Bakersfield, CA Rental Property Rules: Tenant Anti-Harassment (2026)
Key Facts
- Lockouts
- Prohibited
- Utility shutoffs
- Prohibited
- Statutory penalty
- Up to 2000 per act
- Authority
- Civil Code 789.3, 1940.2
Summary
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.
1940.2. (a) It is unlawful for a landlord to do any of the following for the purpose of influencing a tenant to vacate a dwelling: (1) Engage in conduct that violates subdivision (a) of Section 484 of the Penal Code. (2) Engage in conduct that violates Section 518 of the Penal Code. (3) Use, or threaten to use, force, willful threats, or menacing conduct constituting a course of conduct that interferes with the tenant's quiet enjoyment of the premises in violation of Section 1927 that would create an apprehension of harm in a reasonable person. Nothing in this paragraph requires a tenant to be actually or constructively evicted in order to obtain relief. (4) Commit a significant and intentional violation of Section 1954.
Full Breakdown
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.
Violations & Fines
Lockouts, utility shutoffs, removing belongings, or threatening immigration reporting can produce statutory damages, injunctive relief, and possible criminal exposure for the landlord.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my landlord changes the locks while I am at work?
Does Bakersfield have its own harassment ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bakersfield
California rules heatmap·Compare Bakersfield to another location·View the California rental property rules overview
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