How Bakersfield Handles Sign Regulations: A Practical Guide

Bakersfield maintains 163 local ordinances across all categories, and 5 of those deal specifically with sign regulations. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Bakersfield falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Holiday Displays

Bakersfield's outdoor lighting chapter exempts holiday lights from its glare, shielding and energy-use standards, but only while they're seasonal decorations in use for 60 consecutive days or less, under Bakersfield Municipal Code § 17.71.060.F. Leave a display up longer and it must meet the full outdoor-lighting code.

Key details: Exemption window: 60 consecutive days maximum. Governing chapter: BMC Chapter 17.71 Outdoor Lighting. After the 60 days: Full outdoor-lighting standards apply. Enforcement: Code enforcement, fire and police departments.

A seasonal lighting display that stays up beyond 60 consecutive days loses its exemption and must meet Chapter 17.71's full standards: no upward-directed light, no blinking or revolving fixtures, and shielding against glare onto adjacent properties or the Kern River and natural areas under § 17.71.070. Title 17 is enforced by the code enforcement division, fire department and police department, and a designated building inspector III or higher can issue a misdemeanor citation under § 17.72.010.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Bakersfield gives residents more flexibility on holiday displays.

Digital Billboards

Billboards in Bakersfield are confined to the C-2, M-1, M-2 and M-3 zones, capped at 300 square feet (plus 30 square feet of cutouts), and must sit at least 1,000 feet from another billboard and 300 feet from residential property, and § 17.60.070.E.11 lets them carry electronic message displays under those same limits.

Key details: Max billboard area: 300 sq ft (+30 sq ft cutouts). Max height: 35 ft (C-2) / 50 ft (M-1,M-2,M-3). Spacing from other billboards: 1,000 feet minimum. Residential setback: 300 feet from residential zones/uses. Electronic displays: Permitted under § 17.04.547.

Billboards that exceed these standards or that are erected without following the sign-permit process fall under the same nuisance-and-abatement scheme as any other sign: the building director can demand repair or removal within ten days of notice, order summary abatement of an unremoved sign at the owner's expense with costs liened against the property, and revoke a permit issued in error, while the city attorney may seek an injunction in superior court under §§ 17.60.110 and 17.60.120.

Freeway-Facing Signs

Bakersfield lets one freeway-oriented sign per site rise above the normal zone size and height caps, up to 350 square feet and 75 feet, but only for businesses supplying food, lodging or vehicle services next to Highway 99, and only inside mapped 2,000-by-3,000-foot rectangles centered on nine specific freeway interchanges under Bakersfield Municipal Code § 17.60.070.D.

Key details: Max sign area: 350 sq ft (one on-site pylon only). Max sign height: 75 feet. Eligible zones: C-1, C-2, C-C, PCD, M-1, M-2, M-3. Qualifying interchanges: 9 mapped Highway 99 intersections. Approval authority: Building director determines eligibility.

Signs erected without meeting these criteria are treated like any other nonconforming or illegal sign under §§ 17.60.110–17.60.120: the building director can order repair or removal within ten days of written notice, and an unremoved sign becomes a public nuisance subject to summary abatement at the owner's expense, with costs recoverable as a lien against the property. The building director may also suspend or revoke a permit issued in error, and the city attorney can seek injunctive relief in superior court.

Political Signs

Bakersfield regulates signs under its sign ordinance in the zoning code (BMC Title 17). Political signs are afforded strong First Amendment protections. California Elections Code §18370 prohibits local governments from banning political signs within specified timeframes before and after elections.

Key details: State Protection: CA Elections Code §18370. Protected Period: 90 days before to 15 days after election. Permit Required: No permit for political signs. Right-of-Way: Signs prohibited in public ROW. Restrictions: Must be content-neutral.

The city may remove signs placed in the public right-of-way or that create traffic hazards. Content-based restrictions on political signs are unconstitutional. Penalties for sign code violations are typically handled through code enforcement with notices to remove or correct.

Garage Sale Signs

Bakersfield's sign matrix caps garage, yard, and estate sale signs at two per residence, one on-site and one off-site, each no larger than 3 square feet and 6 feet tall, unlit, and barred from the public right-of-way. Off-site signs can't be affixed to any utility pole, street sign, or fence, must come down within 3 consecutive days, and a property gets no more than two sales a year.

Key details: Max signs per residence: 2: one on-site, one off-site. Max sign area: 3 square feet. Max sign height: 6 feet. Illumination: Not permitted. Display duration: 3 consecutive days per sale.

A garage sale sign that ignores these limits, placed in the right-of-way, wired to a utility pole, street sign or fence, left up past 3 consecutive days, or posted for a third sale in one calendar year, is a public nuisance under § 17.60.110(A). The building director issues a written notice to abate; if the owner doesn't remove it, city agents may enter the property, remove the sign, and place abatement costs as a lien against the property under Government Code §§ 38773-38773.7 per § 17.60.110(C).

The Bottom Line

Bakersfield's sign regulations rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Bakersfield is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Bakersfield's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.