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Santa Barbara County, California public records

In Santa Barbara County, deeds are recorded by the Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder; property values come from the Santa Barbara County Assessor.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Where to get each record
  2. Deeds and land records
  3. Property values, owners and tax bills
  4. Court records: which clerk keeps which case
  5. Marriage records
  6. Divorce records
  7. Birth certificates
  8. Death certificates
  9. Business names (DBA)
  10. Voter records
  11. Historical records
  12. Good to know about Santa Barbara County records
  13. Office addresses, phones and hours
  14. Records that are not online: public records requests
  15. Questions people ask
  16. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  17. Sources

Where to get each record

RecordOfficeSearch onlineFee
Deeds and land recordsSanta Barbara County Clerk-Recorder4Search deeds2$10.00 per document (online order)3
Property values and ownersSanta Barbara County Assessor5Property search6—
Property tax billsSanta Barbara County Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public Administrator7Tax bill search8—
Court cases—Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara9Copies $0.50 per page; certification $40.00 plus $0.50 per page; certified divorce judgment $15.00 plus $0.50 per page; search over 10 minutes $15.00; $1.00 invoice fee9
Marriage recordsSanta Barbara County Clerk-Recorder4——
Divorce recordsSuperior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara: Family Law10—Certified copy fee: $15.00 for a certified copy of a divorce judgment + $0.50 per page9
Birth certificatesSanta Barbara County Clerk-Recorder4——
Death certificatesSanta Barbara County Clerk-Recorder4——
Probate and willsSuperior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara: Probate10——
Business names (DBA)Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder4——

Deeds and land records

Deeds, mortgages and other land documents for property in Santa Barbara County are recorded by the Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder (part of the Clerk, Recorder, Assessor & Elections department).4

About this search
Official Records Search, after 19752
Who runs it
Tyler Technologies Self-Service portal, linked from the county's Real Estate Records page3
Years online
Index from 1975 on; historical grantor/grantee index books 1931-1974 on a separate site2
Historical index
cosbhistoricalindex.com (index books 1931-1958 and 1959-1975; document images need a login or a visit to the lobbies)2
Copy fee
$10.00 per document (online order)3
Certified copy fee
$10.00 per document plus $2.00 per document for certification (online order)3
How to order
Search the portal, add copies or certified copies to the shopping cart3
Military discharges
DD214 copies ordered through the Clerk-Recorder's Military Discharge Copy Order on the same portal11
Legal advice
The Recorder cannot give legal advice2

How deeds work in California

Property values, owners and tax bills

The Santa Barbara County Assessor sets property values5; the Santa Barbara County Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public Administrator bills and collects the tax7.

Property search
sbcassessor.com/… (parcel details, value notices, assessor maps by parcel number or address)6
Assessor link
Linked from the county Assessor page5
Tax bill search
mytaxes.sbtaxes.org (search by secured parcel number, address, bill number; unsecured property)8
Appealing a value
Assessment Appeals page linked from the Assessor's site (countyofsb.org/assessment-appeals)5

How property tax works in California

Court records: which clerk keeps which case

CourtCasesRecords kept byCase search
Superior Court of California, County of Santa BarbaraAll felony, misdemeanor, civil, family, probate, juvenile, small claims and traffic cases (unified trial court)—santabarbara.courts.ca.gov/… Case Records Search: (no online criminal index)9
Records offices
South County Records: 118 E. Figueroa Street, Santa Barbara, 805-882-4778, [email protected]; North County Records: 312-E East Cook Street, Santa Maria, 805-614-6414, [email protected]; 8:00am-3:00pm9
Fees
Copies $0.50 per page; certification $40.00 plus $0.50 per page; certified divorce judgment $15.00 plus $0.50 per page; search over 10 minutes $15.00; $1.00 invoice fee9
How to order
Copy Request Form in person, by mail or by email; allow up to 14 business days; certified copies cannot be emailed9
Remote access limits
Documents in certain case types are restricted from remote display under California Rules of Court 2.50312

How California courts keep their files

Marriage records

Kept by the Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder (County Clerk functions: marriage licenses, fictitious business names).4

Records
Clerk-Recorder holds marriages licensed in Santa Barbara County, 1850 to present11
Confidential
Confidential marriage records are amended through the Clerk-Recorder when licensed in the county11

California marriage records, statewide

Divorce records

Kept by the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara: Family Law.10

Records
The Clerk-Recorder has no divorce records; contact Superior Court if finalized in Santa Barbara County11
Certified copy fee
$15.00 for a certified copy of a divorce judgment + $0.50 per page9

California divorce records: decree or state record

Birth certificates

Kept by the Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder (part of the Clerk, Recorder, Assessor & Elections department).4

Coverage
Births in Santa Barbara County, 1850 to present11
Corrections
Amendments to birth, death and public marriage certificates are processed by the California Department of Public Health11

Ordering a California birth certificate

Death certificates

Kept by the Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder (part of the Clerk, Recorder, Assessor & Elections department).4

Coverage
Deaths in Santa Barbara County, 1850 to present11

Ordering a California death certificate

Business names (DBA)

Kept by the Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder (County Clerk functions: marriage licenses, fictitious business names).4

FBN
Fictitious Business Name Statements are filed with the Clerk-Recorder within 40 days of first transacting business; online name search available13

Voter records

Kept by the Santa Barbara County Clerk, Recorder, Assessor & Elections: Elections Division.14

Historical records

Index books
Grantor/grantee index books 1931-1975 searchable online with OCR15

Good to know about Santa Barbara County records

  • One elected official serves as Clerk-Recorder, Assessor and Registrar of Voters (combined CRAE department).16
  • Births, deaths and marriages are on file with the Clerk-Recorder from 1850.11
  • Pre-1975 land records are found through scanned grantor/grantee index books (1931-1975) with an OCR search.15
  • The historic Santa Barbara County Courthouse was completed in 1929 after the 1925 earthquake and is still a working courthouse.17
  • The Superior Court warns of fraudulent messages and scams sent in its name.18

Office addresses, phones and hours

Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder (part of the Clerk, Recorder, Assessor & Elections department)

Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder (County Clerk functions: marriage licenses, fictitious business names)

Phone
(805) 568-2250 (Clerk-Recorder's Office)3

Santa Barbara County Assessor

Santa Barbara County Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public Administrator

Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara: Civil (Anacapa Division, Santa Barbara; Cook Division, Santa Maria; Lompoc Division)

Address
Anacapa Division, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA (P.O. Box 21107, Santa Barbara, CA 93121-1107)18
Mail
P.O. Box 21107, Santa Barbara, CA 93121-110718
Phone
(805) 882-4520 (Anacapa); Lompoc civil (805) 737-545218
Hours
Clerk's Office 8:00 am-3:00 pm; phone 9:00 am-3:00 pm18

Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara: Criminal (Figueroa Division, Santa Barbara; Miller Division, Santa Maria; Lompoc Division)

Address
Figueroa Division, 118 E. Figueroa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 9310118
Phone
(805) 568-3959 (Figueroa); Miller Division (805) 614-6590; Lompoc criminal/traffic (805) 737-778918
Hours
Criminal and Traffic: 8:00 am-3:00 pm; phone 9:00 am-3:00 pm18

Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara: Family Law

Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara: Probate

Address
South County: Anacapa Division, 1100 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara; North County: Cook Division, 312 E. Cook St., Santa Maria22
Phone
Probate Facilitator 805-614-6622 or 805-614-6413 (Español)22

Santa Barbara County Clerk, Recorder, Assessor & Elections: Elections Division

Address
4440-A Calle Real, Santa Barbara, CA 9311016
Mail
P.O. Box 61510, Santa Barbara, CA 93160-151016
Hours
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.16

Records that are not online: public records requests

Court administrative
Superior Court judicial administrative records: santabarbara.courts.ca.gov/…10

How to write a public records request

Questions people ask

How do I get a copy of a deed in Santa Barbara County?

The Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder (part of the Clerk, Recorder, Assessor & Elections department) keeps deed records. To order copies: Search the portal, add copies or certified copies to the shopping cart. Plain copies: $10.00 per document (online order). Certified copies: $10.00 per document plus $2.00 per document for certification (online order).43

How do I look up who owns a property in Santa Barbara County?

Use the property search of the Santa Barbara County Assessor: sbcassessor.com/…6

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Santa Barbara County office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Other counties in California with a full guide: Alameda County, Butte County, Contra Costa County, El Dorado County, Fresno County, Humboldt County, Imperial County, Kern County, Kings County, Lake County, Los Angeles County, Madera County, Marin County, Mendocino County, Merced County, Monterey County, Napa County, Nevada County, Orange County, Placer County, Riverside County, Sacramento County, San Bernardino County, San Diego County, San Francisco County, San Joaquin County, San Luis Obispo County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County, Shasta County, Solano County, Sonoma County, Stanislaus County, Sutter County, Tulare County, Ventura County, Yolo County, Yuba County. Every county in the state: California county list.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 23 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  2. Real Estate RecordsCounty of Santa Barbara Clerk-Recorder
  3. Official Records Search - WebCounty of Santa Barbara Clerk-Recorder (Tyler Technologies Self-Service)
  4. Clerk-RecorderCounty of Santa Barbara
  5. AssessorCounty of Santa Barbara
  6. Parcel Details & Value Notice LookupSanta Barbara County Assessor
  7. Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public AdministratorCounty of Santa Barbaraarchived copy
  8. Tax CollectorCounty of Santa Barbara Treasurer-Tax Collector
  9. Court RecordsSuperior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara
  10. HomeSuperior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara
  11. Vital RecordsCounty of Santa Barbara Clerk-Recorder
  12. Case Records SearchSuperior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara
  13. Fictitious Business NamesCounty of Santa Barbara Clerk-Recorder
  14. ElectionsCounty of Santa Barbaraarchived copy
  15. Historical Index SearchCounty of Santa Barbara
  16. County Elections OfficesCalifornia Secretary of State
  17. Historic County CourthouseSuperior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara
  18. Locations & Contact InfoSuperior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara
  19. Listing of County Assessors, Auditors and Auditor-Controllers, Clerks of the Board, and Tax CollectorsCalifornia State Board of Equalization
  20. CivilSuperior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara
  21. CriminalSuperior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara
  22. ProbateSuperior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara
  23. County population totals: Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025)US Census Bureau