Bakersfield has no standalone tenant-harassment ordinance, but California Civil Code and statewide tenant protections prohibit landlord acts intended to force a tenant out, including utility shutoffs and lockouts.
Unlike Los Angeles or Oakland, Bakersfield has not enacted a city tenant-anti-harassment ordinance with administrative penalties. California state law nevertheless prohibits a landlord from using force, threats, lockouts, or interruption of essential services to coerce a tenant to vacate. Civil Code 789.3 forbids shutting off utilities, removing doors or windows, or seizing personal property to force surrender of a unit. Civil Code 1940.2 bars threats to disclose immigration status or other coercive conduct. Damages include actual losses plus statutory penalties of up to 2,000 dollars per separate violation. Bakersfield enforcement runs through state civil courts, the city attorney, and the California Civil Rights Department.
Lockouts, utility shutoffs, removing belongings, or threatening immigration reporting can produce statutory damages, injunctive relief, and possible criminal exposure for the landlord.
Bakersfield, CA
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See how Bakersfield's tenant anti-harassment rules stack up against other locations.
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