A revised short-term rental ordinance is moving forward in Santa Barbara after the city’s Ordinance Committee voted to advance the proposal to the City Council.
The updated ordinance includes several changes aimed at addressing concerns over neighborhood impacts, tourism and wildfire safety. Under the proposal, short-term rentals and home-sharing operations would be prohibited in high fire hazard areas. Permitted rentals would also be required to maintain a minimum two-night stay.
The ordinance has drawn both support and criticism as city leaders weigh the role of vacation rentals in the local housing market.
Brian Johnson, CEO of the Santa Barbara Association of Realtors, said limiting short-term rentals will not necessarily increase the supply of long-term housing.
“Limiting short-term rentals is not the same thing as creating long-term housing,” Johnson said. “The city should be able to tell us how many homes will actually return to the long-term rental market. A lot of these homes are second homes and are only being used by the owners for a certain amount of time each year, and they are providing tourism-related housing.”
Some residents, however, argue that the growth of vacation rentals has altered the character of neighborhoods and contributed to housing challenges.
“Growing up, I've seen the community change so much, but now with so much short-term housing, the sense of belonging and financial strain, it just loses the magic of the community,” Santa Barbara resident Cristina Carmona said.
Carmona said stronger regulations are needed, particularly in neighborhoods that face elevated wildfire risks.
“I think there should be more requirements, definitely for high-fire areas. That is important,” she said.
The latest version of the ordinance also removes several previously proposed requirements, including provisions related to parking and insurance.
“The parking requirement was going to disqualify many properties,” Johnson said. “We also appreciated the removal of the insurance requirements. We're not against regulation, we just want it to make sense.”
The revised ordinance now heads to the Santa Barbara City Council for consideration. A date for the council’s review has not yet been announced.
