The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted on October 21, 2025 to proceed with its plan to shut down the local oil industry. The county supervisors voted 3-2 to end the issuance of any new well permits for onshore oil operations in the county and to begin the process for an amortization study to determine an appropriate period to phase out existing oil and gas facilities and operations. The votes comes after the supervisors voted in May 2025 to develop a framework to end oil operations in the county.
While the Santa Barbara County staff estimates that implementing the plan will take approximately three years, the actual transition period to phase out oil operations could take many years.
Ordinance to Prohibit Drilling
In approving the first part of the phase out, the supervisors authorized county staff to develop an ordinance to prohibit drilling of new oil and gas wells. This would amend the Land Use Development Code (LUDC), Petroleum Code, and the Coastal Zoning Ordinance (CZO). The staff estimates that these amendments could be approved and adopted within six months. The California Coastal Commission, however, would need to review the amendments before they could become effective in the coastal zone. This review process could take an additional 9-15 months, according to county staff.
Phase Out Existing Operations
Additionally, the supervisors voted to authorize the county staff to begin sourcing an amortization study to determine an appropriate period to phase out existing oil and gas facilities and operations. The study will estimate how long it will take oil revenues to offset the investment by oil companies and their expected returns on investment.
After the amortization study is completed, county staff would develop the second ordinance amendments based on the findings of the study. The ordinances would include a timeline to shut down existing oil and gas facilities and operations as well as plugging and abandonment of these operations.
The staff estimates that the phaseout ordinance could be adopted within three years. This would include the amortization study, which would take approximately 9-12 months, as well as the ordinance amendments, environmental reviews, and public review and hearings.
Increasing Local Control
The move to end oil operations in Santa Barbara County comes after the September 2024 passage of AB 3233, which gave local governments control over oil and gas operations. The law authorizes local governments to regulate, limit, or prohibit oil and gas operations or development in their jurisdictions.