Bakersfield, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Livestock keeping in Bakersfield is a zone-specific right, not a citywide allowance. 010(C)(1). for each one-quarter acre of fenced enclosure area dedicated for the habitation of said animals", so a half-acre enclosure supports at most two adult animals. 040(C)(2) layers on required setbacks for any pen, coop, stable, corral, or other structure housing the animals: fifty feet from any dwelling or structure used for human habitation, one hundred feet from the front lot line, ten feet from the street side of a corner lot, and one hundred feet from any public park, school, or hospital.

040(C)(2)(e)). 040(C)(3) lets the planning director issue a temporary animal permit, good for up to six months, one per lot per year, allowing FFA- or 4-H-sponsored students to raise more animals than the standard density for a fair project, capped at a fifty percent density increase (at least two, no more than six extra animals), with written consent from abutting property owners required. R-1 through R-6 residential zones carry no comparable livestock allowance.