Did you ever wonder about what the city has on file concerning your property? If you're thinking about doing a remodel of your present home, or are just curious about some feature you can't figure out, the city Community Development website is a wealth of information http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/LDTRA/

On this site you can get a look at the Planning File, the Plans Inventory File and Street Files among other things for a lot of Santa Barbara. In order to access these records you need to download and install a free TIFF (Tagged Information Format) Viewer http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/Resident/Home/LDTRA/tiff_surfer.htm but after that you're gazing at an amazing set of documents.

On one record I found Electrical Plan check items, an application for an addition to the property, a letter clarifying the drainage pattern, a permit for a temporary power pole during construction and architectural drawings for an external stairway. On the particular structure I was looking at I found permits back to 1960.

Knowing the history of Santa Barbara I was particularly interested in some records entitled "Summary of Water Usage Calculations." These documents examined what the current level of water usage was and how much more water would be required if a permit for expansion was granted.

The most daunting part about looking at the records is the TIFF Viewer. Just remember when you're viewing the records use the Viewer Control Panel located just above the record to Save, Print or Zoom In or Out. The controls on your Internet Browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape) won't work for these functions. After that, HAPPY VIEWING!!