Bakersfield, CA Single-Use Items: Utensils-On-Request (2026)
Key Facts
- Statute
- AB 1276 PRC 42272
- Applies
- Restaurants and delivery apps
- First two violations
- Written warning
- Annual cap
- 300 dollar fine
Summary
California AB 1276 prohibits Bakersfield food vendors from automatically including single-use foodware accessories like utensils, condiment packets, or stirrers. Customers must affirmatively request these items in person, by phone, or on delivery apps.
42271. (a) Except as provided in subdivisions (c) and (d), a food facility, for on-premises dining or when using a third-party food delivery platform, shall not provide any single-use foodware accessory or standard condiment packaged for single use to a consumer unless the single-use foodware accessory or standard condiment is requested by the consumer. (b) Single-use foodware accessories and standard condiments packaged for single use provided by food facilities for use by consumers shall not be bundled or packaged in a manner that prohibits a consumer from taking only the type of single-use foodware accessory or standard condiment desired without also having to take a different type of single-use foodware accessory or standard condiment.
Full Breakdown
Assembly Bill 1276, codified at Public Resources Code section 42272, applies to Bakersfield restaurants, food trucks, ghost kitchens, and food delivery platforms. Single-use plastic utensils, chopsticks, condiment packets, and cocktail picks may not be bundled with takeout or delivery orders unless the customer requests them. Online ordering platforms must include a clear opt-in. Drive-through and dine-in operations have similar limits. Kern County Public Health enforces the rule alongside code enforcement. The intent is to reduce plastic waste, and the law follows AB 1884 on straws as part of California's broader move to opt-in single-use foodware delivery.
Violations & Fines
Two written warnings precede a 25-dollar-per-day fine capped at 300 dollars annually. Bakersfield code enforcement and Kern County Public Health share oversight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still get utensils with takeout?
Are condiment packets covered?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bakersfield
California rules heatmap·Compare Bakersfield to another location·View the California single-use items overview
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