Kern County Municipal Code Ch. 13.20 Public Campgrounds

For the purposes of this chapter the following words and phrases are defined as follows:

A. "Authorized officer" refers to the director of the department of parks and recreation of the county of Kern or any employee of the division acting by authority of said director.

B. "Camping" or "to camp" or any word or phrase corollary thereto means: (1) to remain overnight in any place other than within a permanent building affixed to the ground and designed for human habitation; (2) to park any vehicular trailer designed for human habitation irrespective of the length of time of such parking; (3) to kindle, light, burn or maintain any campfire, bonfire, cooking fire or any other fire, flame or blaze whatever and including any fire or flame produced by any self-contained gasoline, liquid or aeriform gas or other chemical-fuel stove or other flame-producing appliance of any kind whatever and whether situated within or without any motor vehicle or vehicular trailer of any description.

C. "Day," unless otherwise particularly qualified, refers to any twenty-four (24) hour period commencing at the hour of 2:00 p.m. on any calendar day.

D. "Division" refers to the parks division of the department of parks and recreation of the county of Kern.

E. "User" means any and all persons, irrespective of age, camping within and upon any public campground.

F. "Week," unless otherwise particularly qualified, refers to any one hundred sixty-eight (168) hour period commencing at the hour of 2:00 p.m. on any calendar day.

(Prior code § 5400)

(Ord. No. G-8542, § 2, 3-3-15)

No person shall camp upon any land owned, operated or maintained by the county except within and upon those lands designated as public campgrounds under the provisions of this chapter. Violation of this section is an infraction. Any person who violates this section is also subject to an administrative penalty under Chapter 8.54 of this Code.

(Prior code § 5406; Ord. No. G-8921, § 6, 3-31-20)

The board of supervisors by its resolution may designate the location and limits of public campgrounds within and upon any lands owned, operated or maintained by the county and which campgrounds shall thereafter be open to public camping. The said board by its resolution may further designate which of said campgrounds shall be for the free use of the general public and which of such campgrounds shall be subject to a charge for camping thereon.

(Prior code § 5401)

The board of supervisors by its resolution may establish rules and regulations for the administration of all lands so designated by it as public campgrounds. All persons using or occupying such public campgrounds shall fully comply with all such rules and regulations so established. All such rules and regulations shall be administered by the division and its authorized officers.

(Prior code § 5402)

A. Each public campground designated under the provisions of this chapter shall be divided into individual campsites each consisting of not less than seven hundred (700) square feet in area and of such particular shape and location as shall be determined by this division.

B. Each such individual campsite at Kern River County Park shall not be occupied by more than eight (8) people. Each such individual campsite at Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area shall not be occupied by more than ten (10) people. Violation of this subsection is an infraction. Any person who violates this subsection is also subject to an administrative penalty under Chapter 8.54 of this Code.

C. Unless specified otherwise in this code regarding campsites at particular campgrounds, each individual campsite shall not be occupied, for any length of time, by more than two (2) motor vehicles and two (2) vehicular trailers of any description. Violation of this subsection is an infraction. Any person who violates this subsection is also subject to an administrative penalty under Chapter 8.54 of this Code.

D. A group campsite shall be designated as such by the county parks and recreation department and shall consist of an area capable of handling up to fifteen (15) vehicles and one hundred fifty (150) people.

(Ord. G-7726 § 2, 2008; Ord. G-6127 § 2, 1994; Ord. G-5842 § 2, 1992: prior code § 5404; Ord. No. G-8542, § 2, 3-3-15; Ord. No. G-8921, § 6, 3-31-20)

The division, by appropriate signs posted upon the ground, shall clearly mark all those areas designated as public campgrounds under the provisions of this chapter. Such signs shall clearly distinguish between free public campgrounds and those campgrounds for the use of which a charge is made. The division, by other appropriate signs posted upon the ground, shall clearly mark as "no camping" areas all other park or recreation areas not so designated as public campgrounds.

(Prior code § 5409)

In any public campground designated by the board of supervisors as a camping area for the use of which a charge shall be paid by the user thereof, with the exception of the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area, a charge shall be made and paid by such user for the use of each individual or group campsite therein in the amount and in the manner as follows:

A. Fees for the use of individual campsites will be established by uncodified ordinance;

B. Fees for the use of group campsites will be established by uncodified ordinance;

C. Payment shall be made in advance and immediately upon the commencement of occupancy of the campsite, and shall be in full for the entire period of time declared by the user as the period of occupancy intended by him;

D. Subject to the maximum limit hereinafter prescribed by subsection (A) and (B) of Section 13.20.100 of this chapter, the use of any campsite may be extended by any user thereof from day to day or week to week upon payment of charges in advance for such extended period and which such advance payment shall be made prior to the hour of ten (10:00) a.m. on the calendar day on which the use of such campsite by such user would otherwise expire;

E. No refund of any advance payment shall be made for any reason;

F. Payment of all camping charges prescribed by this chapter shall be paid by the user of each individual campsite to the authorized officer who shall receipt in writing for such payment upon forms prescribed by the division. A copy of such receipt shall be delivered by the officer to user and such user shall post such copy upon a post provided by the division upon each individual campsite. Such copy shall remain so posted during the entire period of the tenancy of such campsite by the user thereof;

G. The tenancy of any user of any public campground for which a charge is made under the provisions of this section shall terminate at the hour of 12:00 noon on the last calendar day of the tenancy for which the charge has been paid unless such tenancy has been extended under the provisions of subsection (D) of this section;

H. Upon the termination of such tenancy, the user shall forthwith quit and surrender possession of the campsite previously occupied by him, and shall immediately remove therefrom all personal property owned by him or in his possession.

A person who occupies a campsite without making advance payment in compliance with this section is guilty of an infraction. A person who occupies a campsite without making advance payment in compliance with this section is also subject to an administrative penalty under Chapter 8.54 of this code.

(Ord. G-5952 § 16, 1993: prior code § 5403)

(Ord. No. G-8542, § 2, 3-3-15; Ord. No. G-8815, § 5, 3-19-19)

The provisions of subsection (A) of section 13.20.070 of this chapter are inapplicable to the operation of the camping facilities located at the Kern River County Park.

Rates at Kern River County Park are established by uncodified ordinance.

(Ord. G-5952 § 18, 1993: prior code § 5403.1)

All campsites in Kern County shall be available to persons sixty-two (62) years of age or older, and to disabled individuals at a reduced rate. Such rates shall be established by uncodified ordinance.

(Ord. G-5952 § 19, 1993)

A. General. In Greenhorn Mountain Park no person or group of associated persons shall camp for more than fourteen (14) consecutive days and, in addition, no person or group of associated persons shall camp for more than twenty-one (21) days within any thirty-one (31) day period. Whenever a group of associated persons camps in a campground for two (2) or more consecutive days, all time limitations set forth herein shall apply to all persons in that group of associated persons and shall begin to accrue on the first day that any member of that group of associated persons registered to use the campground.

B. Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area, Kern River County Park, and Tehachapi Mountain Park.

1. During the period of intensive recreational use from March 16th through October 14th of each year, no person or group of associated persons shall camp in Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area, Kern River County Park, or Tehachapi Mountain Park for more than fourteen (14) consecutive nights; and, in addition, no person or group of associated persons shall camp in Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area, Kern River County Park, or Tehachapi Mountain Park for more than fourteen (14) nights within any thirty-one-day period.

2. During the off-season from October 15th through March 15th of each year, no person or group of associated persons shall camp in Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area, Kern River County Park, or Tehachapi Mountain Park for more than a total of thirty-one (31) nights. This thirty-one-night period may be comprised of both consecutive nights and nonconsecutive nights of camping.

3. Whenever a group of associated persons camps in Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area, Kern River County Park or Tehachapi Mountain Park for two (2) or more consecutive days, all time limitations set forth herein shall apply to all persons in that group of associated persons and shall begin to accrue on the first day that any member of that group of associated persons registered to use the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area, Kern River County Park, or Tehachapi Mountain Park.

(Ord. G-5843 § 2, 1992: prior code §§ 5407, 5407.1)

(Ord. No. G-8542, § 2, 3-3-15)

No vehicular trailer designed or used for the transportation of any boat shall be parked for any length of time whatever in any public campground except when in the possession of a person camping therein. A violation of this section constitutes an infraction.

(Prior code § 5405)

A. Subject to the particular provisions of Chapter 13.44 of this title relating to boats within the Isabella Reservoir Recreational Area, any personal property which for more than seventy-two (72) hours is left unattended by the owner or person entitled to the possession thereof upon any lands owned, operated or maintained by the county as a public park or recreation area, and whether within or without an area designated as a public campground, shall thereafter be impounded by the authorized officer and such property shall be considered abandoned and shall be disposed of by the authorized officer in the manner provided by Sections 2.80.050 through 2.80.080 and 3.44.010 through 3.44.040, inclusive, of this code.

B. At the request of and with consent of the United States of America, the provisions of subsection (A) of Section 13.20.120 of this chapter shall be applicable to all personal property upon any lands owned, operated or maintained at Isabella Reservoir by said United States and administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

(Prior code § 5408, 5408.1)

A. Any person violating any provision of this chapter or who, after reasonable notice of any rule or regulation adopted for the administration of any public campground, refuses or fails to comply with any such rule or regulation, is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof is punishable by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment in the County Jail for not exceeding six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

B. Each day during which any such violation or refusal or failure to comply with any such rule or regulation occurs or continues shall be deemed a separate offense for which separate prosecution may be had and separate penalty imposed.

(Prior code § 5410)

Between the hours of ten (10:00) p.m. and seven (7:00) a.m., no user of a campsite shall make or allow noise to be made that can be heard outside of the campsite at a distance of fifty (50) or more feet. This noise shall include, but not be limited to, noise from voices, radio generators, dogs, and boat motors. Violation of this section is an infraction. A person who violates this section is also subject to an administrative penalty under Chapter 8.54 of this code.

(Ord. No. G-8815, § 8, 4-2-19)