Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Following months of research and analysis, a 431-page draft environmental report for the proposed 29,630-square-foot Bakersfield California Temple was published in March. The Planning Commission will review the report along with public feedback as it considers a zoning modification to allow the temple’s 123-foot steeple. Residents of a nearby 55-and-over community have raised concerns about the height of the building and its architectural lighting, which the Church has addressed with findings in the report.

A meeting regarding the proposed Bakersfield California Temple was held on October 15 to hear comments from agencies, interested parties, and the general public regarding the scope and content of the environmental report being produced. Only one of the thirty-eight attendees expressed concerns regarding the height and proposed lighting of the building. The draft report is expected to be released for public review in spring 2026.

Church representatives are gathering information on environmental impacts to support a zoning modification application that would accommodate the proposed height of the Bakersfield California Temple. A group of nearby residents support the temple but disagree with the height and lighting of the tower. An open house for neighbors was held in July, and neighbors met again last week where various renderings of the temple were presented. The decision of whether to grant the proposed zoning modification will go before the Bakersfield Planning Commission, but a date has not yet been scheduled. Church growth continues in the Bakersfield area where a fourth stake was created last month.

An exterior rendering of the single-story, 30,000-square-foot Bakersfield California Temple was released today. Plans for the temple were announced in April 2023, and the location was revealed in July 2023. The 13.07-acre property is located northwest of the intersection of Stockdale Highway and Jewetta Avenue in Bakersfield. Accompanying the temple on site will be a meetinghouse and distribution center.

The site selected for the Bakersfield California Temple has announced as a 13.07-acre property located northwest of the intersection of Stockdale Highway and Jewetta Avenue in Bakersfield. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 30,000 square feet with an accompanying distribution center and meetinghouse. There are nearly 730,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 1,130 congregations in California.