Tax Results for the City of Santa Barbara

The Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) is a Tax on "Transient" guests staying in any hotel, inn, motel, or other commercial lodging establishment for a period of less than 31 days.

The City collected $2.6 million in Transient Occupancy Taxes (TOT) for April 2023. Although TOT revenues in April 2023 were about 4% below the monthly budget, continuing the slowing trend in hotel activity that has emerged in the last three months, year to date TOT revenues are coming in 10% over budget. The number of people visiting Santa Barbara and lodging in hotels in the spring and summer months is typically strong. 

The City has collected $25.3 million through April, the tenth month in the City’s fiscal year. The City’s adopted TOT budget for all funds is $28.3 million, of which $23.6 million is budgeted in the General Fund.

The Transient Occupancy Tax table can be viewed in the PDF attachment. The City’s TOT tax rate is 12%, of which 10% goes to the City’s General Fund and the remaining 2% goes to the Creeks/Clean Water Fund.