Santa Barbara County Municipal Code Art. XIII Relocated Building

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to move or cause to be moved any building or structure into or within the County of Santa Barbara without first obtaining a relocation permit from the building official. A relocation permit shall be valid for a period of one hundred eighty days from the date of issuance. Upon written request, an additional one hundred eighty-day extension to the permit may be granted by the building official.

Exception: A relocation permit shall not be required for temporary tool sheds, construction shacks, or similar structures associated with a construction site where a valid permit issued by the county is in force, or for manufactured buildings used in accordance with their listings.

(Ord. No. 5270, § 1, 11-18-2025)

An application for relocation of a building or structure shall be filed with the building division. Prior to the building official accepting the application, the applicant shall obtain a land use clearance from the zoning division of planning and development department and submit it along with plans and specifications for review by the building official.

(Ord. No. 5270, § 1, 11-18-2025)

An investigation fee as specified in the current adopted fee schedule shall be paid to the building official upon submittal of the application for a relocation permit. This fee shall not be refundable after the investigation has been completed by the building division. If the building or structure proposed to be relocated is situated outside the County of Santa Barbara, the applicant shall pay an hourly rate as specified in the adopted fee schedule plus mileage from portal to portal for building division staff to perform the necessary relocation investigation.

(Ord. No. 5270, § 1, 11-18-2025)

Upon receipt of application for a relocation permit and payment of the appropriate fees, the building official shall inspect the building or structure to be moved and provide a written investigation report to the applicant which shall contain notice of approval or disapproval of the relocation permit. The investigation report shall also contain any conditions and requirements necessary to make the building conform to the requirements adopted herein for new buildings.

If the permit is thereby denied, the report shall contain reasons for denial of said permit. If a relocation permit has been issued and the building has not been relocated within said period, the building official shall require a new relocation investigation report and payment of appropriate fees. Prior to the issuance of a relocation permit, the building official shall post on the building to be relocated and at the proposed new site a moving notice for ten consecutive days. A relocation permit shall not be issued prior to the expiration of ten days from the date of posting of a moving notice.

(Ord. No. 5270, § 1, 11-18-2025)

Except as otherwise provided in this Code, the building official shall not issue a relocation permit for a building or structure which is so constructed or in such condition as to pose a hazard to the life, safety and welfare of the public if the building is moved, or if the building is not compatible or consistent with the surrounding properties within a radius of five hundred feet, or if infested with pests or unsanitary, or if to be used as a dwelling, unfit for human habitation.

(Ord. No. 5270, § 1, 11-18-2025)

A. The applicant shall sign a written agreement guaranteeing that all the work necessary to complete the relocation and installation of the building or structure at its new site will be completed within one year from the date of issuance of the relocation permit. The applicant shall also post with the building official performance security in the form of a negotiable instrument of credit approved by county counsel, bond, or cash deposit in an amount determined by the building official to be sufficient to complete the required work indicated in the relocation investigation report plus a fifteen percent contingency cost.

B. Upon satisfactory completion of the work, the building official shall return the performance security deposited within thirty days from the date of completion.

C. In the event of a default in the performance of any of the terms of the agreement or the conditions of approval. The building official shall have the right to retain the security deposit and use its proceeds to either complete the work or abate the substandard position of the building.

D. All work performed pursuant to a relocation permit shall be performed according to the provisions of this Code.

(Ord. No. 5270, § 1, 11-18-2025)

A protest against the issuance of a relocation permit must be filed in writing with the building official no later than ten days from the posting of the moving notice.

The building official shall cause the protest to be brought before the board of supervisors, or before a review committee designated by the board of supervisors, no later than the first scheduled meeting following the expiration of the ten-day posting period. The board of supervisors or review committee shall at said meeting set a date for a public hearing to be held to hear the protest and render a determination. A filing fee as specified in the current adopted fee schedule shall be collected by the building official for all protest hearings.

(Ord. No. 5270, § 1, 11-18-2025)