CARPINTERIA, Calif. — Santa Barbara County officials are tightening regulations on cannabis greenhouse operations to address persistent odor complaints from residents.
In a unanimous vote Wednesday, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission recommended requiring all indoor cannabis growers to install state-of-the-art carbon filtration systems in their greenhouses. The move aims to eliminate the “skunky” smell that has long frustrated Carpinteria Valley residents.
“This is a major step forward,” investigative journalist Melinda Burns said. “For years, the county lacked the tools to enforce odor regulations effectively, but this new mandate requires every grower to take action.”
Currently, many growers use odor-neutralizing mist systems, originally adapted from landfill technology, to mask the smell. However, residents have opposed this method, saying it replaces the cannabis odor with a “laundromat smell” that is equally unpleasant.
“When growers open their greenhouse roof vents to release heat, the smell escapes too, wafting into neighborhoods and even reaching the freeway,” Burns said. “For years, Carpinterians have been asking for a solution.”
Since mid-2018, Carpinterians have filed 3,900 odor complaints with the county, but enforcement has been difficult because officials could not pinpoint which greenhouse was responsible. Under the current ordinance, cannabis odor is banned from being “experienced in residential neighborhoods,” but the lack of proper tracking rendered complaints largely unenforceable.
The Board of Supervisors is set to vote on the proposed changes on March 18. If approved, all greenhouse growers will have 12 months to install carbon filtration systems, commonly known as “scrubbers”, or an equivalent clean-air technology. If the state Coastal Commission takes longer than 12 months to approve the plan, the deadline will be extended accordingly.
Growers experiencing supply chain issues or power upgrade delays can apply for “hardship extensions.”
Studies suggest scrubbers can reduce cannabis odor by up to 84% before it escapes from greenhouses.
Carpinteria Valley, a small coastal town just outside Carpinteria’s city limits, is home to nearly all of Santa Barbara County’s 27 permitted cannabis greenhouse operations. Of those, 20 are currently under cultivation, but only seven have installed scrubbers.
The valley’s cannabis greenhouses span 138 acres—roughly the size of 100 football fields—making it one of the largest greenhouse cannabis hubs in California. The county’s only other cannabis greenhouse operation is on Dominion Road east of Orcutt.
Under the revised ordinance, growers must submit an odor abatement plan, hire an engineer to determine the number of scrubbers needed, and comply with routine inspections. Officials will also measure odor at property lines to ensure compliance.
“This has been a long time coming,” Burns said. “The real question now is enforcement—will growers comply, and will the county be able to ensure the new rules make a real difference?”
The Board of Supervisors’ vote on March 18 will determine whether these new regulations take effect.
Melinda Burns is an investigative journalist with 40 years of experience covering immigration, water, science and the environment. As a community service, she offers her reports to multiple publications in Santa Barbara County, at the same time, for free.
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