Bakersfield, CA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Maximum floor area
- 400 square feet
- Required location
- Enclosed area of residence or accessory structure
- Prohibited encroachment
- Required parking, setback, or open space
- Administering office
- Planning director / planning department
- Governing chapter
- BMC Chapter 17.63, Home Occupations
Summary
Bakersfield confines home occupations to an accessory, incidental use of a residence: the business must stay invisible to neighbors, fit entirely inside an enclosed area of the house or accessory structure, and cannot exceed 400 square feet. Bakersfield Municipal Code § 17.63.030(K) bars any encroachment into required parking, setback, or open-space areas, keeping the property looking residential.
The home occupation shall be conducted entirely within an enclosed area of the residence or accessory structure, and shall not encroach into any required parking, setback, or open space areas. It shall not involve the use of more than four hundred square feet of the premises, not including a vehicle meeting the criteria of subsection C of this section.
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
010). 030(K) requires that the home occupation 'be conducted entirely within an enclosed area of the residence or accessory structure, and shall not encroach into any required parking, setback, or open space areas. It shall not involve the use of more than four hundred square feet of the premises,' excluding one qualifying commercial vehicle. The 400-square-foot ceiling applies regardless of lot size or zone district, and the space must already exist within the dwelling or an accessory structure: the ordinance does not allow a new freestanding structure built solely to house the business.
Because the chapter sits inside Title 17, Zoning, any home occupation that outgrows the enclosed-area or square-footage limits is treated as a zoning violation, not merely a licensing lapse. 040 if the business no longer meets the chapter's regulations. 010 gives the code enforcement division, fire department and police department authority to act on violations, and treats any use maintained contrary to the title's provisions as unlawful and a public nuisance.
Violations & Fines
Operating a home occupation beyond the enclosed 400-square-foot cap or encroaching into required parking or setback area is a zoning violation under Title 17. Bakersfield Municipal Code § 17.72.010 authorizes the code enforcement division, fire department, and police department to enforce Title 17, treats a nonconforming use as a public nuisance subject to city attorney abatement action, and allows enforcement by Superior Court injunction; the planning director can separately revoke the home occupation permit under § 17.63.040.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much space can a Bakersfield home business use?
Can my home business spill into my driveway or yard?
What zones allow home occupations in Bakersfield?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bakersfield
How Bakersfield compares: Easiest Cities to Run a Home Business·California rules heatmap·Compare Bakersfield to another location·View the California home business overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Kern County handle zoning & home occupation permits.