Mills Act Application

Santa Barbara considers its historic resources to be one of the most important cultural attractions to the City. In 2009, Santa Barbara joined over 90 California communities that participate in the Mills Act Program. The Mills Act enables owners of designated historic structures to enter into a contract with the City to offset the cost of maintaining the historic resource through a reduction in property taxes.

Participating property owners receive, on average, a reduction of 40 percent to 60 percent in property taxes to use for restoring and maintaining the property over the following 10 year contract period.

The Mills Act Contract application period runs from January 1 to June 30. The City may accept applications until the program reaches the annual revenue loss limit of $260,000. If the limit is reached, or the application is submitted after June 30, the application may be considered for the following year.