Santa Barbara City Council Approves Rent Stabilization Ordinance

Santa Barbara Santa Maria San Luis Obispo, CA, September 29, 2026 — The City Council of Santa Barbara has approved a new rent-stabilization ordinance following a close vote of 4-3. The ordinance aims to regulate rental housing within the city by implementing several key measures.

Central to the new ordinance are provisions to limit rent increases for tenants. While the specific percentage or formula for these limits was not detailed in the summary, the measure is designed to provide greater predictability for renters regarding housing costs.

In addition to rent control, the ordinance mandates the creation of a rental registry. This registry is intended to track rental properties within the city. Furthermore, a rental board will be established as part of this new regulatory framework. The functions and specific powers of this board were not detailed in the provided summary.

The ordinance includes specific exemptions for certain types of housing. Properties managed by the Housing Authority and units participating in the Section 8 housing program are exempt from the rent stabilization requirements. However, provisions have been made to ensure that tenants in these exempted units are still supported.

According to the summary, city staff will be tasked with addressing habitability concerns for tenants residing in Housing Authority and Section 8 housing. This measure intends to maintain living standards for vulnerable tenant populations despite their exemption from the core rent stabilization rules.

Further details regarding the timeline for implementation, the exact operational scope of the rental registry and board, and the specific cap on rent increases were not provided in the initial summary.

Story summarized from the original created by Rebecca Caraway, Noozhawk Staff Writer on www.noozhawk.com, see more information here.

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