In unincorporated Kern County, carports are regulated as residential accessory structures, and the combined size of all detached accessory buildings on a residential parcel is capped by lot size -- from 600 square feet on lots under 1/4 acre up to 5,000 square feet (or three times the dwelling's square footage) on lots of 3 acres or more. Carports may not occupy a required front, side, or rear yard and generally may not sit closer to the front property line than the main dwelling.
Kern County Zoning Ordinance Section 19.04.624 defines residential accessory structures to include carports, along with detached garages, greenhouses, storage buildings, and swimming pools, and requires them to be clearly subordinate to the residential use of the property. Section 19.08.180 sets the location and size standards: on residentially zoned parcels under 1/4 acre, detached accessory buildings are limited to a combined 600 square feet and may not exceed the height of the principal dwelling; on parcels between 1/4 and 1/2 acre, the cap is 1,000 square feet or the dwelling's square footage, whichever is greater; on parcels between 1/2 acre and 3 acres, the cap is 3,600 square feet or twice the dwelling's square footage, with height up to 20 feet or the dwelling's height; and on parcels of 3 acres or more, the cap is 5,000 square feet or three times the dwelling's square footage, up to the district height limit. Except for a detached garage, accessory buildings may not be located closer to the front property line than the principal dwelling, and no accessory building may be placed within a required front, side, or rear yard. Larger sizes or heights may be approved by the Planning Director after a public hearing under Section 19.08.180(A)(5). A hillside exception in subsection E allows one detached private garage to occupy the required front yard of a steep interior lot in the E, R-1, R-2, or R-3 districts if kept at least 5 feet from the side and front property lines and under 35 feet in height.
Accessory buildings that exceed the size or height caps require Planning Director approval through the public-hearing procedure in Section 19.08.180(A)(5). Carports built without required permits or placed in required yards are subject to Kern County code-compliance enforcement and may have to be permitted, modified, or removed.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Kern County, CA
No Kern County-specific ordinance directly restricts leaf blower use, hours, or decibel levels in unincorporated areas; the county's general noise rules and ...
Kern County, CA
Stationary noise sources at commercial and industrial sites within 500 feet of residentially developed and zoned property in unincorporated Kern County may n...
Kern County, CA
Kern County, home to some of California's largest wind farms, caps wind turbine noise at 45 dBA (L8.3) near homes, schools, hospitals, churches, and librarie...
Kern County, CA
Kern County Code § 13.20.140 sets quiet hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. at county public campgrounds. No user may make noise audible 50 or more feet from th...
Kern County, CA
Kern County does not impose local aircraft-overflight noise restrictions; aircraft noise is federally preempted by the FAA. The county participates in a FAR ...
Kern County, CA
Section 7.08.380 of the Kern County Code makes it unlawful to keep or harbor any animal whose howling, yelping, barking, or other noise disturbs or annoys a ...
See how Kern County's carport rules rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.