Construction & Land Development News

Help plan the future of Santa Barbara’s Waterfront!The City of Santa Barbara has begun developing a 30-Year Waterfront Adaptation Plan and is pleased to invite you and your group, business, or organization to participate in the process.

The City is proposing an amendment to the Municipal Code to add objective design and development standards for multi-unit and mixed-use housing projects to comply with state law, set clear design expectations, streamline design review…

On January 15, 2025, the Community Development Department, in partnership with the Sustainability & Resilience Department and Santa Barbara Clean Energy (SBCE), deployed an expedited OnDemand permitting process and permit fee waiver…

The City of Santa Barbara has released draft updates to the Master Environmental Assessment (MEA) Guidelines for Archaeological Resources and MEA Guidelines for Historic Resources. These documents, published separately,…

Starting January 6, 2025, Building Permit Inspection requests will only be accepted online through the City’s Permit Portal.Using an Accela Citizen Access (ACA) account, a requesting party can:Request a new inspection, cancel, or…

End of Year ClosureAs part of the City’s annual Holiday closure, most City Land Development Team offices and operations will close beginning Friday, December 20, 2024, and will resume business on Monday, January 6, 2025.…

Accela Citizens Access (ACA) Permit Portal was temporarily unavailable.The system is operating again, however slow response may be experienced for a short duration.

End of Year ClosureAs part of the City’s annual Holiday closure, most City Land Development Team offices and operations will close beginning Friday, December 20, 2024, and will resume business on Monday, January 6, 2025.…

The City is creating objective design standards for multi-unit and mixed-use housing projects to comply with state law, set clear design expectations, streamline design review approval, and make the permitting process more predictable. On…

To better align in-person service hours across the City organization, walk-in counter hours for the Land Development Permit Center at 630 Garden Street are being extended on Wednesdays until 5:00 p.m. (instead of 12:00 noon). This will be…

The City of Santa Barbara has recently updated the web address, or URL, for the City’s permit portal: Accela Citizens Access (ACA). We are working on redirects to the new web address, but those may not take effect for up to 24 hours.

The City is pleased to announce—DigEplan—our new electronic plan review software designed to enhance the plan submittal experience is now live. During upload, the software will check for plan sheet page numbering, password protection, and…

Coming September 9th!  The City is pleased to introduce—DigEplan—a new electronic plan review software designed to enhance the plan submittal experience. During upload, the software will check for plan sheet page…

On August 8, 2024, the Planning Commission voted to continue the hearing on the Title 25 Objective Design and Development Standards (ODDS) to August 29, 2024. The Planning Commission’s motion also included several amendments to the ODDS.…

On Thursday August 8, 2024, the Planning Commission will receive staff’s presentation and consider a recommendation to City Council on adoption of a proposed ordinance – Title 25 Objective Design and Development Standards (ODDS). The…

The Final Draft Objective Design and Development Standards (ODDS) are now available for review. On Thursday August 8, 2024, the Planning Commission will receive staff’s presentation and consider a recommendation to City Council on adoption…

Coming Soon! The City is pleased to announce a move to new electronic plan review software—DigEplan—for all application submittals to enhance staff productivity and reduce manual processes. This new user-friendly software…

Residents of the City of Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara County are encouraged to attend an Open House on July 9, 2024. Here, experts and local officials will discuss local flood risk and updates to the Flood Insurance…

On Thursday, June 27, 2024, the City will host workshops presented by John Caprarelli, P.E., CASp, on accessibility requirements and regulations for businesses. Discussion topics will include:

The City of Santa Barbara is pleased to announce it is now accepting submissions for designer-owned plans for preapproved Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Preapproved plans are ADU designs submitted by designers, architects, builders, and…