may be mailed to:
City of Santa Barbara
City Clerk’s Office
P.O. Box 1990
Santa Barbara, CA 93102- If mailed, the appeal letter and fee must be postmarked no later than the 10th calendar day following the date of the meeting from which the appealable action or decision was rendered. Appeals and associated fees postmarked after the 10th calendar day will not be accepted.
- Appeal letter and fee must be submitted no later than the 10th calendar day following the date of the meeting when the decision was made. Should the 10th calendar day fall on a day that City Hall is closed, the appeal must be filed before 5pm on the next business day.
Please contact the Clerk’s Office at Clerk@SantaBarbaraCA.gov for any further information.