Patio Covers Across Kern County
Twenty-two communities, three kinds of building department and an elevation range from 269 feet at Buttonwillow to 4,639 feet at Frazier Park. The design case changes completely across that span.
House with a covered entryJurisdiction, then elevation
Jurisdiction is the one people get wrong. Oildale has 36,135 residents, more than most incorporated cities on this list, and is unincorporated. Rosedale reads as suburban Bakersfield and is not in the city. Greenacres was partly annexed around 2000, so the answer depends on the address rather than the name.
Elevation is the one that changes the product. Under Kern County Code of Building Regulations 17.06.140 there is no ground snow load below 3,500 feet and 20 to 30 psf above it. A valley-floor patio cover system is not the same structure at Frazier Park.
Snow on a garden structureCommunities, elevation and jurisdiction
| Community | Elevation | Ground snow | Permits issued by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shafter | 348 ft | 0 psf | Shafter (own city) |
| Delano | 315 ft | 0 psf | Delano (own city) |
| Wasco | 312 ft | 0 psf | Wasco (own city) |
| Taft | 955 ft | 0 psf | Taft (own city) |
| Tehachapi | 3,970 ft | 20 psf | Tehachapi (own city) |
| Arvin | 420 ft | 0 psf | Arvin (own city) |
| McFarland | 354 ft | 0 psf | McFarland (own city) |
| Ridgecrest | 2,290 ft | 0 psf | Ridgecrest (own city) |
| California City | 2,405 ft | 0 psf | California City (own city) |
| Maricopa | 883 ft | 0 psf | Maricopa (own city) |
| Oildale | 469 ft | 0 psf | Kern County |
| Rosedale | 364 ft | 0 psf | Kern County |
| Greenacres | 381 ft | 0 psf | Kern County |
| Lamont | 404 ft | 0 psf | Kern County |
| Buttonwillow | 269 ft | 0 psf | Kern County |
| Bear Valley Springs | 4,121 ft | 30 psf | Kern County |
| Stallion Springs | 3,783 ft | 20 psf | Kern County |
| Lake Isabella | 2,513 ft | 0 psf | Kern County |
| Frazier Park | 4,639 ft | 30 psf | Kern County |
| Mojave | 2,762 ft | 0 psf | Kern County |
| Seven Oaks | 404 ft | 0 psf | City of Bakersfield |
| Stockdale | 404 ft | 0 psf | City of Bakersfield |
Every community
The rules behind the map
Jurisdiction decides who issues the permit. Elevation decides what the structure has to carry. Both are on the permits page.