Bakersfield, CA Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

BMC Title 17 (Zoning) does not regulate ornamentation of private residential yards. Lawn ornaments are not 'signs' under BMC §17.04.547 unless they bear commercial advertising, and they are not 'structures' triggering setback rules unless they exceed accessory-structure thresholds (typically anything over 6 ft tall or fixed to a permanent foundation). Bakersfield does not enforce HOA-style aesthetic rules — those are a matter for private homeowner-association covenants, not the city. The city's authority is limited to: (1) right-of-way encroachment — ornaments may not be placed in the parkway strip or sidewalk under BMC Title 12; (2) public nuisance abatement under BMC §8.27.010, which authorizes the city to require maintenance of property at standards that protect property values and neighborhood character, including removal of broken, deteriorated, or accumulated junk that has lost its ornamental purpose; and (3) BMC §8.32 (Accumulations) for outright accumulation of trash and discarded items. Religious displays and political-message ornaments are protected speech under the First Amendment and may not be regulated based on content.