8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 3 cities in Kern County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Kern County has no blanket ban on storing an operable, registered RV or boat at home, but zoning parking requirements (§ 19.82.020), the 72-hour abandoned-vehicle rule and nuisance provisions (§ 10.28.040) apply — and RV living is limited to permitted RV parks or temporary use during home construction.
Kern County Zoning Ordinance §§ 19.82.020 & 19.08.220
19.82.020 REQUIRED PARKING SPACES Uses permitted by this chapter shall provide off-street parking spaces according to the following schedule: A. Residential Uses: 1. Accessory dwelling Unit: One (1) per bedroom, not to exceed two (2) per unit or as otherwise provided for in Chapter 19.90 2. Boarding house, rooming house, residential hotel, fraternity or sorority house, or dormitory: One (1)...
In unincorporated Kern County, off-street parking areas and driveways must be surfaced with approved materials, residential driveways must be at least 14 feet wide with 15 feet of vertical clearance, and parking is generally barred from required front-yard setbacks abutting a street.
Kern County Zoning Ordinance Section 19.82.090
Off-street parking areas required to be provided by this chapter shall be designed and developed in accordance with the following standards: A. All off-street parking areas and ingress and egress to parking areas shall be surfaced with the following materials: ... 2. Except as specified by Chapter 19.80 of this title, for all uses in any other area, the required parking areas shall be surfaced ...
Kern County Title 19 limits truck parking at a residence to one truck under 5 tons used for employment or an approved home occupation, and bans any commercial vehicle of 10,000+ lbs GVWR from public or private streets within a residential district.
Kern County Zoning Ordinance § 19.08.252
19.08.252 TRUCK PARKING AS A RESIDENTIAL ACCESSORY USE Truck parking, when accessory and incidental to an established residential use, shall be permitted provided that there is no more than one (1) truck which does not exceed a gross weight of five (5) tons and which is driven to and from the resident's place of employment on a regular basis or which is utilized in conjunction with an approved...
Kern County prohibits parking a vehicle on any state highway in the unincorporated county for 72 or more consecutive hours, adopted under California Vehicle Code authority.
Kern County Code of Ordinances § 10.20.025
It is unlawful for any person to park or leave standing any automobile, truck, or other vehicle upon any state highway within the unincorporated area of the County for a period of seventy-two (72) or more consecutive hours.
Kern County does not impose a blanket overnight parking ban on unincorporated streets, but any vehicle left in place for 72 consecutive hours can be declared abandoned and removed under Chapter 10.28.
Kern County Code of Ordinances § 10.16.290
Motor vehicles shall be parked only in stalls or designated spaces. Vehicle operators must observe all signs and directions... The maximum speed limit on all such county parking lots or county-owned property shall be fifteen (15) miles per hour... Violation shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding forty dollars ($40.00).
California law requires Kern County to approve applications to install electric vehicle charging stations administratively through a nondiscretionary building permit, limits county review to health and safety requirements, and deems applications complete or approved if the county misses statutory deadlines.
California Government Code Section 65850.7
(b) (1) A city, county, or city and county shall administratively approve an application to install electric vehicle charging stations through the issuance of a building permit or similar nondiscretionary permit. ... (3) Review of an application to install an electric vehicle charging station or hydrogen-fueling station shall be limited to the building official's review of whether it meets all ...
Kern County declares abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative (WDI) vehicles a public nuisance: a vehicle left 72 or more consecutive hours on a county road, or on private property without the owner's consent, is 'abandoned,' and keeping visible WDI vehicles is unlawful with narrow exceptions.
Kern County Code Sections 10.28.030, 10.28.040
"Abandoned vehicle" means any automobile, truck, trailer, recreational vehicle, water craft (on or off its hauler), or vehicle defined in the Vehicle Code of the state of California, left for a period of seventy-two (72) or more consecutive hours upon: 1) any street or highway within the unincorporated area of the county, with the exception of state highways, or 2) private property without the ...
Kern County's zoning ordinance requires commercial, industrial, and larger residential developments in unincorporated areas to provide on-site loading and unloading space in addition to required parking, with freight loading spaces scaled to building floor area or apartment unit count.
Kern County Zoning Ordinance Section 19.82.060
19.82.060 OFF-STREET LOADING SPACES. A. For every building or facility occupied by manufacturing, storage, warehouse, wholesale or retail store, market, passenger terminal, apartment complexes consisting of more than fifty (50) dwelling units, theater, hotel, motel, restaurant, hospital, laundry, dry cleaning plant, or similar use requiring the receipt or distribution of vehicles or merchandise...
3 cities in Kern County have their own parking rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Kern County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Kern County Ordinance Hub →