Home Insurance in Santa Barbara, California
With a median home value of $1,570,800, Santa Barbara is 99% higher than the Santa Barbara County median.
Aging wiring, roofing and plumbing in older homes can push up the cost to insure or rebuild them. The typical home in Santa Barbara was built around 1965. About 42% of homes were built before 1960, about 19 points above Santa Barbara County's 22%.
In Santa Barbara, the housing stock is 55% single-family homes, 30% apartments in buildings with 5+ units and 1% mobile or manufactured homes. The rest are 2-4 unit or other housing types.
About 63% of owner-occupied homes in Santa Barbara have a mortgage. Lenders require hazard (homeowners) insurance on any home carrying a mortgage.
The vacancy rate is 7%; vacant or unoccupied homes typically need a different coverage form than an owner-occupied policy. About 40% of occupied homes in Santa Barbara are owner-occupied.
Most homes in Santa Barbara - 64% - are primarily heated with natural gas.
Santa Barbara County's top FEMA-rated hazard is earthquake (Relatively High), per FEMA's National Risk Index. Santa Barbara County had 3,738 active NFIP flood policies as of September 2026. See the full Santa Barbara County home insurance overview for all FEMA hazard ratings and flood coverage details. Earthquake damage is excluded from a standard homeowners policy.
The statewide average premium for a standard HO-3 homeowners policy in California is $1,655 per year, according to the NAIC homeowners insurance report (2023 data).
Key figures
| Median home value | $1,570,800 |
|---|---|
| Median year built | 1965 |
| Owner-occupied share | 40% |
| Share of owner-occupied homes with a mortgage | 63% |
| Top county hazard | Earthquake (Relatively High) |
| Active NFIP policies in Santa Barbara County | 3,738 |
| Home insurance premium | $1,655 - statewide average (NAIC, 2023 data) |
Nearby towns
Sources
Data last updated: 2026-09-29
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer Files (2024)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates (2024)
- FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025)
- FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Policies v3 (2026)
- NAIC Dwelling Fire, Homeowners Owner-Occupied, and Homeowners Tenant and Condominium/Cooperative Unit Owners Insurance: Data for 2023 (published 2026) (2023)