Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Santa Barbara County index 1975–2025
Santa Barbara County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Santa Barbara County's FHFA index, with the national index rebased to the same start.
Census Bureau notes: building permit figures cover new privately owned housing units authorised by permit-issuing places; permits do not mean the units were started or completed, and places that report less often than monthly are imputed in monthly totals. FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties.
In the 12 months to August 2026, building permits in Santa Maria, California, covered 355 housing units (+139.9% year on year); the place lies in Santa Barbara County.
191 of those units were single-family houses (54%), 12 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 152 in buildings of five or more units. That is 3.2 units per 1,000 residents, close to the county's 3.1 and close to the state's 2.8.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 10,941 units, with the busiest year 2002 (974 units). Santa Barbara County's FHFA house price index rose +87.8% over the ten years to 2025.
355units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+139.9% on the previous 12 months
191single-family units54% of the total
152units in 5+ unit buildings43% of the total
3.2units per 1,000 residentsSanta Barbara County 3.1 · California 2.8
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Santa Maria by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Santa Maria
Santa Barbara County
California
United States
All housing units
355
1,360
111,538
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
191 (54%)
449 (33%)
55,792 (50%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
12
42
4,172
34,814
3–4 units
0
65
1,193
17,298
5 or more units
152 (43%)
804 (59%)
50,381 (45%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
3.2
3.1
2.8
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+139.9%
+159.5%
+13.8%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Santa Maria by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
10,941 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2002. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Santa Barbara County
FHFA's index for Santa Barbara County rose +87.8% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.5% a year) and +3.3% in the latest year, against +80.3% and +0.8% for California. Full county page: decade table, peak-to-low declines, every ZIP code and every permit-issuing place in the county.
Questions and answers
How many homes are being built in Santa Maria, CA?
355 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 148 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Santa Maria?
191 single-family units, 12 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 152 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Santa Maria compare with its county and state?
3.2 units per 1,000 residents in Santa Maria, 3.1 in Santa Barbara County and 2.8 in California.
How have home prices moved in Santa Barbara County?
FHFA's index for Santa Barbara County rose +87.8% over the ten years to 2025 and +3.3% in the latest year; the county page has the full series.
What does a permit count?
A housing unit authorised by a building permit for new privately owned residential construction, as reported to the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey by the permit-issuing office. Permits are not completions; some permitted units are never built, and places that report only annually are imputed in monthly figures.
Provenance
Permits: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, place-level monthly and annual files through August 2026 (permit office 418000); county and state comparisons from the county and state files. Population: Census Bureau vintage 2025 estimates for incorporated places, matched on FIPS place code where the permit office is one. House price index: Federal Housing Finance Agency. Public domain. Corrections · Building Permits Survey.