Buying or selling a home in Santa Barbara County

Each rule below is marked Santa Barbara County code or CA state law and links to the section it comes from (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

Santa Barbara County's code applies in the unincorporated areas of the county. Cities in Santa Barbara County have their own codes and their own pages.

Transfer tax

Santa Barbara County code What Santa Barbara County's code adds
City transfer tax	Yes. Applies: County documentary transfer tax on deeds for property sold within the county. § 32-32 · code text There is hereby imposed on each deed, instrument, or writing by which any lands, tenements, or other realty sold within the county shall be granted, assigned, transferred or otherwise conveyed to or vested in the purchaser or purchasers or any other person or persons by his or their direction
Rate	55 cents for each $500 of value, or fraction of $500. § 32-32 · code text a tax at the rate of fifty-five cents for each five hundred dollars or fractional part thereof.
Rate per $1,000	$1.10 per $1,000 of value (55 cents for each $500 or fraction of $500). § 32-32 · code text a tax at the rate of fifty-five cents for each five hundred dollars or fractional part thereof.
Price threshold	The tax applies when the price or value is over $100, not counting liens or debts that remain. § 32-32 · code text when the consideration or value of the interest or property conveyed (exclusive of the value of any lien or encumbrances remaining therein at the time of sale) exceeds one hundred dollars
Rate depends on price	No. One rate applies to every sale: 55 cents for each $500 or fraction of $500. § 32-32 · code text a tax at the rate of fifty-five cents for each five hundred dollars or fractional part thereof.
Who pays	Anyone who makes, signs or issues the taxable document, or for whose benefit it is made, signed or issued. § 32-33 · code text The tax imposed by section 32-32 shall be paid by any person who makes, signs, or issues any document or instrument subject to the tax, or for whose use or benefit the same is made, signed, or issued.

CA state law Underneath, California law still applies. County documentary transfer tax: A county may tax a sale over $100 at $0.55 for each $500 of value ($1.10 per $1,000), not counting liens that remain on the property (Rev. & Tax. Code § 11911(a)). City share of the tax: A city may impose half the county rate ($0.55 per $1,000); the county then credits the city tax against its own, so the combined standard rate stays $1.10 per $1,000 (Rev. & Tax. Code § 11931). California rules for buying and selling — the full state rule →

Seller disclosures

CA state law California law sets this statewide. Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS) — who must give it: Sellers of single-family residential property must give the buyer a Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement (sale, exchange, installment contract, lease-option or ground lease with improvements) (Civ. Code §§ 1102(a), 1102.2). Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement (NHD): Sellers must disclose if the property is in a special flood hazard area, dam inundation area, very high fire hazard severity zone, earthquake fault zone, seismic hazard zone, or wildland fire area (Civ. Code § 1103(c)). California seller disclosure rules — the full state rule →

Property tax after you buy

CA state law California law sets this statewide. 1% property tax limit (Prop 13): The general property tax on real property may not exceed 1% of its full cash value; voter-approved bond debt is levied on top (Cal. Const. art. XIII A, § 1(a), (b)). 2% annual cap on assessed value: The base year value rises each year by the California CPI change, but never more than 2% (Rev. & Tax. Code § 51(a)(1)(D)). California property tax rules — the full state rule →

Who this affects

BuyersSellersReal estate agents

Frequently asked questions

What is the transfer tax when you sell a home in Santa Barbara County?

County rule: the tax is $0.55 per $500 of value ($1.10 per $1,000), only when the value, not counting remaining liens, exceeds $100. County rule: anyone who makes, signs or issues the taxed document, or the person it is made for, is liable for the tax.

General information, not legal advice.