What is the process for a zone change?

Completed applications will be set for a public hearing before the Kern County Planning Commission and then the Board of Supervisors. The Planning Commission meets the second and fourth Thursdays (excluding holidays) of every month, and the meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. When the Planning Commission concludes its hearing, a recommendation is made, and the zone change request is scheduled for hearing final decision before the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors considers Planning and Natual Resources Department items every Tuesday (excluding holidays) at 2:00 p.m., and both the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors meet in the hearing chambers located on the first floor of the Kern County Administrative Center, 1115 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield.

Property owners within 500 feet of the site are notified of each hearing by mail, and the proposal is advertised in the locally circulated newspaper. In instances where a majority of parcels abutting the project site are one acre or larger in size, the notification radius is extended to 1,000 feet of the site. Prior to the hearing, a staff report is prepared that contains information regarding any proposed use, an analysis of the project’s potential relationship with surrounding properties and uses, and a recommendation. A planner will contact the applicant to discuss the recommendation. Applicants are strongly encouraged to question anything that is unclear or confusing. Copies of the staff report are normally available one (1) week prior to the public hearing.