Renting in Santa Barbara County: the rules that apply

Santa Barbara County adds its own rules on rent increases, eviction and just cause, relocation payments, notices, retaliation and short-term rentals on top of California's statewide rules. Each value below links to the section of the Santa Barbara County Municipal Code it was read from (checked October 2026).

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.

Santa Barbara County code No fixed cap. Homeowners can contest increases above 75% of the CPI increase. The total increase cannot be more than the amount in management's rent increase notice.

All 13 Santa Barbara County rules on rent increases, with the code text and the state law underneath →

Santa Barbara County code Protection starts after 12 months. Unpaid rent; material lease breach; nuisance; waste; refusing certain lease renewals; lease-violating subletting or assignment; refusing authorized entry; unlawful use.

All 18 Santa Barbara County rules on eviction and just cause, with the code text and the state law underneath →

Santa Barbara County code three months of the fair market rent for the area or seven thousand dollars, whichever is greater divided equally among the qualified tenants

All 8 Santa Barbara County rules on relocation payments, with the code text and the state law underneath →

Santa Barbara County code Full facts and circumstances constituting the at-fault or no-fault just cause Supplemental notice of the right to and amount of relocation assistance

All 4 Santa Barbara County rules on notices, with the code text and the state law underneath →

CA state law Santa Barbara County has no rule of its own on this, so California law applies. Security deposit cap: One month's rent, on top of the first month's rent (Civ. Code § 1950.5(c)(1), (c)(6)). Deposit return deadline: 21 calendar days after the tenant moves out, with an itemized statement of any deductions (Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(1)). California security deposit law — the full state rule →

CA state law Underneath, California law still applies. Retaliation protection period: For 180 days after a tenant complains about habitability (to the landlord or an agency), the landlord may not evict, raise rent or cut services in retaliation (Civ. Code § 1942.5(a), (b)). Retaliatory eviction in California — the full state rule →

CA state law Santa Barbara County has no rule of its own on this, so California law applies. Lockouts and self-help eviction banned: A landlord may not change locks, remove doors or windows, or remove the tenant's belongings to force a tenant out (Civ. Code § 789.3(b)). Utility shutoffs banned: A landlord may not cut off water, heat, electricity, gas or other utilities to force a tenant out (Civ. Code § 789.3(a)). Tenant harassment and lockouts in California — the full state rule →

CA state law Santa Barbara County has no rule of its own on this, so California law applies. Duty to keep the unit habitable: The landlord must deliver a unit fit to live in and repair conditions that make it untenantable (Civ. Code § 1941). Repair and deduct: A tenant may make a repair the landlord neglects and deduct the cost from rent, up to one month's rent, no more than twice in any 12 months (Civ. Code § 1942(a)). Habitability and repair-and-deduct — the full state rule →

CA state law Santa Barbara County has no rule of its own on this, so California law applies. Landlord entry notice: Reasonable written notice, presumed to be 24 hours, and entry only during normal business hours (Civ. Code § 1954(d)(1), (e)). Landlord entry notice in California — the full state rule →

Santa Barbara County's code also has these chapters. We have not summarized their values on this page yet; read them in the library.

• Mobilehome Rent Control (Ch. 11A) — mobilehome park spaces only
• Just Cause for Residential Evictions (Ch. 44, Art. IV)