County Votes 3-2 to Ban New Onshore Oil and Gas Wells
The Sept. 15 vote prohibits new drilling and re-entering abandoned wells. A study of phasing out existing operations comes next.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3 to 2 on Sept. 15 to approve Phase 1 ordinance amendments that prohibit drilling new onshore oil and gas wells in the county. The amendments to the county Land Use and Development Code and the Coastal Zoning Ordinance also bar re-entering previously abandoned wells.
Planning staff presented the measure as the first step in a two-phase program. Phase 1 focuses on the zoning changes; Phase 2, an amortization study and an environmental impact report, will address the eventual phaseout of existing operations and the broader economic and legal questions around it.
Staff told the board the inland zoning changes would take effect 30 days after adoption. CalGEM records cited in the staff report showed roughly 1,039 active onshore wells and 1,221 idle wells in the county as of September 2025.
Fifty-three speakers signed up for public comment at the Santa Maria hearing. Environmental advocates and researchers pointed to health and climate costs tied to local production; a UCSB estimate cited during the process put toxic chemical health costs from oil production at between $54 million and $81 million for the county. Industry representatives and mineral owners warned of takings claims, job losses and harm to royalty income.
Supervisor Bob Nelson, whose district contains most of the county's oil activity, opposed the measure. Supervisor Joan Hartmann supported it as part of a broader effort to wind down the industry.
New onshore drilling had already been dormant in the county for years. No new drilling proposal has been approved since 2014, and current onshore production is concentrated in North County.
The vote follows Assembly Bill 3233, which clarified local governments' authority to regulate oil and gas operations. County supervisors were told Phase 2 work, including the amortization study, would take years to complete.
The coastal zoning amendments will also require review by the California Coastal Commission before they take effect in the coastal zone.
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