Signs on homes in Santa Barbara County: the local rules

Each rule below links to the section of the Santa Barbara County Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Santa Barbara County's code says

Santa Barbara County code What Santa Barbara County's code adds
Election and other noncommercial signs	Exempt from all sign chapter rules except: not in the public right-of-way; State Code rules apply to placement and removal Applies: Political, social issue and other noncommercial signs § 35.438.030 · code text Signs informing of political candidates, parties, issues, measures, propositions, philosophies or personal beliefs, and which are not commercial messages, shall be exempt from all regulations of this Chapter, except that such signs shall not be placed within the public right-of-way.
Signs that need no permit	Address identification signs conforming to the Building Code Applies: Required address identification signs § 35.438.030 · code text Required address identification signs that are in conformance with the Building Code. Up to 4 off-site signs, each not exceeding 4 square feet or 3 feet in height Applies: Open house directional signs on private land; only from 2 hours before until 2 hours after the open house § 35.438.030 · code text Up to four off-site signs directing the public to "open house" events for the viewing of lots, premises, dwellings or structures that are for sale, lease, or rent, are permitted on private land, provided they comply with the following standards: "No Trespassing" signs not more than 1 square foot and at least 50 feet from any other "No Trespassing" sign Applies: No-trespassing signs § 35.438.030 · code text "No Trespassing" signs not more than one square foot in area and located a minimum of 50 feet from any other "No Trespassing" sign or in compliance with the requirements of law.
For-sale and open-house signs	1 on-site sign, not lit, up to 6 square feet; exempt from sign permit requirements Applies: Sale, lease or rental sign in a residential zone § 35.438.030 · code text One nonilluminated, on-site sign pertaining to the sale, lease, or rental of a structure or land, not exceeding six square feet in a Residential Zone or 25 square feet in any zone other than a Residential Zone.
Other temporary signs	Up to 6 square feet each; up to 30 consecutive days; no more than 2 at once per site Applies: Other temporary signs, including garage and yard sale signs; exempt from sign permit requirements § 35.438.030 · code text Other temporary signs, including garage and yard sale signs, not exceeding six square feet displayed for a maximum of 30 consecutive days. A maximum of two temporary signs may be displayed at the same time on a single site.

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

What signs may I put up at my home in Santa Barbara County?

Santa Barbara County's code: Exempt from all sign chapter rules except: not in the public right-of-way; State Code rules apply to placement and removal (Political, social issue and other noncommercial signs) (§ 35.438.030); Address identification signs conforming to the Building Code (Required address identification signs) (§ 35.438.030).

Signs on homes in Santa Barbara County

What Santa Barbara County's code says

Who this affects

Frequently asked questions

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