California ABC • Santa Barbara County • live distress monitor

36 liquor licenses available or in transfer in Santa Barbara County

Bottom line: CA ABC's latest license export shows 12 surrendered and 24 transfer-pending quota licenses in Santa Barbara County, against 526 active. In a quota county a surrendered license is buyable inventory — LiquorDesk alerts you the week each one is published.

Newly-distressed & acquirable quota licenses — Santa Barbara County

Surrendered, suspended, or revocation-pending on-sale/off-sale general (quota) licenses. These are the licenses most likely to change hands. Source: CA ABC weekly export, distilled Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:00:36 GM. raw JSON.

LicenseeCityTypeStatusFile #
VONS 1738
THE VONS COMPANIES INC		LOMPOC21Surrendered00367676
CVS PHARMACY STORE 9392
GARFIELD BEACH CVS LLC		SANTA BARBARA21Surrendered00477563
BEACH LIQUOR & TACO TO GO
BEACH LIQUOR & TACO TO GO INC.		CARPINTERIA21Surrendered00517458
SMART & FINAL 336
SMART & FINAL STORES LLC		SANTA MARIA21Surrendered00456413
PALMS THE
KENS ENTERPRISES INC		CARPINTERIA47Surrendered00004325
PEA SOUP ANDERSENS
MILT GUGGIA ENTERPRISES INC		BUELLTON47Surrendered00358723
SANTA COTA MARKET
SANTA YNEZ MARKET INC.		SANTA YNEZ21Surrendered00564429
7 BAR AND KITCHEN
PRINCIPAL HOSPITALITY GROUP LLC		SANTA BARBARA47Surrendered00526641
R COUNTRY MARKET
KHALIL AZIZ		LOS OLIVOS21Surrendered00468552
CASA BLANCA
SANTA BARBARA SHELLFISH CO		SANTA BARBARA47Surrendered00503769
RUTHS CHRIS STEAK HOUSESANTA BARBARA47Surrendered00453458
TERRAVANT WINE COMPANY
TERRAVANT WINE COMPANY LLC		BUELLTON47Surrendered00574572
24 transfer/application-pending quota licenses in Santa Barbara County
  • ALISAL CELLARS — SOLVANG (Type 47, file 00574422)
  • WINE CASK THE — SANTA BARBARA (Type 47, file 00616808)
  • CIGARETTE SHACK — SANTA MARIA (Type 21, file 00666281)
  • EL ENCANTO HOTEL — SANTA BARBARA (Type 47, file 00670364)
  • MAGNOLIA LIQUOR — GOLETA (Type 21, file 00667192)
  • J & A CATERING INC — CARPINTERIA (Type 47, file 00666182)
  • THE GOLETA SPOT LLC — SANTA BARBARA (Type 47, file 00669814)
  • BOGAVANTE — SANTA BARBARA (Type 47, file 00666601)
  • EL ENCANTO HOTEL — SANTA BARBARA (Type 47, file 00670364)
  • — GOLETA (Type 47, file 00560763)
  • SPORTSMAN LOUNGE — SANTA BARBARA (Type 48, file 00544178)
  • SPORTSMAN LOUNGE — SANTA BARBARA (Type 48, file 00544177)
  • SPORTSMAN LOUNGE — SANTA BARBARA (Type 48, file 00544180)
  • — SANTA BARBARA (Type 47, file 00508010)
  • MARISELLA SB LLC — GOLETA (Type 47, file 00669886)
  • PASCUCCI — SANTA BARBARA (Type 47, file 00668286)
  • BISTRO AMASA — SANTA BARBARA (Type 47, file 00670890)
  • SIX PACK SHOP — GOLETA (Type 21, file 00670102)
  • THE POINT MARKET & STORKE FUEL DEPOT — GOLETA (Type 21, file 00671069)
  • RINCON HILL MARKET — CARPINTERIA (Type 47, file 00668598)
  • ZACA LAKE — LOS OLIVOS (Type 47, file 00643874)
  • RAYS MARKET — SANTA BARBARA (Type 21, file 00635695)
  • TWIN LAKES GOLF COURSE — GOLETA (Type 47, file 00639971)
  • — GOLETA (Type 47, file 00560763)

Liquor license cost & availability in Santa Barbara County

Active quota licenses (47/48/21)526
Surrendered (buyable inventory)12
Suspended / revocation-pending0
Transfer / application pending24
Typical secondary-market cost (Type 47)$50k–$400k (quota-county dependent)

A "quota" license is capped per county by the state, so in tight counties the only way in is buying an existing one. That's why a surrender is a market event.

Get alerted the week a license drops in Santa Barbara County

Buyers, brokers and operators: catch the next surrendered / distressed quota license the week CA ABC publishes it — before it's quietly transferred. Free: weekly county digest. Pro ($9/mo): instant per-county alerts + the full statewide distress feed.

Pay options: USDC / x402 (agents) · Telegram Stars (in the bot) · monthly sub. Honest read: this is a thin-TAM California-only probe — a few thousand brokers + buyers statewide. We surface real ABC data and never fabricate availability.

FAQ

How much does a liquor license cost in Santa Barbara County, CA?

A full on-sale general (Type 47/48) liquor license in Santa Barbara County trades on the secondary market — typically $50,000 to $400,000 depending on county quota tightness — because California caps how many quota licenses exist per county. Right now CA ABC data shows 526 active quota licenses and 36 surrendered or in-transfer (potentially acquirable) in Santa Barbara County.

Are there liquor licenses for sale in Santa Barbara County right now?

Yes. CA ABC's latest export lists 12 surrendered and 24 transfer-pending quota licenses in Santa Barbara County — these are the licenses most likely to change hands. The newly-distressed ones are listed on this page; LiquorDesk alerts buyers and brokers the week each one is published.

How do I buy a liquor license in Santa Barbara County?

Two routes: (1) apply to CA ABC for a new quota license if the county has availability under its quota (rare in tight counties — there's often a waiting list or a priority drawing), or (2) buy an existing license via a person-to-person transfer (a Section 24070 transfer), which is how most quota licenses in Santa Barbara County actually change hands. Surrendered and transfer-pending licenses (listed above) are the live inventory.

Is Santa Barbara County a quota county for liquor licenses?

California issues on-sale general (Type 47/48) and off-sale general (Type 21) licenses against a per-county quota tied to population. In counties where the quota is full, the only way to get one is a transfer from an existing holder — which is why surrendered and distressed licenses are valuable and why catching them first matters.

Other California counties

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