Data through August 2025 · updated 19 Oct 2026
656 solar permits were issued in the City of Santa Barbara, September 2023 through August 2025: about 328 a year and 13% of all permits. 307 solar permits in the last 12 months on file (Sep 2024–Aug 2025), 12% fewer than the 349 in the 12 months before. The busiest month is January. The usual one took 52 days from issue to the city's final. 93105 has the most, 225.
Permits issued each month, September 2023 through August 2025.
| Month | Permits |
|---|---|
| Sep 2023 | 29 |
| Oct 2023 | 40 |
| Nov 2023 | 37 |
| Dec 2023 | 21 |
| Jan 2024 | 53 |
| Feb 2024 | 20 |
| Mar 2024 | 31 |
| Apr 2024 | 35 |
| May 2024 | 21 |
| Jun 2024 | 24 |
| Jul 2024 | 18 |
| Aug 2024 | 20 |
| Sep 2024 | 24 |
| Oct 2024 | 28 |
| Nov 2024 | 24 |
| Dec 2024 | 13 |
| Jan 2025 | 34 |
| Feb 2025 | 24 |
| Mar 2025 | 18 |
| Apr 2025 | 34 |
| May 2025 | 17 |
| Jun 2025 | 28 |
| Jul 2025 | 19 |
| Aug 2025 | 44 |
By calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line). January is the busiest (159), December the quietest (62). A busy month at the permit counter usually means a longer wait for a contractor.
| Month | Index |
|---|---|
| January | 159 |
| February | 80 |
| March | 90 |
| April | 126 |
| May | 70 |
| June | 95 |
| July | 68 |
| August | 117 |
| September | 97 |
| October | 124 |
| November | 112 |
| December | 62 |
Permits issued Sep 2023–Aug 2024, at least 12 months before the file ends. Usual days is the middle permit among the 281 with a final date.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Permits issued Sep 2023–Aug 2024 | 349 |
| Finished | 80.5% |
| Usual days, issue to final | 52 |
| Middle half, days | 23–104 |
Counted at the property's ZIP code. Share is the part of the city's 656 solar permits.
How the city filed these permits. We group its types into kinds of work; this is the split.
| Permit type | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 & 2 Family Expedited Solar PV and Optional ESS | 462 | 70% |
| 1 & 2 Family Expedited Battery Energy Storage (ESS) to Existing Solar PV | 84 | 13% |
| Electrical | 83 | 13% |
| Residential | 17 | 3% |
| Commercial New | 10 | 2% |
Roofing (1,397)Electrical (693)Remodels & repairs (651)Plumbing (408)HVAC (256)ADUs & casitas (236)
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
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, "Solar permits in the City of Santa Barbara, CA", https://contractorrecords.com/santa-barbara/solar-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): Solar permits by month · Solar permits by calendar month (index) · Solar permits: days to final · Solar permits by ZIP code · Solar permits by permit type.