Firearms Retail Relocation Q&A

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In response to a number of inquiries regarding the City’s approval of a business license for a firearms retail store at 7443 Hollister Avenue in western Goleta, City staff has compiled the following Questions and Answers (Q&A) to provide information about the business license process. We recognize that there is significant community interest and concern surrounding this issue. We understand that many community members were surprised when they first heard about the gun store relocation and many have expressed serious concerns at its location. The Councilmembers have individually received public communications and have separately directed questions and concerns to City staff.

We appreciate your patience and engagement as the City evaluates this matter within the local, state, and federal legal framework.

Last Updated: Friday, August 7, 2026

General Firearm Sales and Title 17 (Zoning Code) Questions

Does the City of Goleta have regulations or policies regarding the sales or manufacturing of firearms and ammunition in the City?

No, the City of Goleta does not have any special regulations regarding the sale of firearms and ammunition. It is treated as a retail commercial use. Further, there are no existing General Plan or other adopted policies relating to the sale or manufacturing of firearms or ammunition within the City.

Does the City of Goleta have any locational standards regarding the placement of firearm stores near sensitive uses (e.g., schools, day cares or residential uses)?

No, the City of Goleta does not currently have any locational standards relating to the location where firearm stores can operate within commercial zoning districts where they are allowed.

Are there state and federal regulations regarding firearms near schools?

Yes, the State of California generally prohibits the possession of firearms within 1000’ of a K-12 school, but generally exempts possession within places of business or on private property, such as licensed gun stores. (See Penal Code Section 626.9, known as the Gun-Free School Zone Act of 1995.)

Firearm stores must also strictly adhere to all federal and state requirements. Among other things, federal law requires firearms dealers to obtain a federal firearms license through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) and meet ATF licensing requirements. Here are links to State of California Bureau of Firearms webpages regarding general information and firearms dealers: https://oag.ca.gov/firearms, https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/dlrfaqs, and https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/dealer-vendor

What commercial use classification is the sale of firearms and ammunition considered in the City’s Zoning Code (Title 17 of the Goleta Municipal Code)?

A: Sale of firearms and ammunition falls under the “General Retail” use classification in Title 17. See Section 17.72.030 below.

What zoning districts allow “General Retail” and therefore firearms sales?

Four commercial zoning districts in the City of Goleta allow General Retail uses: 1) Regional Commercial (CR) (e.g., Camino Real Market Place and Target); 2) Community Commercial (CC); 3) Old Town (OT) (Hollister Avenue between Fairview and 217; and 4) General Commercial (various locations along Hollister Avenue, Storke Road, and in Old Town south of Hollister).

7443 Hollister Avenue is zoned Community Commercial (CC) and General Retail is allowed there by right. Normally, only a City business license is required for a General Retail commercial use. If certain tenant improvements are proposed, then a Building Permit may also be required.

Does the City’s General Plan or the previous Zoning Code limit firearms sales?

Title 17 was adopted by the City Council in 2020 after many years of community input. The previous Zoning Code, inherited from the County of Santa Barbara upon City incorporation, did not include any firearms regulations.

The City’s 2006 General Plan also does not contain any policies regarding the sale of firearms or criteria/standards associated with where retail firearms businesses can be located. The General Plan is the basis for the zoning regulations adopted as Title 17.

Does staff have authority to require a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for firearms sales?

No. Staff do not have the authority to require a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), if a use is listed as a permitted use. A CUP is a type of permit that allows the City to exercise discretion over whether to approve or deny a particular use.

Title 17 specifies explicitly what uses require a CUP and what uses are ministerial and by right. Unlike a CUP, ministerial permits do not allow staff discretion. City staff is obligated to follow and apply the Zoning Code as adopted.

How many firearm stores are located within the City of Goleta and have there been issues with these businesses?

There are currently two licensed commercial firearm stores in Goleta. One has been located at 5669 Calle Real (in the CC zone district) for the past 20 years and the other was in Old Town on Hollister (OT zone district) for at least the past 13 years. The one in Old Town is now relocating to western Goleta at 7443 Hollister Avenue. Neither of the businesses has had any formal complaints filed with the City.

7443 Hollister Avenue Business License Review

What is the zoning of the property located at 7443 Hollister?

The site is located in the Community Commercial (CC) zoning district. “General Retail” uses are permitted in the CC zoning district, as explained above.

What is the process for obtaining a Business License?

The applicant completes and submits a business license application along with the associated fee. The Finance Department takes in the fee and does a preliminary review of the application for completeness. Finance then routes the business license application to Planning, Building & Safety, Code Compliance, and other internal departments, as needed, and the application undergoes a multi-departmental review. The departments check to make sure that the proposed use is allowed under the Zoning Code, that there are no zoning violations, and that any needed Building Permits are obtained.

The adopted business license regulations do not require noticing as the issuance of a business license is ministerial in nature. This review process was followed for the firearms business license for 7443 Hollister Avenue.

What submittal materials does the Finance Department require with a Firearms Business License?

In addition to the general information required on the business license application, the City requires the following:

A copy of a valid federal firearms license (FFL) from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
A copy of a valid Certificate of Eligibility (COE) issued by the California Department of Justice (DOJ).
A copy of a valid seller’s permit issued by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA).
A copy of a valid Firearm and Ammunition Excise Tax (FET) registration certificate, also issued by the CDTFA.

Has a City firearms business license been issued to Goodland Guns?

Yes, because the application met all requirements and there were no zoning or other restrictions regarding the sale of firearms at this location, the City issued the business license for the permitted commercial use at 7443 Hollister Avenue on June 4, 2026.

Appeals

Can a member of the public appeal a decision to approve a business license issuance?

No. There are no provisions in Title 5 (Business License; adopted at the time of City incorporation in 2002) of the Goleta Municipal Code to appeal the approval of a business license.

Public Comments

Public comments received are being shared with the City Council and staff will continue to evaluate the applicable facts and relevant local, state, and federal laws and regulations. The Council is taking this issue very seriously and the City is committed to a public process, whereby our current zoning and permit requirements can be evaluated for possible improvements in accordance with state and federal law.

We appreciate your patience and engagement as we work through this process.

If you have additional questions or feedback, please send them to:

planningcounter@cityofgoleta.gov.

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Arabic	Hebrew	Polish
Bulgarian	Hindi	Portuguese
Catalan	Hmong Daw	Romanian
Chinese Simplified	Hungarian	Russian
Chinese Traditional	Indonesian	Slovak
Czech	Italian	Slovenian
Danish	Japanese	Spanish
Dutch	Klingon	Swedish
English	Korean	Thai
Estonian	Latvian	Turkish
Finnish	Lithuanian	Ukrainian
French	Malay	Urdu
German	Maltese	Vietnamese
Greek	Norwegian	Welsh
Haitian Creole	Persian

Arabic	Hebrew	Polish
Bulgarian	Hindi	Portuguese
Catalan	Hmong Daw	Romanian
Chinese Simplified	Hungarian	Russian
Chinese Traditional	Indonesian	Slovak
Czech	Italian	Slovenian
Danish	Japanese	Spanish
Dutch	Klingon	Swedish
English	Korean	Thai
Estonian	Latvian	Turkish
Finnish	Lithuanian	Ukrainian
French	Malay	Urdu
German	Maltese	Vietnamese
Greek	Norwegian	Welsh
Haitian Creole	Persian

Arabic	Hebrew	Polish
Bulgarian	Hindi	Portuguese
Catalan	Hmong Daw	Romanian
Chinese Simplified	Hungarian	Russian
Chinese Traditional	Indonesian	Slovak
Czech	Italian	Slovenian
Danish	Japanese	Spanish
Dutch	Klingon	Swedish
English	Korean	Thai
Estonian	Latvian	Turkish
Finnish	Lithuanian	Ukrainian
French	Malay	Urdu
German	Maltese	Vietnamese
Greek	Norwegian	Welsh
Haitian Creole	Persian

Arabic	Hebrew	Polish
Bulgarian	Hindi	Portuguese
Catalan	Hmong Daw	Romanian
Chinese Simplified	Hungarian	Russian
Chinese Traditional	Indonesian	Slovak
Czech	Italian	Slovenian
Danish	Japanese	Spanish
Dutch	Klingon	Swedish
English	Korean	Thai
Estonian	Latvian	Turkish
Finnish	Lithuanian	Ukrainian
French	Malay	Urdu
German	Maltese	Vietnamese
Greek	Norwegian	Welsh
Haitian Creole	Persian

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