For Bakersfield homeowners
For water damage restoration in Bakersfield, turn off the water, photograph the damage and start drying in the first 24 to 48 hours. Homeowners policies exclude flood but cover other water damage. Requests come from 11 home ZIP codes.
On this page (9)
- Which Bakersfield ZIP codes do you accept for water damage help?
- How old are Bakersfield's neighborhoods, and does it matter after a leak?
- Can Bakersfield flood if the Kern River bed is dry?
- What causes leaks in a hot, dry city like Bakersfield?
- What can a Bakersfield restoration team help with?
- Which communities around Bakersfield can request help?
- What are the first steps after water enters a Bakersfield home?
- How do California insurance rules apply to a Bakersfield claim?
- Who does the restoration work in Bakersfield?
Which Bakersfield ZIP codes do you accept for water damage help?
Water damage restoration in Bakersfield is available by request from 11 home ZIP codes and 11 PO box codes. When a restoration team accepts your request, the first call confirms your street, since every company draws its own service area around the city.
The home ZIP codes are 93301, 93304, 93305, 93306, 93307, 93308, 93309, 93311, 93312, 93313 and 93314. PO box codes are 93302, 93303 and 93380 plus 93383 to 93390, and 93220 is a nearby code just outside the city. The Kern County page covers the wider county, and the ZIP finder tests a single code.
Use the street ZIP printed on your mail, not a PO box code, when you describe where the damage is.
How old are Bakersfield's neighborhoods, and does it matter after a leak?
Bakersfield is mostly young as a big city. Wikipedia says its population rose from about 105,000 in 1980 to over 400,000 in 2020, and the 2020 census counted 403,455. A lot of its houses were built in that stretch, though the older core near downtown predates it.
Wikipedia adds that newer neighborhoods on the outskirts used to sit among two-lane farm roads, and that the bluff and plateau east of the city, toward Rio Bravo and Kern Canyon, has been under development for about six decades. Houses from different decades fail in different places, so ask when the plumbing and roof were last replaced.
Wikipedia also lists five buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and says the city has historically referred to its regions by direction: North, Northeast, Southeast, South, Southwest and Northwest. Ask your seller or inspector when your plumbing and roof were last replaced, and use our signs of hidden water damage guide to check.
If you are buying, read buying a water-damaged house first.
Can Bakersfield flood if the Kern River bed is dry?
It can, though the river itself is an unlikely cause. Wikipedia says most of the Kern River is diverted into canals, which leaves 30 miles of riverbed through Bakersfield dry. Floods in 1861 swept away the original settlement, which shows what the river once did.
The same article says the Kern River built a large alluvial plain that once spread into wetlands and seasonal lakes. Wikipedia's account of the July 1952 earthquake notes that a collapsed water tower created a flash flood, and that an aftershock raised fear the Friant-Kern Canal could flood the city. Those are history, not a forecast.
The sources behind this page record no storm flooding in Bakersfield after 2020, so this page does not claim one. Use FEMA's map service and the city to learn whether your address sits in a mapped flood zone.
If outside water ever reaches your home, IICRC S500 places it in Category 3, and flood damage restoration explains the work. Our storm and flood damage page covers rain getting in.
What causes leaks in a hot, dry city like Bakersfield?
Heat and long dry spells do most of it. Wikipedia describes a hot arid climate with 112 days a year at 90 F or higher and 36 days at 100 F or higher. Air conditioners run for months, and when rain finally arrives, roofs get tested.
| Bakersfield condition | What can go wrong | Page |
|---|---|---|
| 36 days a year at 100 F | Air conditioner drain lines overflow | AC condensate leaks |
| About 6.36 inches of rain a year | Roofs leak first in a hard winter storm | Roof leaks |
| Winter frost and dense fog | Exposed pipes split in cold snaps | Burst pipes |
| Slab foundations, if yours has one | A leak under the floor | Slab leaks |
Most of the rain falls in winter, per Wikipedia, and the largest one-day fall on record is 2.29 inches. A short heavy storm can still reach an old roof.
What can a Bakersfield restoration team help with?
A restoration team can inspect, dry and often coordinate repairs, though each one decides what it takes on. Your request reaches the restoration team, and it tells you its scope and price. Ask which steps are theirs and which they hand to others.
Wet floors and carpet often start with water removal and extraction. Hidden moisture in walls and slabs calls for structural drying. For a small spill or leak, water damage mitigation describes how a restoration team limits spread.
Afterward, water damage repair covers drywall, floors and finishes. If the loss is at a shop or office, ask about commercial water damage as well.
Our guide on choosing a restoration company lists questions to ask.
Which communities around Bakersfield can request help?
Edison, southeast of the city, is the closest neighbor in our ZIP data. Wikipedia lists Delano, Wasco, Shafter, Arvin and Tehachapi among Kern County cities too. All of them are on the Kern County page, which also shows which ZIP codes apply.
Kern County runs from the southern San Joaquin Valley to the Mojave Desert. Distance matters to a restoration team, so a far-flung address may take extra phone calls. Fresno and the rest of the valley are on the Fresno County page, and Tulare and Kings counties on the Central Valley page.
What are the first steps after water enters a Bakersfield home?
Stop the water, keep people safe and begin recording the damage. The EPA says to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours, and in Bakersfield's heat, warm damp materials can grow mold quickly. These steps suit most leaks.
- Close the water supply at the main valve or the nearest fixture valve.
- Turn off the air conditioner if the leak is near the air handler.
- Take small items and electronics out of wet rooms.
- Photograph the source, the damage and any serial plates on soaked appliances.
- Notify your insurer, then ask a restoration team how it records moisture readings.
Details are in what to do after water damage, and the emergency page covers active leaks.
How do California insurance rules apply to a Bakersfield claim?
California sets clocks on insurers. Under 10 CCR 2695.5(e), an insurer must acknowledge a claim within 15 calendar days, and under 2695.7(b) it must accept or deny within 40 calendar days after proof of claim. A denial must be written and say you can ask the Department of Insurance to review it.
The California Department of Insurance says homeowners policies do not cover flood damage, but do cover other kinds of water damage. A separate flood policy takes effect 30 days after purchase, with an exception for some lender-required policies. Our insurance claim guide and flood insurance guide explain more.
Kern County is oil country, per Wikipedia. If a leak involves anything other than water, such as a fuel or chemical odor, stop and call your utility or fire department before you call a restoration team.
Who does the restoration work in Bakersfield?
The call reaches a local water damage restoration team. That team inspects, quotes and does any work, and nothing is booked until you agree. See how a call works. Check the contractor license on the Contractors State License Board site before you sign.
Sources: Bakersfield and Kern County (Wikipedia); IICRC S500; EPA, mold and moisture; 10 CCR 2695.5; 10 CCR 2695.7; CDI, residential property claims guide; CDI, flood insurance resources.
Water Damage Cleanup California is the local water damage restoration line and information resource for California. When you call or send a request, it reaches a local water damage restoration team that serves your area. That team confirms whether it can reach you and gives its own scope, price and timing. Confirm them directly before you agree to anything.