County
Kern County
This is the county layer. It is often the first stop for assessor, tax collector, recorder, court, social service, election, health, sheriff, and unincorporated-area services.
Starting point
Start with the county layer.
County offices are the usual first stop for records, taxes, courts, elections, public health, social services, sheriff services, and unincorporated-area routing.
Cities inside the county can still control city permits, local code, utilities, business licenses, and city-specific rules.
2025 population
927,068
Land area
8,134.673 sq mi
Water area
30.244 sq mi
Directory notes
Local layers to keep on the same page.
Property, taxes, and records
For assessed value, exemptions, ownership records, recording, and tax bills, county offices are usually the starting layer.
Unincorporated land
If an address is outside city limits, county planning, building, environmental health, fire, or public works may handle local permits and code work.
Courts, services, and alerts
Superior court, sheriff, elections, social services, emergency alerts, and health offices often start at the county level.
Practical notes
Office, map, permit, and paperwork notes for Kern County
Place note · Cars and driving · Reviewed July 6, 2026
GET is Bakersfield's local bus map layer
Golden Empire Transit gives Bakersfield its local bus maps, timetables, fare pages, and trip tools.
Place note · Home and property · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Bakersfield green carts are part of the trash routine
Bakersfield's garbage and recycling pages split regular trash, blue-cart recycling, green-cart organics, SB 1383 organics information, and the city's composting facility into separate pieces.
Place note · Home and property · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Delano utility setup includes trash contacts
Delano's utility pages point new-service questions to city utility billing and trash questions to Public Works and South Tulare Richgrove Refuse.
Place note · Home and property · Reviewed July 4, 2026
Bakersfield bulky pickup is appointment based
Bakersfield's bulky item program gives many homes an appointment path for large items that do not fit regular garbage carts.
Place note · Home and property · Reviewed July 4, 2026
Bakersfield smoke and air days need a local check
Bakersfield sits in the San Joaquin Valley air basin, where wildfire smoke, dust, and ozone can vary by day, so local air-quality forecasts are worth checking before outdoor plans.
Place note · Home and property · Reviewed July 4, 2026
Delano's service request form is for physical city problems
Delano's services page links to a service request form for physical problems in the community, while fire, police, and immediate assistance use separate contacts.
Almanac notes
Stories and local context near Kern County
Place note · Outdoors
Hart Park gives Bakersfield a Kern River day outside town
Hart Memorial Park sits within the larger Kern River County Park complex, giving Bakersfield a nearby place for river-edge picnics, shade, and open-space time.
Place note · History and culture
Arvin's farm-town story runs beside the packing houses
Arvin grew from Staples Store, railroad-side farm shipping, and Kern County agriculture into a city with deep valley roots.
Place note · History and culture
Maricopa sits beside one of California's biggest oil stories
Maricopa grew with the Midway-Sunset oil fields, near the Lakeview Gusher site that became a California historical landmark.
Place note · History and culture
Taft's oil story is big enough to fill an outdoor museum
Taft grew with the Midway-Sunset oil fields, and the West Kern Oil Museum keeps that boomtown story close to the rigs, tools, camps, and Lakeview Gusher history.
Place note · History and culture
The Fox Theater is Bakersfield's downtown survivor
Bakersfield's Fox Theater opened on Christmas Day 1930, survived hard years, and became a restored downtown stage with deep local affection.
Place note · History and culture
Boron keeps California's borax story close to the mine
Boron is tied to borates, a mine overlook, and the older Twenty Mule Team story from Death Valley.
Place note · History and culture
Buck Owens' Crystal Palace kept the Bakersfield Sound in one room
Buck Owens' Crystal Palace helped turn Bakersfield's country music history into a landmark, museum-like venue tied to the Bakersfield Sound.
Place note · History and culture
Edwards grew from the flight that broke the sound barrier
At Muroc, later Edwards Air Force Base, Chuck Yeager's 1947 Bell X-1 flight became the first human flight faster than the speed of sound.