Public Counter Notices Re: COVID-19Community Development

The Community Development and Public Works Departments, in compliance with Santa Barbara County health guidelines, resumed public counter services for in-person service at 630 Garden Street. All counters now operate under a check-in system, and those visiting the counters are encouraged to sign up for a time slot prior to their visit. If you visit the public counters without a selecting a time slot via the check-in system, a work station located inside the building (to the right of the Building and Safety Counter) will be available for you to use to check in and sign-up for the next available time slot.

Note: If you need to visit with the Records and Archives counter, please visit and read this page for Important Plan Viewing Information before scheduling your appointment.

Virtual appointments and consultation by telephone or email continue to be available as well, during regular business hours.

Click here for the check-in system. 

Individuals visiting the public counters will be expected to observe the following guidelines:

• If you demonstrate symptoms that are of concern, If you are positive for COVID-19, or feel you have been exposed to the virus, please do not enter the building
• All customers entering 630 Garden Street must wear a face covering at all times while in the facility;
• All customers inside 630 Garden Street or in line outside must maintain proper distance from others at all times; and
• Restrooms are available to the public through our David Gebhard Entrance on the south side of the building.

Appointment Information:

• Visitors are encouraged to check in online, in advance; same-day time slots may be available.
• Appointment duration is 20 minutes.
• Customers wishing to visit multiple divisions during a single visit (i.e., Planning/Zoning and Building & Safety) should check in for each counter individually.
• Visitors should arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before their scheduled check in time and no later than 5 minutes after their scheduled check in timeto avoid the risk of being bumped fromthe system.
• If you are scheduling for an over the counter permit appointment please be sure to have approvals from all required agencies prior to scheduling a counter visit. This includes agencies such as Planning, Public Works, and school district.
• Payment by credit card is limited to $2,500. Multiple credit card transactions in excess of $2,500 will not be accepted (the fee payment form can be found here).
• Please either upload all materials into the appropriate Accela case (preferred), or have all applications, permits, and forms printed and completed prior to arrival.
• For Building & Safety business, all documents and plans will be processed digitally. If you submit paper documents or plans to Building & Safety, you will be charged a fee for digital conversion and experience delays in processing while digital conversion is being processed.
• For information on how to report potential code violations, click here.
• We ask for patience from customers while we are adjusting to this new virtual check in process. 

We Look forward to seeing you! 

Regular Business Hours: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Thursday and alternate Fridays, Calendar of Closed Fridays