Who permits your house, town by town
Montecito, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Summerland and Hope Ranch each answer to different boards. Here is who decides what, with the official source for every point.
Every house on the South Coast answers to a different set of boards depending on which side of a line it sits. This page lists, for each town, who issues the permit, who reviews the design, how the Coastal Zone applies and who checks fire access. Each point links to the agency’s own page. Checked against official sources in November 2026; rules and meeting schedules change, so confirm with the agency before you rely on anything here. This is general information, not legal advice.
At a glance
| Town | Permits | Design review | Coastal Zone | Fire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montecito | Unincorporated: Santa Barbara County Planning & Development | Montecito Board of Architectural Review (Conceptual, Preliminary, Final) | Southern Montecito is in the Coastal Zone | Montecito Fire Protection District |
| Santa Barbara (City) | City of Santa Barbara | Single Family Design Board; Architectural Board of Review (commercial, multi-family); Historic Landmarks Commission (El Pueblo Viejo, designated buildings) | Coastal Land Use Plan certified August 2019 | New fire hazard maps adopted July 1, 2025 |
| Carpinteria | City of Carpinteria (incorporated 1965) | Architectural Review Board; Planning Commission decides development plans and CDPs | Entire city is in the Coastal Zone | Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District |
| Summerland | Unincorporated: Santa Barbara County | County Board of Architectural Review | Most of the Community Plan area is in the Coastal Zone | Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District |
| Hope Ranch | Unincorporated: Santa Barbara County, plus a private Association | Hope Ranch Park Homes Association (Architectural Board of Review recommends; Board of Directors approves) | Part is in the Coastal Zone (25-ft height limit applies there) | Santa Barbara County Fire Department |
The most common mistake is treating an address as a jurisdiction. Mission Canyon has Santa Barbara addresses but is County land. Carpinteria is a city and Summerland is not. Hope Ranch adds a private Association on top of the County. Start by confirming which agency owns your parcel.
Montecito
- Permits come from County Planning & Development; Building & Safety is part of the same department. County permitting (opens in a new tab)
- The Montecito Board of Architectural Review reviews at three levels: Conceptual (informal), Preliminary (formal, appealable to the Planning Commission) and Final (must be in substantial conformance with Preliminary). Preliminary review is accepted only once a development application has been filed with the County. County BAR information packet, updated July 31, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- The County’s own board page says the board normally meets every three weeks; the packet lists a different cadence, so check the posted calendar for your hearing date. County board page (opens in a new tab)
- The Montecito Architectural Guidelines (adopted 1995, limited update May 2016) apply to the whole Montecito Planning Area and are used by the board. Guidelines (opens in a new tab)
- Montecito Fire Protection District’s 2026 checklist asks for a Fire Access and Water Supply Site Plan and, where it applies, a Residential Landscape Plan. It sets numbers for driveways, slopes, turnarounds, gates and hydrants. Plan submission checklist (opens in a new tab)
- About 290 acres in southern Montecito, between Highway 101 and the ocean, are in the Coastal Zone. Montecito Community Plan (opens in a new tab)
Santa Barbara (City)
- The City issues its own permits through a Planning Counter and a Building & Safety Counter. City notice (opens in a new tab)
- The Single Family Design Board, created in 2007, reviews single-family projects for compatibility in size and design. The Architectural Board of Review handles commercial, industrial and multi-family work, and excludes single-family homes, El Pueblo Viejo and landmark districts. Single Family Design Board (opens in a new tab) · Architectural Board of Review (opens in a new tab)
- In El Pueblo Viejo the Historic Landmarks Commission has jurisdiction over alterations and new construction. For a designated Structure of Merit, all exterior alterations go to the Commission; interiors do not. El Pueblo Viejo (opens in a new tab) · Structure of Merit sheet (opens in a new tab)
- CAL FIRE released updated fire hazard maps on March 10, 2025. The City Council adopted them July 1, 2025, effective July 31, 2025; projects in newly mapped areas without an issued building permit by then must meet High Fire Hazard Area rules. City notice (opens in a new tab)
- Mission Canyon has Santa Barbara addresses but is unincorporated County land. Mission Canyon plan (opens in a new tab)
- Coastal Zone parcels follow the City’s Coastal Land Use Plan, certified in August 2019. Local Coastal Program (opens in a new tab)
Carpinteria
- Carpinteria incorporated on September 28, 1965 and runs its own planning and building. City of Carpinteria (opens in a new tab)
- The planning area is entirely within the Coastal Zone. Coastal Commission grant file (opens in a new tab)
- The City’s guide says the Planning Commission has final authority over development plans, Coastal Development Permits and architectural review, and that the Architectural Review Board’s approval is in addition. Planning Commission decisions can be appealed to the City Council within 10 calendar days, and projects in the coastal appeals overlay can be appealed to the Coastal Commission. The guide is older, so confirm hearing days with the City. Applicant’s guide (opens in a new tab)
- Accessory dwelling units, even from the City’s preapproved plans, still need a Coastal Development Permit and a building permit. ADU program (opens in a new tab)
- The City’s 2019 sea level rise assessment flags the Beach Neighborhood most heavily, along with Carpinteria State Beach, the Bluffs, the Salt Marsh, Concha Loma and the downtown core. Executive summary (opens in a new tab)
- The City’s General Plan and Coastal Land Use Plan update is in progress and not yet adopted. Update page (opens in a new tab)
Summerland
- Summerland is unincorporated, so permits come from the County. County community area plans (opens in a new tab)
- The Community Plan was adopted by the Board of Supervisors in May 2014; its coastal portion was certified by the Coastal Commission on June 9, 2016. Most of the plan area is in the Coastal Zone; 22 parcels northeast of Ortega Ridge Road are not.
- Policy VIS-S-1 requires plans for new or altered buildings to be reviewed by the County Board of Architectural Review. Coastal Commission report, 2016 (opens in a new tab)
- County decisions in the Coastal Zone can be appealed to the Coastal Commission on every ground in Public Resources Code section 30603(a), including non-principal permitted uses. Section 30603 (opens in a new tab)
Hope Ranch
- Building permits come from the County. Separately, the Hope Ranch Park Homes Association, a private body, requires written approval of any exterior change, in addition to government approvals. Association application (opens in a new tab)
- The Association’s Architectural Board of Review makes recommendations; its Board of Directors gives final approval. Review runs through Conceptual (no fee), Preliminary (fees first) and Final stages, and the Association’s own building permit issues last, once stamped County plans are on file. The Guidelines say the permitting sequence “can be flexible.” Building Guidelines (revised 2020) (opens in a new tab)
- Height is limited to 25 feet in the Coastal Zone and in Laguna Blanca Heights, and 30 feet elsewhere, measured from mean finished grade of the perimeter to the highest roof element.
- Construction is limited to weekdays 8:00 to 5:00, with Saturday work only for non-noisy tasks and only with written approval, and no Sundays or listed holidays. Road closures need 72 hours’ notice.
- Bridle trails are 10 feet wide with 12 feet of vertical clearance, and fences, walls and gates need Association approval.
- The Association’s review calendar is not public, so ask its office for dates.
How we use this
Before design starts we read the parcel against this list and write down which boards apply, in what order, and what each one is likely to ask. That is the “parcel reading” described on the process page. For the individual towns, see Montecito, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Summerland and Hope Ranch. For coastal permits in more depth, read coastal zone review in plain terms; for Montecito’s board, the Montecito Board of Architectural Review, explained; for fire, building for fire.
Built by Matt Newman. Licensed since 2001. Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, twenty years on this coast, and on every AMN site himself. One name on the contract. His story
Send us the address. We'll tell you the truth about it.
Email it to purchasing@amnbuild.com. Matt reads it himself and writes back within two business days.
- Same dayMatt confirms he has it, and flags anything obvious that is missing.
- Within two business daysA written reading of your parcel: jurisdiction, review bodies, an order of cost and the permit path.
- Then nothing, unless you askNo follow-up sequence, no call from anyone else. The reading is yours to keep.
CSLB 802739 · Class B General Building · Licensed and insured · Two-year workmanship warranty, in writing