What Santa Barbara's rent stabilization ordinance does
From 01/01/2027, the owner of a covered unit may raise rent once in any 12 months by the annual general adjustment: 60% of the yearly change in CPI or 3%, whichever is less, and never below zero. The city has set the 2027 adjustment at 2.1%.
The adjustment is posted by 10/01 each year and applies from 01/01. An increase not taken in one year cannot be carried into a later one, and increases between 12/16/2025 and the start of the program count against future increases. An owner may still set the rent for a new tenancy after a unit is lawfully vacated. An owner who believes the cap denies a fair return may petition a hearing officer, with appeals to a seven-member Rent Stabilization Board; applications for the board are due 12/02/2026.
Which Santa Barbara buildings are covered
Rental units with a certificate of occupancy (or final inspection) before 02/01/1995, with exemptions for separately sold houses and condos, mobile home spaces, hotels and short stays of 30 days or fewer, care facilities, deed-restricted affordable units and Section 8 tenancies at or below the Housing Authority's payment standard.
A house or condo is covered in one case: when the prior tenancy was ended by an owner's notice under state law, or when a condo was never sold by its developer. Newer buildings and most houses and condos fall to the statewide cap under AB 1482: 5% plus CPI, or 10%, whichever is lower, which is 8.6% in Santa Barbara County for increases from 08/01/2026 to 07/31/2027.
The freeze until 12/31/2026
Until the permanent program starts, a temporary ordinance bars any increase over a covered unit's base rent, the rent in effect on 12/16/2025.
The council adopted it on 01/27/2026, 4 to 3, and it took effect 02/26/2026. It ends 12/31/2026, or earlier if the permanent program starts first. It is a bridge, not the city's cap.
The rental registry and its fee
Covered units must be registered by the later of 04/01/2027 or 30 days after the city posts the registration form; other rentals by the later of 10/01/2027 or 30 days after. From 01/01/2028, an unregistered unit cannot take an increase.
The fee will be set by a later council resolution after a fee study, and an owner may pass up to half of it to the tenant in 12 monthly installments (not for deed-restricted units). No fee had been adopted as of 10/25/2026.
The referendum petition and what it would do
Under state law, which the City Charter adopts, a referendum petition signed by at least 10% of the city's registered voters and filed within 30 days after the City Clerk attests the ordinance suspends it. The council must then repeal the ordinance or put it to voters, and it would take effect only if a majority votes yes.
A coalition called the Help Save Santa Barbara Housing Committee announced the effort on 09/24/2026, and the Santa Barbara Rental Property Association backs the petition drive, according to Noozhawk (10/16/2026). The Santa Barbara Independent (10/14/2026) puts the requirement at nearly 5,500 valid signatures, and the drive reported "a couple thousand" on 10/15/2026, according to Noozhawk. The filing deadline runs from the clerk's attestation date, which the city had not published as of 10/25/2026. If a petition qualifies, the freeze still ends 12/31/2026. Separately, owners sued in federal court over the freeze earlier this year; the judge dismissed the case in July, according to the Santa Barbara Independent (10/14/2026).
What Santa Barbara owners can do now
- Check coverage on paper: the certificate of occupancy date, and whether any house or condo on the list is one of the covered exceptions.
- Hold any increase on a covered unit until 2027: the freeze runs through 12/31/2026, and the first adjustment is 2.1% from 01/01/2027 if the ordinance stands.
- Plan the registration: the form, the deadline and the fee come from the city in 2027.
- Price a sale on the rent roll as it is: buyers underwrite in-place rents, market rents and turnover; show all three, with move-in dates.
Our Santa Barbara sales
We sold 318 S Voluntario St, an 8-unit building, for $2,295,000 in 06/2019 and again for $2,610,000 in 04/2021, both long before the city's ordinance. For every local cap in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, see our rent control guide for the three counties.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Santa Barbara's rent control take effect?
The ordinance adopted 10/06/2026 is scheduled to take effect 30 days after adoption under the City Charter, 11/05/2026. A qualifying referendum petition filed within 30 days of the City Clerk's attestation would suspend it. Its rent limits and registry start 01/01/2027; until then, the temporary freeze applies.
How much can I raise rent in Santa Barbara in 2027?
On a covered unit, 2.1% once in the year, if the ordinance stands. Newer buildings and most houses and condos fall under AB 1482, which allows up to 8.6% in Santa Barbara County for increases from 08/01/2026 to 07/31/2027.
Does Santa Barbara's rent control cover single-family homes?
Generally no: separately sold houses and condos are exempt, with two exceptions in the ordinance (a prior tenancy ended by an owner's notice under state law, or a condo never sold by its developer).
What happens if the referendum qualifies?
The ordinance is suspended, and the council must repeal it or put it to voters at a regular or special election; it takes effect only if a majority votes yes. The temporary freeze still ends 12/31/2026.
Does Goleta or the rest of Santa Barbara County have rent control?
No. Goleta has tenant protections (just cause and relocation) but no rent cap, and no other city in the county has an apartment cap; AB 1482 is the limit there.
Own in Santa Barbara?
We have sold in Santa Barbara and underwrite rent rolls the way a buyer will. If the ordinance changes your plans, we can show you what your building is worth under it.
Get a valuation of your buildingSources
- City of Santa Barbara, Rent Stabilization, read 10/24/2026: santabarbaraca.gov
- City of Santa Barbara, Ordinance No. 2026-6206 (temporary moratorium), read 10/24/2026: santabarbaraca.gov
- Santa Barbara City Charter, Sec. 514 (ordinances effective after 30 days), read 10/24/2026: ecode360.com
- Santa Barbara City Charter, Sec. 1303 (elections), read 10/24/2026: ecode360.com
- California Elections Code section 9237 (referendum petition), read 10/24/2026: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- California Elections Code section 9241 (council action on a referendum), read 10/24/2026: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- Noozhawk, new coalition wants voters to decide on Santa Barbara rent control law, 09/24/2026: www.noozhawk.com
- Noozhawk, petitions circulate, 10/16/2026: www.noozhawk.com
- Santa Barbara Independent, the long road to Santa Barbara's rent stabilization ordinance, 10/14/2026: www.independent.com
- California Civil Code section 1947.12 (AB 1482 rent cap; in effect until 01/01/2030), read 10/24/2026: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- California Attorney General, local rent caps, read 10/24/2026: oag.ca.gov
Status as of 10/25/2026, from the City of Santa Barbara's pages and the ordinance texts; press reports are named as press. Not legal advice. LAAA Team of Marcus & Millichap.