Last year, the City of Santa Barbara decided to seriously crack down on short-term vacation rentals, setting aside $1.175 million toward a one-year short-term rental enforcement program aimed at finding illegal operators in the city and collecting back taxes, fees, interest, and penalties. Since launching in August 2023, the enforcement program has handled 151 cases, and collected more than a half a million dollars, and now the city is asking for an extension on the temporary program to continue to chip away at the estimated 1,147 unlawful vacation rentals still operating in the city.
On Tuesday, April 16, the Santa Barbara City Council will hear the first update on the pilot program, and according to the report prepared by Assistant City Attorney Denny Wei and City Attorney’s Office Investigator William Alva, the city has followed up on 106 citizen complaints and found 46 more properties through proactive enforcement.
In total, there are 57 cases still in progress, while 45 were brought into compliance voluntarily, 18 were determined to be unfounded, and six were found to be outside city limits. Twenty-five cases are currently going through the court system. So far, the city has collected $269,272 from properties in the coastal zone and $233,607 for properties in the inland area.