Santa Barbara County
County of Santa Barbara Treasurer-Tax Collector
In short
County of Santa Barbara Treasurer-Tax Collector 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
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tobacco Retailer License (County Code Chapter 37A)only if it applies to you | County of Santa Barbara Treasurer-Tax Collector | Set by resolution: County Code §37A-7 says 'The initial fee or renewal fee for a tobacco retailer license shall be set forth in the "Tobacco Retailer License Fee Schedule" that is adopted by resolution.' The amount is not published in Chapter 37A; contact the Treasurer-Tax Collector, 805-568-2490, for the current fee. | 1 year ('Tobacco retailer licenses are valid for one year.' — County Code §37A-3) | 2026-10-13 |
| County Business License (County Code Chapter 22)only if it applies to you | County of Santa Barbara Treasurer-Tax Collector | General business license (County Code §22-73): 'a quarterly fee of twenty-five dollars' ($25 per quarter) for 'Every person conducting or carrying on a business of any kind or description anywhere in the county outside of the municipalities therein, a license for which is not otherwise provided for in this chapter or any other provision of this Code or other ordinance of the county, and who does not maintain a fixed place of business in the county'. Counter, stand or wall vending machine (§22-74): each machine $4.00 per year; operator $10.00 per year. | County Code §22-26: licenses 'may be issued for any period not exceeding one year and not less than the period for which a license fee is fixed' | 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
Tobacco Retailer License (County Code Chapter 37A)
County Code §37A-3 says 'It is unlawful for any person to act as a tobacco retailer without first obtaining and maintaining a valid tobacco retailer license pursuant to this chapter for each location at which tobacco retailing is to occur. Tobacco retailer licenses are valid for one year.' Applications go to the licensing agent, which Chapter 37A defines as the Santa Barbara County Treasurer-Tax Collector; the application is forwarded to the public health department, which recommends within twenty-one business days whether the license should issue. §37A-9 says 'No tobacco retailer license may be issued to authorize tobacco retailing at other than a fixed location', and §37A-10 is headed 'Prohibition of tobacco retailing within one thousand feet of a school'. The fee is set in a separate 'Tobacco Retailer License Fee Schedule' adopted by resolution (§37A-7).
County Business License (County Code Chapter 22)
County Code §22-11 says 'No person shall engage in, conduct, manage, or carry on any business or other activity for which a license is required by this chapter without first having procured a license so to do from the tax collector'. The general business license in §22-73 applies, in the code's words, to a person conducting business 'anywhere in the county outside of the municipalities therein' 'who does not maintain a fixed place of business in the county', at 'a quarterly fee of twenty-five dollars'. §22-77 adds: 'Every person maintaining a fixed place of business in any of the incorporated cities of the county who does business in the unincorporated territory of the county, shall pay the same license fee as though his fixed place of business were established in the unincorporated territory of the county.' The §22-74 fee schedule lists counter, stand or wall vending machines at $4.00 per machine and $10.00 per operator per year. The Treasurer-Tax Collector's Business License Information page says 'Businesses located in the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County, may require a business license from the County Tax Collector's Office', lists the General Business License and Vending Machines among the licenses it most often issues, and says 'All Business License applications must be submitted in person.' Contact the Tax Collector, 805-568-2490, to confirm whether a given business needs a county license. All figures are from County Code Chapter 22 as published on Municode.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Santa Barbara County
- Phone
- 805-568-2490
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.
- Business License InformationCounty of Santa Barbara Treasurer-Tax Collector · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Santa Barbara County Code Chapter 22, Article I, Division 1 — Generally (§§22-11, 22-26)County of Santa Barbara (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Santa Barbara County Code Chapter 22, Article II — Fee Schedule (§§22-73 to 22-77)County of Santa Barbara (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Santa Barbara County Code Chapter 37A — Licensing of Tobacco RetailersCounty of Santa Barbara (Municode) · 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.