City Council Recommends Adoption of Short-Term Rental Ordinances

On October 6, 2026, the City Council unanimously recommended adoption of the long-awaited ordinances to regulate short-term vacation rentals (STRs) throughout the City.   The Council included provisions to maintain a two-night minimum for such uses, limit licenses city-wide to one per owner, and limit the number of STRs on a multi-unit parcel to a single STR.  Now introduced, they are scheduled to be formally adopted in final form on October 27, 2026.   

These new laws aim to incentivize long-term housing over transitory use as outlined in Program HE-19 of the City’s  2023-2031 Housing Element. The City has considered regulations for these uses for over ten years, including multiple public hearings by the Planning Commission and City Council during that time.   

The new chapters to Title 30 (Inland Zoning Ordinance) and Title 28 (Coastal Zoning Ordinance) create a licensing process and operational standards for STRs (rental of a non-hosted whole residential unit) and Homeshares (rental of a room, not the whole house, with the owner or primary tenant present) for less than 30 days. These standards will help property owners, residents, and visitors know where vacation rentals are legally allowed and how they can be operated.    

The final ordinances to be adopted will be available on the City Council hearing page on the Thursday prior to the hearing.   

Visit SantaBarbaraCA.gov/STROD to review the ordinances and an interactive map of the proposed STR license area and related information, and to subscribe to receive status updates.   

Email questions to STROD@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.