Goleta will not implement the temporary parking restrictions during Halloween weekend this year, a longtime practice used to discourage Isla Vista partygoers from parking in city neighborhoods.
The Goleta City Council voted Tuesday unanimously to end the restrictions after a reported decline in Halloween-related activity in Isla Vista, the community neighboring the UC Santa Barbara campus.
Each year, Goleta braces for Halloween weekend, including overflow parking in neighborhoods closest to Isla Vista and “disturbances” from people retrieving their vehicles.
In past years, when the restrictions were implemented, parking permits were issued to University 1 and University 2 neighborhoods. Residents were instructed to tape the permits to their vehicles during restricted hours.
The city first implemented the temporary permit-only parking restrictions in 2014, and this year won’t be the first time it gets lifted.
The restriction was lifted in 2023 and 2024 because of a low number of parking citations issued during the COVID-19 pandemic and the following years, according to Kelly Hoover, city spokeswoman.
It returned in 2025 because the Halloween holiday fell on a Friday, prompting concerns about a possible large turnout of partygoers, she added.
However, in 2025, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office reported zero parking issues, calls for service, or citations in the University 1 and 2 neighborhoods, according to the city staff report.
The Sheriff’s Office and city staff have noticed a “continued decline” in the connection between Halloween festivities in the college town and related impacts in Goleta, the report added.
Ending the parking restriction could save Goleta $15,000 this year, which would return to the city’s general fund, according to the city staff report.
The city’s 2026-27 budget includes $30,000 allocated to “special event response” for Halloween and Deltopia, the annual unsanctioned street party in Isla Vista that usually occurs in the spring.
There will be parking restrictions on the UC Santa Barbara campus and limited access to resident halls during the Halloween weekend, according to the city staff report.
UCSB Associated Students and the Isla Vista Recreation and Parks District are also developing student and resident programming for Halloween, the report added.
