Rates and Fees

The following is the full list of Waterfront Department Fees for Stearns Wharf, Waterfront Parking Lots, and Santa Barbara Harbor adopted by City Council Resolution and effective July 1, 2025.

The following document is a summary of common rates and fees for Santa Barbara Harbor.  Contact the Harbormaster’s Office at (805) 564-5531 for more information.

BAP - Services
Fee: $50.00/ year
Renewal Date: By August 1

BAP - Charter Operators
Fee: $500.00/ year
Renewal Date: By August 1

BAP - Kayak Excursion Operators
Fee: $500.00/ year
Renewal Date: By August 1

BAP Late Renewals
Fee: $35.00 + BAP Fee
Renewal Date: After August 1

For additional information about the Business Activity Permit Program or to apply for a BAP, please visit the Doing Business at the Waterfront webpage. 

West Beach Permit Requirements & Restrictions

To Apply: Complete an application at the Waterfront Office on or after the first day of the season or click below to apply online. Applicants will receive a confirmation email and will be contacted by staff upon review of your application in the order that it was received.

Click HERE for 2026 West Beach Permit Application 

Catamaran Beach Requirements & Restrictions

Rates

The City of Santa Barbara has been featured in a number of motion pictures, commercials, catalog shoots, and reality shows. From It's Complicated, Sideways, and Seabiscuit to The Amazing Race, Keeping up with the Kardashians, and Top Chef, Santa Barbara has served as the backdrop for a multitude of film/video productions due to our great variety of picture perfect locations to choose from, and fantastic weather year-round. 

Permit Requirements

The City of Santa Barbara offers a one-stop permitting process with the Parks and Recreation Department acting as the lead in issuing photo and film permits. Parks and Recreation staff coordinate as many internal logistics as possible among other City departments such as Police, Fire, Public Works, and Waterfront to help make your project a successful one.

Note that a photo and film/video permit is always required for any shoot, with the only exception being not-for-profit photo shoots occurring on private property, having no impact on the public.  

The photo/film/video permit application can be found on the Santa Barbara County Film Commission website.

Fees for the use of the Marine Center Classroom or the Waterfront Community Meeting Room are listed below. 

Marine Center Classroom (Located on the second floor of the 125 Harbor Way Building)

• $75 per hour or any part of/ $500 per day maximum for commercial and/or private non-ocean dependent uses.
• $30 per hour or any part of/ $150 per day maximum for commercial and/or private, ocean dependent activities.
• $10 per hour or any part of/ $50 per day maximum for non-profit ocean dependent organizations conducting ocean educational classes or courses.
• $100 refundable deposit
• $65 per hour in excess of security deposit for cleanup cost.
• Use of the Waterfront meeting rooms by other City Department or non-profit ocean dependent organizations will be charged at the rates noted above unless expressly waived by the Waterfront Director. 

Waterfront Community Center (Located on the side of the Maritime Museum at the 113 Harbor Way Building) 

• $60 per hour or any part of/ $300 per day maximum for commercial and/or private non-ocean dependent uses.
• $25 per hour or any part of/ $100 per day maximum for commercial and/or private, ocean dependent activities.
• $5 per hour or any part of/ $20 per day maximum for non-profit ocean dependent organizations conducting ocean educational classes or courses.
• $100 refundable deposit
• $65 per hour in excess of security deposit for cleanup cost.
• Use of the Waterfront meeting rooms by other City Department or non-profit ocean dependent organizations will be charged at the rates noted above unless expressly waived by the Waterfront Director. 

If you are interested in reserving a meeting room, please contact Angela Rodriguez, Administrative Analyst, at ARodriguez@SantaBarabraCA.gov to confirm availability, then submit the following Facility Use Permit Form to Angela Rodriguez at the above email. 

 Facility Use Permit Form

Non-profit ocean dependent organizations may request to have fees waived on a case-by-case basis for each rental request. Click the below form to submit a request for a fee waiver. 

Room Rental Fee Waiver Request

The following is a summary of rates and fees for Santa Barbara Harbor adopted by City Council Resolution and effective July 1, 2024.

Harbor Main Lot:

• Single Vehicle $3.50 per hour or any part of an hour
• Single Vehicle Daily Max $20.00 per day per space
• Non-Surrendered Single Vehicle Ticket $60.00
• Boat Trailer $3.50 per hour or any part of an hour
• Boat Trailer Daily Max $8.00 per day per space
• Non-Surrendered Boat Trailer Ticket $32.00

Stearns Wharf:

• Single Vehicle $4.00 per hour or any part of an hour
• Single Vehicle Daily Max $40.00 per day per space
• Non-Surrendered Vehicle Ticket $60.00
• ADA Parking First 2 ½ hours free. After the initial 2 ½ each hour or part of the hour is $4.00

Self-Pay Lots:

• Single Vehicle: $3.50 per hour, accepts cash, debit cards and credit cards
• Single Vehicle Max. Daily Rate: $20.00 maximum per day, accepts cash, debit cards and credit cards
  • Comments: 22-feet and under, Monitored Daily

Oversized Vehicles In Self-Pay Lots Only:

• Oversized Vehicles: $7.00 per hour, accepts cash, debit cards and credit cards
• Oversized Vehicles Max. Daily Rate: $40.00 maximum per day, accepts cash, debit cards and credit cards
  • Comments: Over 22-feet to 33-feet, must park in yellow stalls only, (5 stalls per lot)

ADA Parking: * Same as regular parking rates

The Waterfront Department has had a slip assignment policy in place for decades in order to effectively manage the transfer of slips from one permittee to another. City Council first adopted a policy to manage slip permit transfers in 1975. Although there have been some changes over the years, the general foundation and intent of the policy has remained the same.

Below are documents pertaining to slip permit transfer policies.

1982 Report on Santa Barbara Trust Lands
1982 Grand Jury Report
1984 Grand Jury Report
1984 Response to Grand Jury Report
1990 Grand Jury Report
1990 Council Report of Grand Jury Report
1990 Response to Grand Jury Report
1999 Council Report Review of Slip Transfer Policy
2001 Grand Jury Report
2001 Response to Grand Jury Report
2008 DBW Survey of 10 CA Public Marinas
2016 Grand Jury Report
2020 Harbor Commission Slip Assignment Policy PowerPoint
2020 Harbor Commission Slip Assignment Policy Report
2021 SLC Family Additions Request Letter
2021 SLC Family Additions Response Letter
2021 Slip Assignment Policy Subcommittee PowerPoint