Bakersfield, CA Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum coverage
- $500,000 aggregate liability
- Endorsement
- City named additional insured
- Alternative
- Platform-provided equal/greater coverage
- Adopted
- Ord. 5218, 2026
- Non-compliance
- Counts toward 2-citation revocation threshold
Summary
Bakersfield short-term rental operators must carry at least $500,000 in liability insurance naming the city as an additional insured, or book exclusively through a platform providing equal or greater coverage. BMC § 17.74.060(D) makes proof of this coverage a standing operator requirement, not just a one-time application item.
D. The STR operator shall maintain and provide proof of liability insurance appropriate to cover the short-term rental use in an aggregate of not less than five hundred thousand dollars, including containing an additional insured endorsement in favor of city and its mayor, council, officers, agents, employees, and designated volunteers; or conduct each short-term rental transaction through a platform that provides equal or greater insurance coverage.
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
" Operators have an alternative: instead of carrying their own policy, they may "conduct each short-term rental transaction through a platform that provides equal or greater insurance coverage", language written to cover hosting platforms that bundle host-protection coverage into every booking. 030(B)(10) requires every STR operator to sign an indemnification agreement, approved by the city attorney, holding the city harmless for claims arising from operation of the rental. 060 lists ongoing operator requirements rather than one-time application items, the $500,000 coverage must be maintained for as long as the STR permit is active, not just proven once at application.
Ordinance 5218, adopted in 2026, created this whole chapter, so the insurance floor took effect with it. 070(E), which then bars any STR permit on that dwelling unit for a minimum of twelve months.
Violations & Fines
Failing to maintain the $500,000 liability policy (or equivalent platform coverage) under § 17.74.060(D) is enforceable under § 17.74.070 as a chapter violation. It counts toward the two citations that block permit renewal under § 17.74.040(D), and repeated or uncorrected lapses can support revocation under § 17.74.070(E), after which the property is barred from a new STR permit for twelve months.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much liability insurance does a Bakersfield STR host need?
Can I skip buying my own policy if I book only through Airbnb or Vrbo?
What happens if my STR insurance lapses?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bakersfield
California rules heatmap·Compare Bakersfield to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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