Film productions that need to close, restrict, or use a Bakersfield city street must obtain the closure through the City of Bakersfield film permit — the Kern County Public Works road permit does not cover Bakersfield city streets. The closure is coordinated through Bakersfield Public Works and Police Traffic, included on the city film permit, and typically requires the production to pay for Bakersfield Police Department traffic-control standby at posted hourly rates.
Bakersfield is one of Kern County's 11 incorporated cities expressly excluded from the County Public Works road-permit jurisdiction — productions filming on Bakersfield city streets must work directly with the City of Bakersfield for street-related permits and closures. Street-closure requests are submitted with the film permit application to the Bakersfield Special Events & Film Permits office and routed to Public Works (for traffic control plans) and the Bakersfield Police Department (for officer staffing). Productions must provide $2 million general liability insurance with an endorsement (the same insurance threshold as the film permit). Posted hourly officer-staffing rates apply for traffic control, and standard traffic-control plan and signage standards from the California MUTCD apply. Major closures of arterial streets typically require longer lead time and Public Works director sign-off.
Closing or obstructing a city street without an approved permit is enforced under BMC Title 10 (Vehicles and Traffic) and the general administrative code. Productions can be stopped, cited, and required to pay full cost recovery for city services. Repeat or egregious violations can lead to denial of future film permits.
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See how Bakersfield's street closures rules stack up against other locations.
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