If a Santa Barbara building permit predates the City’s online history, start with the City’s permit search instructions, then move to Property Records and Archives for older paper files. The City says its Accela Citizen Access (ACA) history begins in the 1990s. That is a portal boundary, not a claim that pre-1990s work had no permit or that every later document is online.
At a glance
- Address search: Yes. The Accela permit portal (address, permit or parcel number) and the Property Records Database (City property records page).
- Online records start: Not confirmed.
- Older records: Records & Archives counter; plan sets are viewed in person by appointment (City). Fee and processing time: not confirmed.
- Checked: October 21, 2026. Compare 15 other jurisdictions in our permit lookup by address comparison.
Building Permit History tool · for buyers and owners
Permit status decoder
Copy the permit rows from the city or county portal and paste them below, one permit per line. The decoder explains each status, flags the ones to ask about, and lists what to request before you rely on the record.
Try a number, a stripped-down address, or the APN
Open the City-linked ACA permit portal and use the Building search or Advanced Search → Search Records/Applications, as shown in its Search Information guide. It documents three useful ways to locate a record:
- Use the record number if your paperwork supplies one.
- For an address, enter the street number and part of the street name, leaving off direction and street type.
- For an assessor’s parcel number, use nine digits in xxx-xxx-xxx format.
This is a City of Santa Barbara permit search; confirm the address is within the City rather than assuming a Santa Barbara mailing address establishes jurisdiction.
If the address is rejected or yields the wrong property, the City points to its official MAPS viewer for the address on file and APN. This matters when several units share a lot: a unit’s mailing address may differ from the property address used by the permit system. Check the parcel identity in MAPS, then retry ACA with the corrected address or APN. The guide says ACA does not produce a single report of a property’s complete permit history: search the relevant permit types rather than stopping after one category. Record each number, type, date, and status separately. Our permit lookup by address guide explains why one address match can be insufficient.
The public Search Information route and an applicant’s linked project view do different jobs. The City describes anonymous search for basic application information; an account can be needed for a linked project’s details, documents, or processing status. Do not turn an anonymous summary into a claim that you inspected the full case file.
Older paper permits and plans take a different route
For work older than the ACA history, use the City-linked Property Records Database and City Records & Archives. The database separates Planning Files, Street Files (Permit/Enforcement Files), and Plan Inventory. A Street File can contain permit applications and copies; a Plan Inventory indicates a drawing may be in the archive, not that the design was built. The property-records page describes Street Files that can include certificates of occupancy or final job cards; those may answer a completion question that a permit issue date cannot. The same page describes plan viewing by appointment and copying restrictions, so specify whether you need to inspect a plan, receive a copy, or simply establish the permit’s recorded date and scope.
For a multiunit property, the City’s database instructions suggest adding an asterisk after the street number to bring up available documents for all units. Compare each file’s address and project year before tying it to the unit you are researching. If you find a Street File but no Plan Inventory, ask for the existing permit or final record first; do not assume the City holds architectural plans merely because the permit file survives.
Take a compact request to City Records & Archives at CDPlan@SantaBarbaraCA.gov or 805-564-5485 ext. 4548: the City address and APN if verified, approximate construction year, work type, any ACA record number, and the exact missing document. Ask whether a paper permit, Street File, final job card, CO, or plan exists under that address or an older identifier. A missing result in ACA or the archive database does not prove no permit was issued; their availability and record classes differ. Our old-permit lookup guide gives a request checklist, and the final-inspection guide helps distinguish a final card from an issued permit.
Reading a record number and what a Street File can show
In the City’s permit portal, a record number starts with the record type, such as BLD for Building or PLN for Planning, followed by the year and a unique five-digit number, according to the City’s ACA search guide. The year shows roughly when the application was filed. Open the record for its details and processing status, then scroll to the bottom and choose Print/View Summary for the full activity summary.
Street Files cover more than permit applications. The City’s Property Records & Archives page says they can also hold code compliance records, such as notices of noncompliance, administrative citations and appeals, and Building Official orders about dangerous, substandard or illegal structures. Not every property has a certificate of occupancy. A permit job card with a final inspection date and the inspector’s signature often serves instead.
To look at archived plans:
- Find the address in the Property Records Database and check whether it has a Plan Inventory sheet.
- Book a viewing through the City’s appointment scheduler. Plans are copyright protected, so viewing is in person only.
- Go to the Records Public Counter at 630 Garden Street during appointment hours: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., or Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hours can change, so confirm them when you book.
If a document seems to be filed under the wrong property, the Property Records Database page asks you to email CDRecords@SantaBarbaraCA.gov with the page number and street address.
Official City of Santa Barbara permit portal and Records & Archives pages checked October 20, 2026.