Kern County · Zoning · CH
Kern County CH zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Kern County's CH zone, generally buildings can be up to 35 ft (3 stories) tall, the front setback is 40 ft and the minimum lot size is 7,500 net sq ft, with the conditions listed below (Kern County code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 35 ft (Buildings and structures; excludes detached accessory structures and specified communication structures)
- Maximum number of stories: 3 stories (Buildings and structures; excludes detached accessory structures and specified communication structures)
- Minimum front setback: 40 ft (From the legal centerline of any existing or proposed public or private local street)
- Minimum side setback: None required
- Minimum rear setback: 20 ft
- Minimum lot size: 7,500 net sq ft
CH (Highway Commercial) is a zoning district in Kern County. Every value below was read from the Kern County Municipal Code and links to its section (read October 2026). State laws such as the ADU and SB 9 rules can allow more on a residential lot. General information, not legal advice — read the code text and check with the city before you build.
Development standards in CH
The general rule for a typical lot in this zone. Zoning tables often attach notes, such as rules for corner lots, lots next to a residential zone, or new subdivisions only. Open “code text” under a value to see the table cell or sentence it was read from.
| Maximum building height | 35 ft Applies: Buildings and structures; excludes detached accessory structures and specified communication structures § 19.34.080 · code textBuildings and structures shall not exceed three (3) stories or thirty-five (35) feet. |
|---|---|
| Maximum number of stories | 3 stories Applies: Buildings and structures; excludes detached accessory structures and specified communication structures § 19.34.080 · code textBuildings and structures shall not exceed three (3) stories or thirty-five (35) feet. |
| Minimum front setback | 40 ft Applies: From the legal centerline of any existing or proposed public or private local street § 19.34.070 · code textForty (40) feet from the legal centerline of any existing or proposed public or private local street; |
| Minimum side setback | None required § 19.34.070 · code textNone required. |
| Minimum rear setback | 20 ft § 19.34.070 · code textThere shall be a rear yard of not less than twenty (20) feet, except that no rear yard shall be required in the event that a public alley exists. |
| Minimum lot size | 7,500 net sq ft § 19.34.050 · code textExcept as otherwise provided in Chapter 19.58 of this title, no lot created within the CH district shall contain less than seven thousand five hundred (7,500) net square feet, excepting in the case of the conveyance to or from a governmental agency, public entity, public utility, community water company or mutual water company for public purposes, public utility purposes, or for rights-of-way or well sites. |
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in CH:
- Minimum front setback: 45 ft — From the legal centerline of any existing or proposed secondary highway § 19.34.070
- Minimum front setback: 55 ft — From the legal centerline of any existing or proposed major highway § 19.34.070
- Minimum rear setback: None required — A public alley exists § 19.34.070
Not on this page
We did not find a general lot coverage, FAR, density limit for CH in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the Kern County Municipal Code.
Other Kern County zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum building height in Kern County's CH zone?
35 ft (buildings and structures; excludes detached accessory structures and specified communication structures) — Kern County Municipal Code § 19.34.080.
What is the maximum number of stories in Kern County's CH zone?
3 stories (buildings and structures; excludes detached accessory structures and specified communication structures) — Kern County Municipal Code § 19.34.080.
What is the minimum front setback in Kern County's CH zone?
40 ft (from the legal centerline of any existing or proposed public or private local street) — Kern County Municipal Code § 19.34.070.
What is the minimum side setback in Kern County's CH zone?
None required — Kern County Municipal Code § 19.34.070.
What is the minimum rear setback in Kern County's CH zone?
20 ft — Kern County Municipal Code § 19.34.070.
General information, not legal advice.
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