The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on September 15, 2026 to prohibit new onshore oil and gas wells in unincorporated areas, completing the first phase of a broader county effort to phase out local oil and gas production. The action applies only to onshore development under county jurisdiction. It does not apply to offshore drilling.
The ordinance amendments prohibit drilling new wells and reentering abandoned wells. Existing operations may continue, and the prohibition does not prevent drilling already authorized under a vested land-use permit or an approved Oil Drilling and Production Plan.
Supervisors Laura Capps, Joan Hartmann and Roy Lee supported the amendments. Supervisors Bob Nelson and Steve Lavagnino opposed them, according to the Santa Barbara Independent.
Ban covers coastal and inland areas
The amendments apply to areas governed by the county’s Land Use and Development Code and Coastal Zoning Ordinance. The Montecito Community Plan area is not affected because oil and gas drilling is already prohibited there.
The inland zoning amendments can take effect without further state approval. The Coastal Land Use Plan amendment must be certified by the California Coastal Commission before the prohibition becomes effective in the county’s coastal zone.
Approximately 1,039 active wells may continue operating, while the amendments would prevent the reentry of approximately 1,221 abandoned wells, according to the Santa Barbara News-Press.
The county has no pending applications for new oil and gas wells. Its most recent approval of a new drilling project was a 2019 land-use permit for the Amrich Casmalia Oil Field southwest of Santa Maria.
The county’s oil and gas amendments page contains the ordinances, staff reports, and related project materials.
County divided phaseout into two stages
The Board of Supervisors voted in May 2025 to develop a framework for ending oil operations in the county. In October 2025, the board directed county staff to prepare a two-part plan. The first phase prohibits new wells, and the second phase would develop a long-term plan for phasing out existing oil and gas facilities and operations.
The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission recommended approval in April, sending the amendments to the Board of Supervisors for final consideration.
County staff divided the project into two phases because of its legal, regulatory, and economic complexity. The September 15 action completes the county portion of the first phase, subject to Coastal Commission certification of the coastal amendment.
The second phase is expected to require an environmental impact report and an amortization study. The study would assess how long operators must be allowed to continue producing oil to recover their investments before the county may require facilities to close.
The county has allocated $250,000 for the amortization study. Developing the phaseout proposal could take approximately three years, while implementation could extend over a substantially longer period.
State law expanded local authority
The county’s action follows California’s 2024 enactment of AB 3233. That law authorizes cities and counties to limit or prohibit oil and gas operations or development within their jurisdictions, including through requirements that are more protective of public health, the climate, or the environment than state rules.
The Board of Supervisors adopted Santa Barbara County’s 2030 Climate Action Plan in August 2024. The plan calls for phasing out oil and gas production as part of the county’s effort to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions 50 percent below 2018 levels by 2030.
Supporters argued that the prohibition would prevent additional emissions and health effects while giving the county time to plan for workers and communities affected by a future phaseout. Opponents argued that restricting local production would eliminate well-paying North County jobs, reduce tax revenue, and increase reliance on imported oil.
The Coastal Land Use Plan amendment will require certification by the California Coastal Commission before it becomes effective in the county’s coastal zone. The inland zoning amendments are not subject to that certification process.