Public Health Rules in Kern County, CA (2026)
4 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Kern County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Restaurant Grade Cards
Every food facility in unincorporated Kern County must post its inspection grade card where patrons can see it, under Ordinance Code Section 8.58.040. The card shows a letter grade (A, B or C) or a numeric score if the facility falls below 75%, and operating without a posted, undefaced card is itself a separate violation enforced by the county's environmental health division.
Kern County Restaurant Grade Card Posting
Some RestrictionsKern County Ordinance Code § 8.58.040
A.The inspection grade card shall be posted at or near each entrance to the food facility used by its patrons or in a conspicuous place selected by the director.B.The inspection grade card shall not be defaced, marred, camouflaged, hidden or removed. It shall be unlawful to operate a food facility without a posted inspection grade card unless approved in advance by the director.
Rodent Control
Kern County Code Section 8.28.110 makes every person in possession or control of a structure or lot responsible for keeping it free of waste accumulations that attract or harbor rodents and insects. A property left in that condition is legally a public nuisance, exposing the owner to abatement action rather than just a warning.
Rodent-Harboring Waste Nuisance in Kern County
Some RestrictionsKern County Code of Ordinances Section 8.28.110 (Keeping Premises in Sanitary Condition)
Every person in possession, charge or control of any structure, property or other premises shall keep it free and clear of all accumulations of discarded materials which may produce odor, attract or harbor insects or rodents or provide a breeding place for them, be offensive to the senses, invites plundering, promotes blight and deterioration, creates a fire hazard or otherwise be or become a h...
Syringe Disposal
Kern County requires anyone throwing out home-generated needles or other sharps to first seal them in a puncture-proof, rigid container, or a legal sharps container, before disposal. That waste can only go to an authorized home-sharps consolidation point, an approved mail-back program, or another disposal location the state Health and Safety Code allows, not the regular trash cart.
Kern County Home Sharps Disposal Rules
Light RestrictionsKern County Code § 8.28.045
Home generated sharps waste shall be placed into a puncture proof, rigid container or legal sharps container prior to disposal at an authorized home generated sharps consolidation point, authorized sharps mail-back program or other disposal location permitted by the Health and Safety Code.
Food Handler Certification
Kern County does not run a blanket food handler card program; instead, Ordinance Code Sections 8.59.020 and 8.59.030 let the public health director order specific facility staff into mandatory food safety education after a documented risk finding, such as repeated critical violations, and require the owner to send all food-preparation and service staff to the course.
Kern County Food Safety Education Mandate
Some RestrictionsKern County Ordinance Code §§ 8.59.020, 8.59.030
When the director of public health services or his designee determines one (1) or more of the following, he may require employees of the facility to attend food safety education courses, in addition to submission of a detailed, written corrective action plan to prevent reoccurrence. A.The food facility has repeated violations of critical risk factors affecting food safety; and/or B.The owner or...
Public Health Rules by City in Kern County
2 cities in Kern County have their own public health rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Kern County ordinances
See every category we cover for Kern County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
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