Set Up Utilities in Bakersfield: Water, Power and Trash

In most of Bakersfield you set up three things before you move in: electricity and natural gas with PG&E, water with whichever company serves your street, and trash with the City Solid Waste Division (661-326-3114) or, outside city limits, a county franchise hauler. Line them up during escrow so the lights and water are on the day you get your keys.

The part most people miss is water. Bakersfield is not served by one water company, and the same amount of water can cost very different amounts depending on the address. Below is who provides what, how to start each one, and the short list of address changes that come after.

Which utilities do you need to set up in Bakersfield?

Here is the quick version for a home inside the Bakersfield area. The seller's recent bills confirm the exact providers for your address.

Sources: PG&E start service page and service territory list, City of Bakersfield Garbage and Recycling page, Kern County Public Works trash collection page, Bakersfield Municipal Code 8.32.060, all read November 6, 2026.

Who provides electricity and gas in Bakersfield?

PG&E lists Bakersfield in its service territory, and for most homes in town it is the company you call for power and natural gas. The seller's last bill confirms it for your address. PG&E says that in most cases residential service can start the same day you request it, and you can set the start date up to 60 days ahead. Schedule it ahead for the day you take possession, not the day you sign, and confirm the start in your account.

If the home has solar panels, the process is different. PG&E's start service page says solar customers must call 1-877-743-4112 to start service; only one type of solar account (NEM2A) can start online. Before you close on a solar home, find out whether the panels are owned, financed or leased, because that changes what you are taking over. I covered that in buying a house with leased solar panels.

PG&E also offers CARE, a bill discount for households that qualify. It is worth a look when you open the account.

Which water company serves your home?

This is the question that surprises people moving here. The City of Bakersfield owns a water system that serves most of West Bakersfield, and it pays Cal Water to run it day to day. The City's 2025 rate report puts that system at about 166,000 residents out of roughly 412,000 people in the city, so most of town is served by someone else.

The other providers named in the City's own comparison are Cal Water, Vaughn Water, East Niles and Oildale Mutual. Cal Water's Bakersfield District office is at 3725 South H Street, but it does not take walk-in customers; it answers at (661) 837-7200 and by email.

Three easy ways to find your water company before closing:

• Ask the seller, through your agent, for a copy of a recent water bill.
• Ask the seller's agent which companies serve the home.
• Use Cal Water's Find My District tool on calwater.com to see whether the address is in one of the systems it serves.

Why your water bill depends on your address

When the City studied its rates in 2025, it compared an average monthly bill for the same use (a 1-inch meter and 15 CCF of water a month) across the water companies that serve Bakersfield residents. The spread is wide.

Source: City of Bakersfield, 2025 Supplemental Report to the Drinking Water Rate Study, Figure 5-9 (linked from the City's water rate page), read November 6, 2026. These are the City's modeled bills for one usage level, not anyone's actual bill. Your bill depends on your meter, your yard and how much water you use.

The City's rates are also changing. The City Council approved a five year plan on June 11, 2025: 34 percent for fiscal year 2026 (starting July 1, 2025), then 6 percent, 6 percent, 2.4 percent and 2.4 percent. The City's page lists the five steps as 50.8 percent in total. The City put the average increase at about $11.50 a month for that same 1-inch meter and 15 CCF customer. That is why the City figure above is the new rate, not the old $43.46.

None of this makes one part of town a better choice. It is one more line in the real cost of a specific home, the same way the sewer fee and property taxes are. If water cost matters to you, ask for the seller's last few bills while you are still in your contingency period.

How trash service works in Bakersfield

Inside city limits, the City's Public Works Department Solid Waste Division handles trash. Each house gets a 96-gallon garbage cart (tan, gray or black), a 96-gallon blue recycling cart and a 64-gallon green organics cart. To start new service at a city home, the City says to call the Solid Waste Division at 661-326-3114. Carts go to the curb by 6 a.m. on your pickup day, and you can look up your schedule by address on the City's website.

Here is the part new owners do not expect: there is no monthly trash bill for a city house. Under Bakersfield Municipal Code 8.32.060, residential trash charges for single-family homes up to fourplexes go on the county's secured roll and are collected with your property taxes. For fiscal year 2026-27, the City's posted rate sheet lists $304 a year for a single-family home, and separately a county land-use fee of $191 a year per unit for properties of 1 to 4 units.

Outside city limits, Kern County contracts with private franchise haulers. In metro Bakersfield those include Howard's Garbage Service, Price Disposal, Superior Sanitation, Valley Garbage Service, Varner and Son and Varner Brothers. Kern County Public Works says to check the hauler's name printed on your carts, or call (661) 862-8900 if you are not sure who serves you.

One perk worth knowing for move-in week: city homes get curbside pickup of 2 bulky items per quarter at no additional charge. That covers the old mattress or the dryer the seller left behind. Call the same 661-326-3114 number to schedule it.

What about sewer?

For a home on the city sewer system, the sewer charge is also on the property tax bill, so there is nothing to set up. It is $475 a year for a single-family home in 2026-27, and the plan the City Council approved on May 27, 2026 raises it each year to $875. I broke that down in the sewer fee post. Outside the city, a home may be on a sanitation district or on a septic system. The seller's disclosures should say which, and if it is septic, ask your inspector about it before your contingencies are up.

Your move-in checklist, in order

1. During escrow, get the provider names for power, water and trash for the address.
2. Schedule PG&E to start in your name on the day you take possession.
3. Call the water company for your address and set the same start date.
4. For a city home, the trash charge is on the property tax bill; call 661-326-3114 to start new service or if carts are missing. For a county home, call the hauler named on the carts.
5. File a change of address with USPS. USPS says to allow at least 7 to 10 business days after your request is approved, and online requests now include an identity check.
6. Update the DMV. California Vehicle Code sections 14600 and 4159 give you 10 days after a move to report a new address for your driver's license and your vehicle registration.
7. File the Homeowners' Exemption with the Kern County Assessor. It takes $7,000 off the home's taxable value, it is a one time filing on form BOE-266, and the State Board of Equalization says to file by February 15 for the full exemption that year. My Kern County property tax due dates guide walks through it.
8. Watch your mail for a supplemental tax bill. It is separate from the regular bill and catches a lot of new owners off guard. Here is how the supplemental tax bill works.

Buying new construction? Ask the builder which water company serves the community and how the solar is set up before you sign. It is on my new construction checklist for a reason.

Common questions

Do I get a monthly trash bill in Bakersfield?

Not for a single-family home inside city limits. The City places residential trash charges on the secured property tax roll under Municipal Code 8.32.060, so they are collected with your property taxes. In county areas, ask your franchise hauler how it bills.

Can I start PG&E before I close?

You can schedule it ahead. PG&E says you can arrange a start up to 60 days in advance. Pick the day you take possession, since the account is in your name from that date.

How do I find out which water company serves a Bakersfield address?

The fastest way is a recent water bill from the seller. The seller's agent can also tell you, and Cal Water's website has a Find My District tool for the systems it serves. If the home is in West Bakersfield, there is a good chance it is on the City system, which Cal Water operates.

Why do homes near each other have different water companies?

Each water company and district serves its own area, and those lines do not follow neighborhood names. Homes in the same part of town can be served by different providers with different rates, which is why the bill table above is worth checking on any home you are serious about.

Is the Homeowners' Exemption automatic when I buy?

No. It is a one time filing with the Kern County Assessor on form BOE-266. File by February 15 to get the full exemption for that year, and once approved it stays on while you remain eligible. You tell the Assessor if that changes.

Moving here soon?

If you are moving to Bakersfield, my moving to Bakersfield questions page answers the rest of what people ask me, and my free relocation guide lays out the move step by step: Your Bakersfield Relocation Guide. Buying your first home? Start with my first-time buyer questions. Ask me anything, even the random stuff. Se habla español.

The featured image at the top of this post is an illustration, not a real home.

Julio Ochoa | Next Level Realty | CalDRE 02198776 | 661-933-8428