Data through August 2025 · updated 19 Oct 2026
236 ADU and casita permits were issued in the City of Santa Barbara, September 2023 through August 2025: about 118 a year and 5% of all permits. 125 ADU and casita permits in the last 12 months on file (Sep 2024–Aug 2025), 13% more than the 111 in the 12 months before. The busiest month is August. The usual one took 296 days from issue to the city's final. 93101 has the most, 71.
Permits issued each month, September 2023 through August 2025.
| Month | Permits |
|---|---|
| Sep 2023 | 10 |
| Oct 2023 | 10 |
| Nov 2023 | 11 |
| Dec 2023 | 8 |
| Jan 2024 | 8 |
| Feb 2024 | 5 |
| Mar 2024 | 1 |
| Apr 2024 | 10 |
| May 2024 | 7 |
| Jun 2024 | 10 |
| Jul 2024 | 10 |
| Aug 2024 | 21 |
| Sep 2024 | 4 |
| Oct 2024 | 12 |
| Nov 2024 | 10 |
| Dec 2024 | 6 |
| Jan 2025 | 5 |
| Feb 2025 | 8 |
| Mar 2025 | 18 |
| Apr 2025 | 11 |
| May 2025 | 11 |
| Jun 2025 | 17 |
| Jul 2025 | 12 |
| Aug 2025 | 11 |
By calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line). August is the busiest (163), January the quietest (66). A busy month at the permit counter usually means a longer wait for a contractor.
| Month | Index |
|---|---|
| January | 66 |
| February | 66 |
| March | 97 |
| April | 107 |
| May | 92 |
| June | 137 |
| July | 112 |
| August | 163 |
| September | 71 |
| October | 112 |
| November | 107 |
| December | 71 |
Permits issued Sep 2023–Aug 2024, at least 12 months before the file ends. Usual days is the middle permit among the 62 with a final date.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Permits issued Sep 2023–Aug 2024 | 111 |
| Finished | 55.9% |
| Usual days, issue to final | 296 |
| Middle half, days | 201–369 |
Counted at the property's ZIP code. Share is the part of the city's 236 ADU and casita permits.
How the city filed these permits. We group its types into kinds of work; this is the split.
| Permit type | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 230 | 97% |
| Residential Alteration | 3 | 1% |
| Residential Accessory Structure | 2 | under 1% |
| Commercial New | 1 | under 1% |
Roofing (1,397)Electrical (693)Solar (656)Remodels & repairs (651)Plumbing (408)HVAC (256)
Source: City of Santa Barbara GIS, Building Permits layer (Building_Permits FeatureServer, Accela BLD records), read 19 Oct 2026. We count permits issued September 2023 through August 2025; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.
Building and trade permits the City of Santa Barbara issues inside city limits: new homes and ADUs, additions, alterations, re-roofs, solar, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, pool, demolition and sign permits. Revisions to an earlier permit, flood-elevation determinations and other administrative records, and grading and paving sitework are not counted. Goleta, Montecito and the rest of unincorporated Santa Barbara County are permitted by other offices and are not in this file.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:
Contractor Records, "ADU and casita permits in the City of Santa Barbara, CA", https://contractorrecords.com/santa-barbara/adu-permits, data through August 2025, from City of Santa Barbara Community Development, Building & Safety building-permit records.Link to a table: By month · Season · Days to final · By ZIP code · Permit types.
Download the tables (CSV): ADUs & casitas permits by month · ADUs & casitas permits by calendar month (index) · ADUs & casitas permits: days to final · ADUs & casitas permits by ZIP code · ADUs & casitas permits by permit type.