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Santa Barbara County

County of Santa Barbara Planning & Development (Building & Safety Division and Planning)

In short

County of Santa Barbara Planning & Development (Building & Safety Division and Planning) issues 2 permits we publish for Santa Barbara County, last verified 2026-10-13. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Building Permit (commercial new construction, alteration or addition)only if it applies to youCounty of Santa Barbara Planning & Development (Building & Safety Division and Planning)New Commercial (base 3,000 sq ft; fee maximum 30,000 sq ft): plan check $4,799 plus $1.50 per sq ft over base; inspection $7,163 plus $2.23 per sq ft over base. Residential Alteration / Commercial Alteration or Addition (base 300 sq ft): plan check $707 plus $1.87 per sq ft over base; inspection $1,056 plus $2.79 per sq ft over base. Minor Alteration (Over the Counter) permit: plan check $188; inspection $627. Hourly Rate - Plan Check $313; Hourly Rate - Inspection $313. Intake Processing Fee $79; Issuance Processing Fee $156. Surcharges added to each fee: 6.00% Technology & Records Maintenance Surcharge on every line listed here; 3.70% General Plan Maintenance Surcharge on New Commercial, Commercial Alteration or Addition, the hourly plan check rate and the Intake Processing Fee, and 'N/A' on Minor Alteration, the hourly inspection rate and the Issuance Processing Fee.per permit (one-time)2026-10-13
Change of Use (Planning & Development)only if it applies to youCounty of Santa Barbara Planning & Development (Building & Safety Division and Planning)Change of Use: fixed fee $929, plus the 6.00% Technology & Records Maintenance Surcharge ($55.71) and the 3.70% General Plan Maintenance Surcharge ($34.36).per application (one-time)2026-10-13

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Building Permit (commercial new construction, alteration or addition)

Building, altering or adding to a commercial space on a project permitted by Santa Barbara County Planning & Development needs a county building permit; the Building and Safety Division 'administers and enforces State and County building, grading, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical codes by issuing building permits, inspecting ongoing construction projects, and investigating building complaints.' Fees are a plan check fee and an inspection fee, each set at a base amount for the base square footage plus a per-square-foot charge above it. Ordinance 5271 adds 'A Technology and Records Maintenance Surcharge of six percent' and 'A General Plan Maintenance Surcharge of 3.7 percent', and the schedule marks which lines carry each surcharge. All amounts are from the Planning & Development 'Fee Schedule for Building Permits', headed 'Effective 7/1/2026 (Fee Ordinance 5271)', linked from the county's Fee Ordinance & Schedules page; Ordinance 5271 was adopted on 16 December 2025 and provides for yearly Employment Cost Index adjustments. Building & Safety offices: 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, 805-568-2000; 624 W. Foster Road, Santa Maria, 805-934-6250.

Change of Use (Planning & Development)

Planning & Development's Fee Ordinance & Schedules page says 'Planning and Development assesses fees for all land development applications pursuant to a fee ordinance adopted by the Board of Supervisors.' A business changing the use of a space on a project handled by Planning & Development pays the Change of Use line of the 'Fee Schedule for Planning & Film Permits', headed 'Effective 7/1/2026 (Fee Ordinance 5271)': a fixed fee of $929, with the 6% Technology & Records Maintenance Surcharge ($55.71) and the 3.7% General Plan Maintenance Surcharge ($34.36) added. Ordinance 5271 was adopted on 16 December 2025. The same page says 'Other County Department or Agency fees may apply' and advises checking 'with Planning and Development counter staff to determine total fee requirements if you are unsure.' Planning & Development, 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, 805-568-2000.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Santa Barbara County
Phone
805-568-2000

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. Building & Safety DivisionCounty of Santa Barbara Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  2. Fee Ordinance & SchedulesCounty of Santa Barbara Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  3. Fee Ordinance 5271 (adopted 16 December 2025)County of Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  4. Santa Barbara County Planning & Development Fee Schedule for Building Permits, Effective 7/1/2026 (Fee Ordinance 5271)County of Santa Barbara Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  5. Santa Barbara County Planning & Development Fee Schedule for Planning & Film Permits, Effective 7/1/2026 (Fee Ordinance 5271)County of Santa Barbara Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13

Other offices serving Santa Barbara County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

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Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.