Short-Term Rentals in Bakersfield, CA (2026)
10 verified short-term rentals rules for Bakersfield, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Short-Term Rental Permits
Bakersfield bans advertising, renting, or operating a short-term rental anywhere in the city without a city-issued STR permit under Section 17.74.030(A). The dwelling must be an eligible residential unit, no ADUs, JADUs, deed-restricted affordable housing, special group residences, or single-room-occupancy units, and the application must clear a lengthy 15-point checklist before a permit issues.
Bakersfield STR Permit Required Before Renting
Significant RestrictionsBakersfield Municipal Code § 17.74.030(A), (B)(1)
A. No person or entity shall advertise, rent, or operate a short-term rental in the city unless a short-term rental (STR) permit has been issued by the city pursuant to this chapter. An STR operator shall obtain a permit from the city and shall be responsible for all requirements of this chapter. ... 1. The property is a residential dwelling unit, as defined in Section 17.04.200. The residentia...
Noise Rules
Bakersfield short-term rentals must shut down outdoor pools, spas, and hot tubs between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and every STR activity must comply with the city's general noise chapter. BMC § 17.74.050(E)-(F) folds Chapter 9.22's noise standard directly into the short-term rental operating rules.
Bakersfield STR Noise and Pool-Hours Rule
Some RestrictionsBakersfield Municipal Code § 17.74.050(E)-(F)
E. Use of all outdoor pools, spas and hot tubs shall be prohibited between the hours of ten p.m. and seven a.m. F. All activities shall comply with all provisions of the Bakersfield Municipal Code, including but not limited to Chapters 9.22 (Noise), 9.23 (Loud or Unruly Events), 8.29 (Litter Control), and 8.32 (Solid Waste/Recyclable Materials/Organic Waste) of this code.
Taxes & Fees
Every Bakersfield short-term rental owes the transient lodging tax (TLT) under Section 17.74.060(E), and the city council sets all STR permit and renewal fees by resolution under Section 17.74.080. Operators without a hosting platform remit TLT directly under Chapter 3.40; unpaid TLT triggers a repayment order under Section 17.74.070(F).
Bakersfield STR Transient Lodging Tax and Fees
Some RestrictionsBakersfield Municipal Code § 17.74.060(E); § 17.74.080
E. Transient lodging taxes (TLT) shall be collected on all STRs. ... 17.74.080 Fees. The city council shall establish and set by resolution all fees and charges as may be necessary to effectuate the purpose of this chapter.
Short-Term Rental Parking Rules
Bakersfield requires short-term rentals to provide the same off-street parking as a single-family home, typically two enclosed or covered spaces, and hosts may not count on-street spots to meet occupancy-based guest parking. Parking on lawns, sidewalks, or blocking driveways is prohibited under BMC Chapter 10.60.
Bakersfield STR Parking Rules
Heavy RestrictionsCalifornia Vehicle Code Sec. 22651 (State Authority to Tow Vehicles - Local STR Parking Enforcement)
22651. A peace officer ... or a regularly employed and salaried employee who is engaged in directing traffic or enforcing parking laws and regulations of a city, county, or jurisdiction of a state agency in which a vehicle is located may remove a vehicle located within the territorial limits in which the officer or employee may act, under the following circumstances: (a) If a vehicle is left un...
Occupancy Limits
Bakersfield caps every short-term rental at two persons per bedroom under Section 17.74.050(D), counting everyone on the property at once, not just overnight guests. Children twelve and under are excluded from the count. The cap must be posted inside the unit under Section 17.74.050(C)(1), and exceeding it is a citable Chapter 17.74 violation.
Bakersfield STR Occupancy Capped at Two Per Bedroom
Some RestrictionsBakersfield Municipal Code § 17.74.050(D)
D. The maximum number of persons who may be present on the STR property at any time shall be limited to two persons per bedroom. Children age twelve and under do not count toward this limit.
Insurance Requirements
Bakersfield short-term rental operators must carry at least $500,000 in liability insurance naming the city as an additional insured, or book exclusively through a platform providing equal or greater coverage. BMC § 17.74.060(D) makes proof of this coverage a standing operator requirement, not just a one-time application item.
Bakersfield STR Liability Insurance Minimum
Some RestrictionsBakersfield Municipal Code § 17.74.060(D)
D. The STR operator shall maintain and provide proof of liability insurance appropriate to cover the short-term rental use in an aggregate of not less than five hundred thousand dollars, including containing an additional insured endorsement in favor of city and its mayor, council, officers, agents, employees, and designated volunteers; or conduct each short-term rental transaction through a pl...
Night Caps
Bakersfield does not impose an annual cap on the number of nights a short-term rental can operate, allowing year-round rental of both primary and non-primary residences. However, operators must remit TOT on every booking and comply with all zoning, fire (H&S §13113.7 smoke alarms), and noise rules regardless of rental volume.
Bakersfield STR Night Caps
Significant RestrictionsCal. Health & Safety Code § 13113.7(a)(1), (b)
Except as otherwise provided in this section, smoke alarms, approved and listed by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to Section 13114 at the time of installation, shall be installed, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions in each dwelling intended for human occupancy. 'Dwelling units intended for human occupancy,' as used in this section, includes a one- or two-unit dwelling, lodging ...
Repeat Violator Strikes
Bakersfield's short-term rental chapter uses a strike system: two citations in a permit's 12-month term make it ineligible for renewal, and an outright revocation bars any STR permit on that parcel for a minimum of 12 months. Any violation of Chapter 17.74, noise, occupancy, unpermitted advertising, counts toward the two-citation threshold, so a single owner can lose STR rights citywide fast.
Bakersfield STR Two-Citation Revocation Rule
Significant RestrictionsBakersfield Municipal Code §§ 17.74.040(D), 17.74.070(B), (E)
D. The STR permit shall not be renewed if the STR owner or operator has accumulated two or more citations during the twelve-month lifespan of the permit. ... B. Any and all violations of this chapter shall count as violations toward the two citations required for non-renewal of the STR permit. ... E. If the STR permit is revoked, no dwelling unit on that parcel may obtain an STR permit for a mi...
Host Platform Liability
Under Bakersfield Municipal Code Section 17.74.060(E), any hosting platform that processes short-term rental bookings in the city, think Airbnb or Vrbo, must collect the transient lodging tax in lieu of the operator and remit it directly to the city under Chapter 3.40, shifting tax-compliance liability onto the platform itself.
Bakersfield Hosting Platforms Must Remit STR Tax
Some RestrictionsBakersfield Municipal Code § 17.74.060(E)
E. Transient lodging taxes (TLT) shall be collected on all STRs. A hosting platform that facilitates booking transactions in the city shall collect in lieu of STR operators and remit to the city the applicable TLT, in accordance with Chapter 3.40 of this code.
Looking for Kern County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Bakersfield city rules.
Short-Term Rentals in Kern County →