Building Permits in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara's Building & Safety team administers building permits and plan checks, with electronic records and payments available through Accela Citizen Access.

Current codes

The City announced that new 2025 California Construction Codes apply to new building-permit applications beginning in January 2026 after the 2022-cycle submission cutoff. Current applications therefore need to be prepared for the 2025 California code cycle and applicable City amendments.

Fees

At intake, Building & Safety invoices a plan-check fee based on scope and the adopted fee schedule. Other City departments may enter separate review fees, and inspection/service fees are assessed during plan check. The City publishes current Building Permit Fee schedules by effective period; use the schedule in force for the application rather than an old percentage or estimate.

Inspections and occupancy

Santa Barbara states that a Final Building Inspection Passed status on the Inspection Summary Report serves as the certificate of occupancy for residential projects and most commercial projects. Some commercial projects require a separate Certificate of Occupancy form. Temporary occupancy has a separate process.

Review time and professional design

No generic review duration is stated here. California licensing/seal requirements depend on project type and statutory exemptions; verify them for the specific project.

Official sources

Use Building & Safety's current forms, fee schedules and Accela instructions before filing.