County Building, Housing and Zoning Violations

What codes do we enforce?

The Code Compliance Unit enforces regulations relating to the following:

1. Condition of existing structures that constitute a clear and present danger to the public.
2. Building Code violations (building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, access, etc.) Including construction or change of occupancy without permits.
3. California State Housing law (minimum standards for safe and sanitary housing).
4. Illegal dumping.
5. Liquid waste disposal.
6. Zoning requirements for structures such as use, location, configuration, size and land use requirements.
7. Abandoned vehicles.
8. Occupied Recreational Vehicles.

How do I submit a complaint?

If I suspect a violation how do I go about getting it resolved or reporting it?

You may make contact with the property owner directly and request that he resolve the violation, or you may report violations of the above codes to the Code Compliance Unit by calling our hotline at (661) 862-8603, faxing information to us at (661) 862-5149 or by e-mailing your complaint to ess@co.kern.ca.us.

When submitting a complaint, the reporting party must include their name and phone number, as anonymous complaints will not be processed. When processing a complaint, we do not provide the violator with the information about who reported the alleged violation. Additional information which must be provided is a description of what the alleged violation is, the location of the violation including the nearest cross-street and any other pertinent information which may be helpful.

Tenant/Landlord Dispute for Rental Housing

Will the County resolve the dispute between me and my landlord?

The County is not a referee for tenant-landlord disputes. Generally these disputes are best resolved between the renter and property owner. The General Rule for maintenance of rented properties as presented by the State of California Department of Consumer Affairs is: "When a landlord rents an apartment or a house to a tenant (renter), the rented property must be fit to live in. In other words, the rented property must be "habitable." During the time that the property is being rented, the landlord must do maintenance work and make repairs which are necessary to keep it habitable. However, the landlord is not responsible to the tenant for repairing damage caused by the tenant, or the tenant's guest, children or pets."

For information about your rights and suggestions on ways to resolve housing complaints between tenants and landlords, the State of California, Department of Consumer Affairs, 400 R Street, Suite 3090 Sacramento CA 95814-6200 (800) 952-5210 has published several guidelines: LT-3, LT-6 and LT-8 or additional assistance may be available through the Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance Center, 615 California Avenue, Bakersfield, CA (661) 325-5943.

If you believe that you are being discriminated against, you can contact the Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance Center at the above location or the Kern County Department of Housing, in the Community Development Program Department at (661) 862-5050 at 2700 M Street, Suite 250, Bakersfield, CA 93301. You can also e-mail them at kerncd@co.kern.ca.us.

If you have contacted your landlord and they are unwilling to make the property habitable, within the limits of their responsibility, you can submit a complaint through the County's Code Compliance Unit.

Who enforces weeds?

Who should I contact if my neighbor has lots of weeds on his property that creates a fire hazard?

Complaints received by the Code Compliance Unit regarding weeds will be referred to the Fire Department for investigation. For faster resolution it is suggested that you call these complaints into the local Fire Department directly. If the weeds are not a fire hazard and they are more of a maintenance problem, the complaint should be submitted to the Code Compliance Unit.

Most likely the County has started working with the property owner to resolve the violation. Typically the County will notify the owner that we have received a specific complaint alleging certain violations of the Kern County Ordinance Code exist on his or her property. We normally request that the property owner respond to us indicating they will resolve the violation in an acceptable time frame, that the violation has been resolved or that the property was not in violation. If the owner chooses not to work with the County to cooperatively resolve the violation, we begin a more formal legal process which may take an extended time to fully resolve. We request that in most nonhazardous situations that you wait a minimum of 30 days after filing the complaint before checking on the status of a complaint to allow us time to contact the property owner and attempt resolution of the violation.

What do I do if I receive a letter?

What do I do if I received a letter alleging a violation?

The first letter you should receive is mailed to you as a courtesy after we have received a complaint. It is intended to merely advise you that a violation of the Kern County Ordinance Code has been alleged. After receipt of the letter please contact the Code Compliance Units' Officer assigned the case at your earliest convenience to clear up any of the following:

1. The information in the letter is incorrect.
2. The violation no longer exists.
3. You don't understand some part of the letter.
4. You just need additional time to bring your property into compliance.
5. If you want to talk about your options.

Once the allowable time specified on your first letter has expired, and if you have not contacted the Code Compliance Unit, an officer will inspect your property to verify the allegations.

If it is determined that the violation does not exist, the case will be closed and no further action will be taken. However, if a violation is found to exist, you will be notified by an "Official Notice To Comply." This notice will state specific code sections for which you are in violation, the remedies available to you, and any fines, charges and/or penalties that you will be assessed.

Please contact the Code Compliance Unit as soon as possible. We will be happy to discuss the information outlined in your notice with you and to go over any and all options available to you. Our first priority is to bring violations into compliance through voluntary measures whenever possible.