Bakersfield, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- BMC Chapter 8.35
- Enforcing office
- Public works director
- Prohibited matter
- Wastewater, litter, pesticides, hazardous waste
- Inspection authority
- Site access without prior notice to detect illicit discharge
- Related chapter
- 8.34 Industrial Stormwater (NPDES permits)
Summary
Bakersfield bans dumping wastewater, rubbish, litter, pesticides or hazardous materials into any stormwater system or conveyance that feeds one, backed by public works inspection and permit-compliance authority.
It is unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, or association to throw, dump, empty or in any way cause sanitary wastewater, rubbish, refuse, litter, accidental spill discharges, garbage of any kind whatsoever, or any unsanitary or deleterious matter including, but not limited to, petroleum products, pesticides, herbicides, controlled substances, hazardous materials, or any other matter prohibited by state or federal law to be introduced into any stormwater system or conveyance that discharges into a stormwater system.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 5221, passed July 15, 2026).
Full Breakdown
35 Stormwater System, makes it unlawful for any person, firm, corporation or association to throw, dump, empty or otherwise cause sanitary wastewater, rubbish, refuse, litter, accidental spill discharges, garbage, or any other unsanitary or deleterious matter, expressly including petroleum products, pesticides, herbicides, controlled substances and hazardous materials, to enter any stormwater system or any conveyance discharging into one. 010, sweeps broadly: 'stormwater system' covers curbs, inlets, underground conduit, retention/detention basins, outfalls, ditches and canals that collect, transport or discharge precipitation runoff in and around the city, and 'rubbish' expressly includes weeds, dry grasses, dirt, broken asphalt and yard clippings. 030. 040 to inspect, conduct surveillance and monitor stormwater discharges, and that access extends specifically to detecting and eliminating illicit discharges. 020.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 8.35.020's illicit-discharge ban is enforced through the public works director's inspection and surveillance authority under § 8.35.040. Because Chapter 8.35 carries no separate penalty schedule, violations fall under the general municipal code penalty at Section 1.40.010: an infraction fine up to $250 for repeat offenses within a year, or a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in county jail, with each day of continuing discharge chargeable as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hose pesticide runoff into the street gutter?
Who inspects for illegal stormwater dumping in Bakersfield?
Do industrial sites face extra stormwater rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bakersfield
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Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Kern County handle stormwater management.