Bakersfield, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Bakersfield Municipal Code Chapter 6.06 defines a "kennel" as any premises on which more than three dogs at least twelve weeks old are kept, including any home-based business of boarding, breeding, or day care for dogs (BMC § 6.06.010). Section 6.06.020 makes it unlawful to operate a kennel without first obtaining a license from the Bakersfield Police Department. Applicants submit a written application to the police department along with an annual fee set under the fee schedule in Chapter 3.70 (§§ 6.06.030–6.06.040); the license is valid for one year unless suspended or revoked.

Licensed premises must stay free of decaying food and filth (§ 6.06.050) and meet operating standards under § 6.06.060: providing potable water and adequate nutrition, keeping owner contact records, maintaining a file with vaccination and health certificates for every dog, requiring proof of a current city dog license for any dog owned by a Bakersfield resident, and giving each dog its own cage or enclosure meeting the size, material, and sanitation rules of § 6.06.070. Animal control may inspect any licensed or license-required premises at any time under § 6.06.080.

If an inspection finds conditions creating an imminent hazard, the chief of police or designee may immediately suspend or revoke the license and impound the animals under § 6.06.090, posting a "notice of closure." A denied, revoked, or non-renewed license can be appealed to the city manager by filing a written request with the city clerk within fifteen calendar days of the mailed notice; the city manager holds an informal hearing and issues a written decision within thirty days (§ 6.06.100). The code sets no separate numeric limit for cats.