CA
Montecito
Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, with no city council or mayor. Santa Barbara County Planning & Development handles land use and building permits, with the five-member Montecito Planning Commission acting as local planning agency under the Montecito Community Plan. Three independent special districts run the basics: the Montecito Water District (organized 1921), the Montecito Fire Protection District (organized 1917), and the Montecito Sanitary District (organized 1947), serving sewer to most, not all, of the community — some parcels remain on septic. Locals divide the community informally, not legally, into a Lower Village centered on Coast Village Road near the beach, and an Upper Village around San Ysidro Road farther inland, near the historic San Ysidro Ranch. Grades TK-6 split between the single-school Montecito Union and Cold Spring districts before zoning into Santa Barbara Unified for grades 7-12. On January 9, 2018, a debris flow off the Santa Ynez Mountains, three weeks after the Thomas Fire, killed 23 people; the county and a resident nonprofit have since added debris basins and steel ring nets across several canyons.
Montecito Neighborhoods
Hedgerow
"Hedgerow" is the name buyers and local press use for a small, informally defined corner of Montecito — not a platted subdivision or an official desi…
Birnam Wood
Birnam Wood is a private golf-club community set along the East Valley Road corridor in Montecito's 93108 ZIP code, built on ground that was once the…
Golden Quadrangle
Golden Quadrangle is the name commonly used for a hillside district in Montecito, generally understood to sit between East Valley Road on the south a…
Butterfly Beach
Butterfly Beach sits in unincorporated Montecito, addressed at 1260 Channel Drive, roughly ten minutes by car or a fifteen-minute pedal from downtown…
Miramar
Miramar occupies Montecito's flattest, most sea-level ground, on the seaward side of Highway 101 within the 93108 ZIP of unincorporated Santa Barbara…
Ennisbrook
Ennisbrook is a guard-gated community set within unincorporated Montecito, tucked off Sheffield Drive along San Leandro Lane. Its roots trace to an 1…
Bonnymede
The Bonnymede Drive corridor in Montecito occupies ground that, in the early twentieth century, was Esther Hammond's private coastal holding — she st…
Montecito Shores
Montecito Shores is a guard-gated condominium community on Seaview Drive in a beachfront setting above Butterfly Beach. The community is near the Cor…
Montecito's Coveted Streets
View all →Montecito by Lifestyle
Homes for Sale in Montecito
View all Montecito listings →
Recently Sold in Montecito
Based on information from the Santa Barbara MLS as of July 27, 2026. Display of MLS data is usually deemed reliable but is NOT guaranteed accurate by the MLS. Buyers are responsible for verifying the accuracy of all information and should investigate the data themselves or retain appropriate professionals. Information from sources other than the Listing Agent may have been included in the MLS data. Unless otherwise specified in writing, Broker/Agent has not and will not verify any information obtained from other sources. The Broker/Agent providing the information contained herein may or may not have been the Listing and/or Selling Agent.
The information being provided by Conejo Simi Moorpark Association of REALTORS® ("CSMAR") is for the visitor's personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties a visitor may be interested in purchasing or leasing. Information relating to properties referenced on this web site may originate from the Internet Data Exchange (IDX) program of CSMAR. This web site may reference real estate listing(s) held by a brokerage firm other than the broker and/or agent who owns this web site. Any information originating from CSMAR, relating to a property, regardless of source, including but not limited to square footages and lot sizes, is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be personally verified through personal inspection by and/or with the appropriate professionals. Listing data originating from CSMAR is copyrighted by CSMAR and is protected by all applicable copyright laws. Any dissemination of this information is in violation of copyright laws and is strictly prohibited.
121 School Index
Individual-school indicators summarize published academic, readiness, and attendance data. They do not grade the area or guarantee enrollment.
No reviewed school-to-area mapping is available for this area. No area-level school grade is inferred.
School indicators are school-level facts for reviewed nearby schools, not an attendance assignment. Confirm current boundaries and enrollment rules directly with the school district.
Sources: United States Census Bureau TIGER/Line; normalized by 121 Enterprise · California Department of Education · California Department of Education · California Department of Education · California Department of Education · California Department of Education · United States Census Bureau TIGER/Line · United States Census Bureau TIGER/Line · United States Census Bureau TIGER/Line · National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE School Geocodes · Source vintage: 2024-25 · 2025-26 · 2024-25-v2a · 2024-25 · 2025 · Read the exact methodology
Living in Montecito — Questions Buyers Ask
Is Montecito a city?
No. Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County with no city council or mayor. County government and independent special districts for fire, water, and sewer provide the services a city government normally would.
Who handles building permits and zoning in Montecito?
Santa Barbara County Planning & Development processes applications, with the five-member Montecito Planning Commission acting as the local planning agency under the Montecito Community Plan for most requests; the commission meets the third Wednesday of each month.
Who provides Montecito's water, fire, and sewer service?
Three separate special districts: the Montecito Water District (organized 1921), the Montecito Fire Protection District (organized June 20, 1917, covering 21.7 square miles), and the Montecito Sanitary District (organized 1947), which serves sewer to much of the community — not every parcel is connected, and some remain on septic.
What's the difference between Upper Village and Lower Village?
These are informal, not legal, local terms. Lower Village centers on walkable Coast Village Road near the beach and the Santa Barbara city line; Upper Village centers on the San Ysidro Road area farther inland, quieter and more car-dependent, near the historic San Ysidro Ranch.
What public schools serve Montecito?
Grades TK-6 split between two separate single-school districts, Montecito Union School District and Cold Spring School District. Grades 7-12 are zoned into Santa Barbara Unified School District, typically Santa Barbara Junior High and Santa Barbara Senior High School — confirm any specific address against the district's own boundary tool.
Did Montecito experience a major natural disaster?
Yes. On January 9, 2018, a debris flow off the Santa Ynez Mountains, three weeks after the Thomas Fire burned the watershed above the community, killed 23 people. Santa Barbara County and the resident-formed Partnership for Resilient Communities have since added expanded debris basins and steel ring nets across several upper canyons.
