SearchSystems Editorial

Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.

About this guide

Santa Barbara County is a county in California with about 444,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are not in one place: court cases, jail bookings, deeds, property values, vital records and records requests each belong to a different office. This guide names the office that holds each kind of record, links to its own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 8 county office pages for Santa Barbara County, every one opened and checked.

In this guide: Where the records live, Jail and arrests, Court records, County Clerk, Deeds and property, Vital records, District Attorney, Records requests, Statewide sources, More directory links, Cities and towns, Other counties and Questions.

Where Santa Barbara County public records live

Each kind of Santa Barbara County record is kept by a different office. The list below names the office SearchSystems verified for each one; the sections that follow give its phone, address and hours where the office publishes them.

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Arrests, jail and inmate lookups in Santa Barbara County

A person arrested in Santa Barbara County is booked into the jail, and the booking record (name, charges, bond and the next court date) is public in most cases. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for jail and inmate information in Santa Barbara County.

Jail rosters usually show the people in custody now. Once a person is released, the case continues in the court records below.

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Court records and case lookups in Santa Barbara County

Civil, criminal, family, probate and traffic cases filed in Santa Barbara County are kept by the clerk of the court that heard them. Many courts offer an online case search; the page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Santa Barbara County.

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County Clerk of Santa Barbara County

The county clerk is the county's record keeper. What the office holds differs by state: in some states it files marriage licenses and vital records, in others deeds, court papers or the meeting records of the governing board. Its own website below says what it holds in Santa Barbara County.

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Deeds, land records and property values in Santa Barbara County

Two offices share property records. The recording office files deeds, mortgages, liens and the other documents that affect title to land in Santa Barbara County. The assessment office sets the taxable value of each parcel and usually offers a free parcel search by address or owner name.

Recorded documents: County Recorder

Property values: County Assessor

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Birth, death and marriage records in Santa Barbara County

Certified copies of birth and death certificates for events in Santa Barbara County are issued by the office below. The California state vital records office also issues certified copies for any event in the state.

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District Attorney for Santa Barbara County

The District Attorney is the office that prosecutes criminal cases in Santa Barbara County. The case files themselves are court records (above); the prosecutor's office handles victim services and questions about pending prosecutions.

  • Website: da.countyofsb.org (page title: Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office)
  • Phone: (805) 568-2300
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

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Public records requests to Santa Barbara County

Every state has a public records law that applies to county offices. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it. Many counties run one request page for every department; it is listed below when SearchSystems verified one for Santa Barbara County.

  • Website: santabarbaracapd.nextrequest.com (page title: Open Public RecordsNextRequest | Modern FOIA & Public Records Request Software)
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

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Statewide California sources

Some records are kept by the state rather than the county. These are the California state offices SearchSystems verified; each link opens the state office's own page.

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Cities and towns in Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County has 8 incorporated cities and towns (2024 Census Bureau count, population in parentheses). City records such as council minutes, permits, business licenses and police reports are kept by each city; the records on this page are county records whatever the city. SearchSystems has a guide to the city offices of each linked city; the linked names open them.

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Santa Barbara County Record Guides

Ten guides take one kind of record each and go further than this page. For an arrest, start with the arrest records guide, then the inmate search guide for who is in custody and the warrants guide for open warrants. For court cases, read the court records guide and the criminal records guide, and for the two most common cases, the traffic tickets guide and the DUI guide. Police reports, divorce records and property records each have their own guide: the police reports guide, the divorce records guide and the property records guide.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the official Santa Barbara County website?

No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official offices listed above; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.

How do I find out if someone is in jail in Santa Barbara County?

Use the jail or inmate page SearchSystems verified for Santa Barbara County at sbsheriff.org, or call 805-683-2724. Rosters usually show the people in custody now; after release, the case continues in the court records.

Where do I look up a court case in Santa Barbara County?

The court records page SearchSystems verified for Santa Barbara County is at santabarbara.courts.ca.gov. A case number finds a case fastest; a name search returns every case with that name.

Who records deeds in Santa Barbara County?

The County Recorder, at records.sbcrecorder.com. Deeds, mortgages and liens on land in Santa Barbara County are filed there.

How do I get a birth or death certificate for Santa Barbara County?

From the office SearchSystems verified for Santa Barbara County vital records at records.sbcrecorder.com, phone (916) 445-2684, or from the California state vital records office.

How do I request a public record from Santa Barbara County?

Through the records request page at santabarbaracapd.nextrequest.com. A record that is not covered there is requested from the office that holds it.

Population
444K
County Seat
Santa Barbara
Libraries
13
Schools
122