CDP
South Taft
South Taft is a Census-designated community in Kern County covering about 1.076 square miles. It is not an incorporated city. The county is usually the first government layer, while utilities and special districts can follow their own boundaries.
Starting point
Start with the county unless an official district says otherwise.
A Census-designated place is a useful local name, but it usually does not have its own city hall. For permits, records, taxes, courts, and many services, begin with the county layer.
What changes the answer: Special districts, utilities, schools, fire agencies, parks, water agencies, coastal rules, and state maps can still control a specific issue.
How local government works here
The place name, county, and service districts do different jobs.
South Taft is a real community name. It does not create a city government. The county and local districts divide the public work for the address.
The community name is not city hall
South Taft is what the Census calls a census-designated place. It normally has no mayor, city council, or city permit desk. Start with Kern County for county work.
The county handles the local government lane
County planning and building usually handle an address outside a city. The county also handles property value, tax bills, records, courts, elections, health, and many aid programs.
Services may come from separate districts
Water, sewer, fire, schools, parks, roads, trash, and power can follow lines that do not match the place name. Check the bill, parcel, or district map before assuming the county provides the service.
Countywide answer
Kern County has rural community plan maps to check
Kern County keeps planning documents and rural community plan maps for local land-use questions.
Read the full explanation2025 population
Not available
Land area
1.076 sq mi
Water area
0 sq mi
Local front desk
Start with the task in front of you.
South Taft is a Census-designated place, not an incorporated city. Start with Kern County; utilities and special districts can still have their own boundaries.
- Property Open the property-tax path
Assessed value, exemptions, tax bills, and appeals
Kern County assessor handles value and exemptions. The clerk of the board handles a formal value appeal. The tax collector handles the bill, payment, and penalties.
- Records Open the records path
Deeds, birth and death records, marriage records, and name changes
Kern County recorder is the usual deed and public-record door. Vital-record access depends on the record and year. A legal name change or divorce decree can involve Superior Court.
- Property work Open the local-office path
Building permits, ADUs, zoning, code, water, and septic
Start with Kern County planning or building. Water, sewer, fire, and other special districts may have a separate approval.
- Housing Open the housing path
Rent rules, repairs, notices, and eviction papers
Start with a local rent, housing, or code office if one serves the address. Court papers go to the Superior Court self-help path, and the deadline on the papers keeps running.
- Household help Open the benefits path
CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, General Assistance, and IHSS
Kern County social-services agency is the main local door. Coverage, food, cash aid, and in-home support remain separate programs with separate notices.
- Public health Open the health path
Vaccines, disease reporting, health records, and local health programs
Kern County public health is the local health jurisdiction. Health coverage and benefits still use separate program doors.
- Business Open the business path
Business setup, seller's permits, local licenses, and regulated work
State filings and tax accounts do not replace county zoning, licensing, building, fire, or health approvals for the address.
- Neighborhood services Open the local-office path
Potholes, streetlights, graffiti, trash, and service requests
Start with Kern County for county-maintained roads and services. Caltrans, utilities, transit systems, waste haulers, and special districts can own separate reporting paths.
- School and care Open the school and care path
School enrollment, student records, and child-care checks
The school district handles assignment and records. County offices can help with some family services, while the state licenses child-care facilities.
- Parking Open the parking path
Residential, guest, overnight, and local parking permits
A local parking permit is separate from a citation, moving ticket, and toll notice. Match the permit to the address, vehicle, district, or parking facility.
- Tickets Open the ticket path
Traffic court, parking citations, and toll notices
Kern County Superior Court handles traffic court matters. A city or issuing agency handles parking. The toll operator handles toll notices.
- Safety Open the emergency path
Emergency alerts, evacuations, smoke, roads, and power
Use the county or city alert system for local warnings. Follow the local emergency office for evacuation wording, then use the state fire, smoke, road, and utility sources for the matching layer.
Official county doors
Open the office that owns the next step.
California's statewide directories and verified official corrections supply the county-specific links below. Property and recorder links open the state directory because several county offices can share one task.
Kern County
Practical notes
Office, map, permit, and paperwork notes for South Taft
County practical note · Money and taxes · Reviewed July 3, 2026
Kern County property tax starts with the portal, then the right office
Kern County's property tax portal connects the Assessor-Recorder, Treasurer-Tax Collector, and other offices so parcel value and bill questions do not get mixed together.
County practical 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.
County practical 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.
County practical 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.
County practical note · Rules and licenses · Reviewed July 3, 2026
A Bakersfield business tax certificate is a city step
Bakersfield business tax certificates start with the city, separate from county DBA filings, state seller's permits, and project permits.
County practical note · Home and property · Reviewed July 14, 2026
Bakersfield smoke and air days need a local check
Valley Air's daily forecast covers all of Kern County, so Bakersfield residents should pair it with the nearest real-time monitor when smoke or dust is local.
Stories & Notes
Stories and local context in Kern County
County place story · 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.
County place story · History and culture
The Forty Acres keeps Delano's farmworker movement visible
The Forty Acres and Delano grape strike sites connect the city to Filipino and Mexican American farmworker organizing, the UFW, contracts, boycott work, and national labor history.
County place story · 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.
County place story · 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.
County place story · 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.
County place story · History and culture
Minter Field keeps Shafter's World War II aviation layer visible
Minter Field near Shafter began as a U.S. Army flight training center in 1941 and is now remembered through the airport district and air museum.
County place story · History and culture
The Tehachapi Loop lets long trains cross over themselves
The Tehachapi Loop solved a hard mountain railroad problem, letting trains gain elevation between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave.
County place story · History and culture
Pioneer Village makes Kern County history walkable in Bakersfield
Kern County Museum's Pioneer Village gives Bakersfield a hands-on history stop with buildings, oil, farming, and local life gathered in one place.