Taft is an oil town through and through, set southwest of Bakersfield on the edge of the Midway-Sunset field. Downtown along Center Street holds early-20th-century commercial buildings and oil-era cottages, while the surrounding neighborhoods mix mid-century ranch homes, worker housing from the boom years, and newer infill. Lots are typically generous, and the west side of town rises into foothills where some parcels carry slope and views.
Detached ADUs up to 1,200 square feet fit naturally on Taft’s roomy flat lots. A one- or two-bedroom cottage in the rear yard gets its own entrance and outdoor space with real separation from the main house — the kind of project the town’s deep, rectangular parcels were made for. On the west-side hillside parcels, we design for the grade: stepped foundations and careful drainage, with the upside of a unit that can capture valley views.
For the older oil-era cottages closer to downtown, garage conversions and attached additions are often the smarter play. Many of these homes have existing detached garages or shop buildings that convert into compact one-bedroom ADUs with modest structural work. Attached rear additions suit the mid-century ranches where a bedroom-suite extension integrates with the existing roofline. Junior ADUs up to 500 square feet round out the options — a low-cost way to create housing for family inside the current footprint.
Taft ADU permits run through the city’s Planning department, and California’s ministerial (by-right) approval process applies: compliant projects are approved on the plans, not through discretionary hearings. State law caps side and rear setbacks at 4 feet and bars owner-occupancy requirements for standard ADUs. On sloped west-side lots, we confirm grading, drainage, and access early in feasibility so the site plan accounts for the terrain from day one.
Rental demand in Taft is driven by the oil fields — field services, contractors, and Taft College staff and students all need housing, and small-town rental supply stays tight. A well-built ADU here fills a genuine gap in the market. Many of Taft’s older homes still run on original electrical panels, so panel capacity and sewer-lateral condition are part of our standard site evaluation before design begins.
Ready to find out what your Taft lot can carry? ADU Cities is a Southern California ADU design-build firm — we handle feasibility, design, permits, and construction under one roof. Call 562.810.1965 for a free consultation and site evaluation. CSLB #1138550.
