Bakersfield places primary regulatory liability on the property host. Listing platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo are not directly licensed but must be supplied with the city permit number for each listing.
Under Chapter 10 of the Bakersfield Municipal Code, the property owner or designated operator carries direct legal responsibility for permitting, transient occupancy tax collection, and nuisance compliance for each short-term rental. Listing platforms are not separately licensed by the city, but state law permits voluntary platform tax-collection agreements, and platforms may require a valid local permit number be displayed on the listing. Hosts must include the city-issued STR permit number in every public listing, post emergency contact details inside the unit, and ensure the platform forwards collected taxes when an agreement exists. Failure to disclose the permit number on a listing can itself be cited as a violation.
Listing without a valid permit number, advertising on multiple platforms while unpermitted, or concealing operator identity can produce fines, take-down requests, and compounded daily penalties until corrected.
Bakersfield, CA
Short-term rental operators in Bakersfield must obtain a business tax certificate and collect the city's Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) on stays of 30 days or...
Bakersfield, CA
Bakersfield has been in the process of drafting a formal STR ordinance. As of early 2026, no comprehensive STR permit ordinance is in effect; a $250 annual p...
See how Bakersfield's host platform liability rules stack up against other locations.
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