Montecito Board of Architectural Review (MBAR): What to Expect

2. What MBAR reviews

Which projects need MBAR, and which do not

The County’s BAR Information Packet lists projects located in the Montecito Community Plan area among those that must go to a Board of Architectural Review. In practice, that means new homes, replacement homes, additions and most exterior changes in the planning area. Projects that need a Modification of a zoning standard, such as a setback, also need MBAR before the decision-maker acts.

Common exemptions. Per the packet, these generally skip BAR review unless they are part of a larger project that needs it:

• Interior alterations
• Decks
• Swimming pools, hot tubs and spas
• Fences of six feet or less and gateposts of eight feet or less
• Solar panels (unless a setback Modification is requested)

ADUs. Per the County’s Montecito Floor Area Calculator, accessory dwelling units are exempt from design review under the Montecito Land Use and Development Code, and the guidelines cannot be used to limit an ADU’s floor area. ADU floor area still counts when MBAR looks at other detached buildings on the same lot (we confirm per lot).

What the board looks at. Height, bulk, scale and coverage; colors and materials; how the buildings relate to each other and to the neighborhood; site layout and topography; walls, fences and screen planting; landscaping; and signs and exterior lighting. To approve a project, MBAR must make the findings in the Montecito Land Use and Development Code (Section 35.472.070) or, in the coastal zone, the Article II Coastal Zoning Ordinance (Section 35-213). They cover proportion and scale with the neighborhood, integrated mechanical equipment, harmony of materials and colors on all sides, a limited number of exterior materials, site layout that respects public views of the hillsides and the ocean, landscaping that preserves specimen trees, and grading that avoids visible scarring.

4. What to submit

The MBAR plan set and supporting documents

Submittals are digital. Per the packet, plans and supporting documents are flattened PDFs, the plan set is one PDF where the size allows (15 MB total, about 2 MB a page), and photos, floor area studies and arborist reports go in separate, numbered PDFs. The plan set for the board is limited to the site plan, floor plans, all elevations, architectural details (at preliminary and final), an overall civil site plan, a landscape plan if required and a material and color board.

The County’s Plan Set Checklist spells out what the site plan shows. Some items that come up on most Montecito lots:

• Floor area worksheet. A floor area ratio calculation worksheet is required on the cover sheet for Montecito projects, using the County’s Montecito Floor Area Calculator.
• Trees. Every tree within 25 feet of ground disturbance, with species and trunk size, and the dripline plus six feet for native trees; plus all trees to be removed.
• Grading and drainage plan for 50 cubic yards or more of cut or fill, or cut and fill slopes over three feet, with cut, fill and import/export totals and drainage discharge.
• Topographic map when there is grading or a 16-foot drop in elevation within 100 feet of the work, with one-foot contours near the building on moderate and steep lots.
• Heights calculated under the County’s method, and on sloped lots a roof plan over existing contours plus at least two building sections.
• Exterior lighting locations, with fixture details showing they are dark-sky compliant.
• Creeks, drainage courses and sensitive habitat on or next to the parcel, such as oak woodland or riparian areas.

Story poles. Under the County’s Story Pole Guidelines, the board asks for story poles case by case. When it does, a story pole plan is reviewed by staff first, the installation is certified by a licensed professional, the poles go up at least three days before the meeting and stay up at least seven days after it (we confirm per lot).

6. The guidelines behind the decisions

The Montecito Community Plan and Architectural Guidelines

The Montecito Community Plan, adopted in 1992, protects Montecito’s semi-rural character, and its policies are carried out through the Montecito Land Use and Development Code and the Article II Coastal Zoning Ordinance (both on the County’s Land Use Code page). The Montecito Architectural Guidelines and Development Standards (adopted May 1995, limited update May 2016) are what MBAR applies day to day. The guidelines describe the goals plainly: keep the semi-rural setting, make every project fit its neighborhood, respect public views of the hillsides and the ocean and consider private views, protect neighbors’ privacy, avoid long-term visible grading scars, keep the roads and lanes rural, and protect valuable trees and vegetation.

• Size, bulk and scale. The guidelines set a recommended maximum house size by lot size, measured as net floor area. On lots under one acre it is 1,800 square feet plus 2,500 times the lot area in acres (about 3,050 square feet on a half acre); a one-acre lot is 4,300 square feet. A house well over its neighbors’ size has to show it cannot be seen or that its mass still fits. In some neighborhoods, compatibility with the neighbors can set a lower number than the table {CONFIRM}.
• What counts as floor area. Attics, wholly underground basements, unenclosed porches, decks, attached ADUs and the first 800 square feet of attached garage are left out. A partly underground basement counts its first 800 square feet plus half the rest, and grade cannot be manipulated to hide floor area.
• Massing. Break up the mass, use recesses and projections, set the tallest parts back from property lines, and vary heights and rooflines where the style allows.
• Views and privacy. Siting, height and roof pitch should consider views from neighboring homes, and structures should avoid blocking views from neighbors’ living areas.
• Materials and colors. Consistent on all sides, not reflective, blending with the land and the vegetation; mechanical equipment and solar integrated or screened; skylights placed to avoid glare and night light.
• Lighting. Low-level lighting is part of the community’s character. Site lighting is kept to a minimum, landscape lighting must not glare onto neighbors, and recreational court lighting is prohibited in residential neighborhoods.
• Landscape. The natural landscape stays dominant: plantings that reinforce the oak woodland and ornamental urban forest, screening of new structures, water conservation, fire resistance and erosion control, and a real effort to keep significant trees.

8. Fire review

Montecito Fire Department requirements

The Montecito Fire Department is an independent fire district with its own Development Standards. A Fire Protection Certificate application goes in through the district’s VIVA online system, and building projects are also updated in the County’s permit system. The district’s Plan Submission Requirements Checklist lists what the plans show:

• Fire access and water supply site plan on a single sheet: driveway width and slope, paving, turnouts and turnarounds, gate setback and width, hydrant locations, utility shutoffs and the hose-pull distance to the far side of the house.
• Driveways. 14 feet wide for a single parcel, 13.5 feet of clear height, slopes over 15 percent need approval and 20 percent is the limit, turnarounds and turnouts at set spacing, and gates set back 30 feet from the road.
• Hydrants within 250 feet of an unsprinklered home or 350 feet of a sprinklered one, plus a flow report showing the water system can meet fire flow. Stored water tanks are only for lots without an adequate public supply, and homes on stored water need sprinklers.
• Roofs. Any new or replacement roof must be Class A, and wood shakes or shingles are not allowed even if they meet Class A.
• Sprinklers. New California homes need residential fire sprinklers, and the district reviews the sprinkler plans and hydraulic calculations.
• Defensible space and the landscape plan. Three zones (0 to 5 feet, 5 to 30 feet and 30 to 100 feet), with local Zone 0 rules already in effect for new buildings and additions; trees kept 10 feet from the house at maturity, crowns 10 feet apart, shrubs in clusters, and no species from the district’s undesirable plant list. Check the district’s fire hazard severity zone page for your parcel’s zone (we confirm per lot).

Mapped fire hazard severity zones also bring the state’s wildfire construction rules for roofs, vents, walls, windows and decks; see our guide to building in a fire hazard severity zone.

10. What it means for your project

Designing and building in Montecito

• Start with the lot. Slope, H-MON, trees within 25 feet of the work, fire access, the water and the coastal zone all shape the design before style does.
• Run the floor area worksheet early. Know where your house lands against the recommended maximum, and against the neighbors, before the first sketch.
• Use conceptual review. It is the cheapest time to change direction. Bring massing, grading and landscape studies, not finished drawings.
• Design the landscape with the house. MBAR, the fire department and the water district all review the landscape plan, for different reasons.
• Price it while it is still a sketch. Basements, retaining walls, grading, sprinklers, fire-code materials, story poles and long review add cost. See the Santa Barbara and Montecito cost guide and the Central Coast custom home cost guide.

Harrod Built is a family general contractor (CSLB #986950) based in Paso Robles. We built the Spanish / Santa Barbara Style home pictured above and work across Santa Barbara County. We can help with everything on a Montecito project, one stop shop: sister studio Harrod Drafting & Design draws plans for MBAR (or we build to your architect’s set), we price the design between conceptual and final review and carry it through County plan check and inspections on our process, and sister company Paso Robles Landscaping builds the landscaping and outdoor spaces to the MBAR, fire and water district rules. Planning additions, ADUs or a full rebuild? More on our Montecito page and the Santa Barbara County hub.

Own a lot or an older house in Montecito, or thinking about one? We walk lots for free and look at the slope, the trees, the neighbors, the floor area guideline, fire access and water before design gets expensive. Call 805-712-8993 or contact us.

Sources: County of Santa Barbara Planning & Development: Montecito Board of Architectural Review and Boards of Architectural Review pages, BAR Information Packet (updated July 31, 2026), MBAR Bylaws and Guidelines (approved February 2003), Montecito Floor Area Calculator and Project Statistics Worksheet (rev. September 2018), Story Pole Guidelines, Plan Set Checklist (July 2025), Height Calculation Methodology (2025), Montecito Community Plan and Land Use Code pages; Montecito Architectural Guidelines and Development Standards (adopted May 1995, limited update May 2016); Montecito Fire Department Development Standards (November 2025, updated February 2026), Plan Submission Requirements Checklist (2026) and plan submittal and fire hazard severity zone pages; Montecito Water District New Meters page and Application Process for Water Service (July 2026). Packets, fees, meeting schedules and guidelines change. This guide is general information, not legal advice. We confirm the current rules for each lot with the County and the districts.