Business Licensing & Operations in Inglewood, CA

Inglewood maintains 151 local ordinances across all categories, and 8 of those deal specifically with business licensing & operations. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Inglewood falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Adult Entertainment

Inglewood requires adult cabarets and adult live entertainment theaters to hold three separate approvals before opening: a business license from the Finance Department, a Special Use Permit from the Planning Commission or City Council, and a Building Permit from the City Building Official, per Municipal Code § 8-69.

Key details: Approvals required: Business license + SUP + building permit. Issuing bodies: Finance Dept, Planning Commission/Council, Building Official. Zoning check: Permitted zone or nonconforming use (§12-60). First violation fine: Up to $100 (infraction). Repeat violation fine: Up to $500 within one year.

Operating an adult cabaret or adult live entertainment theater without the business license, Special Use Permit, and Building Permit required by § 8-69 is specifically declared an infraction under § 1-18.1(a). A first violation draws a fine up to $100, a second violation within one year up to $200, and each additional violation within that year up to $500, per § 1-18.

This is one of the stricter rules in Inglewood's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Massage Establishments

Massage establishments in Inglewood need a business license, Special Use Permit, and Building Permit under § 8-69, and every individual masseur or masseuse must separately hold a permit from the Chief of Police under § 8-69.1 before performing or being employed to perform massage.

Key details: Business-level approvals: License + SUP + building permit (§8-69). Individual permit: Masseur/masseuse permit from Chief of Police. Zoning conditions: Mandatory conditions in §§12-95.4.1, 12-95.2. Employment without permit: Unlawful for employees too. First violation fine: Up to $100 (infraction).

Both § 8-69 and § 8-69.1 are specifically declared infractions under § 1-18.1(a): a first violation carries a fine up to $100, a second within one year up to $200, and each further violation in that year up to $500, per § 1-18.

This is one of the stricter rules in Inglewood's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Pawnbrokers

Inglewood pawnbrokers must file a daily 'Buy-Form' with the Chief of Police for every transaction within three hours of closing, hold pledged merchandise through mandatory waiting periods before disposal, and comply with police hold orders of up to ninety days under Municipal Code § 8-73.

Key details: Buy-Form deadline: Within 3 hours after close of business. Record retention: At least 2 years. Junk metal hold: 21 days before disposal. Other merchandise hold: 14 days before disposal. Police hold order: Up to 90 days.

Section 8-73 is not among the code's listed infractions, so violations fall under the general misdemeanor penalty in § 1-18: a fine not exceeding $500, imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both. Section 8-73.6 separately makes it unlawful to sign a fictitious name or false address on a Buy-Form.

This is one of the stricter rules in Inglewood's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Towing Companies

Inglewood caps police-referral towing permits at three vendors citywide; operators need a 36-month permit from the City Council after a public hearing, must respond within fifteen minutes, and pay the city seven percent of gross receipts from referred tows under Municipal Code § 8-90.1.

Key details: Permit cap: 3 towing vendors citywide. Permit term: 36 months. Response time: 15 minutes of a request. Admin tow fee: 7% of gross receipts from referred business. Per-impound admin fee: $150 for specified impound reasons.

Article 6 is not listed among the code's specific infractions in § 1-18.1(a), so violations default to the general misdemeanor penalty in § 1-18: a fine not exceeding $500, imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both. Separately, § 8-91.1 lets the City Council suspend or revoke a referral towing permit outright for failing the fifteen-minute response-time requirement.

This is one of the stricter rules in Inglewood's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Tobacco Retail License

Inglewood requires every retailer of cigarettes, vape products, hookah tobacco or paraphernalia to hold a City tobacco retailer's license under Municipal Code § 8-111, with a separate nontransferable license for each location. Operating unlicensed is both a misdemeanor and a declared public nuisance, and retailers face escalating fines plus suspension or revocation for repeat violations.

Key details: Enforcing agency: Police Dept., Business License & Code Enforcement Divisions. License scope: One nontransferable license required per retail location. Renewal deadline: File and pay fee 30 days before Dec. 31 expiration. First misdemeanor fine: $200; rises to $500, then $1,000 for repeats. First license violation fine: $1,000 administrative fine under § 8-119.

Selling tobacco unlicensed or violating § 8-111(a) through (c) is a misdemeanor under § 8-118, fined $200 for a first offense, $500 for a second within a year, and $1,000 for each further violation. Separately, § 8-119 allows a $1,000 administrative fine for a first license violation, suspension up to ninety days for a second within five years, and revocation on a third, with a six-month bar on reapplying and recovery of the City's enforcement costs.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Inglewood actively enforces its tobacco retail license requirements.

Secondhand Dealers

Inglewood requires a Committee-issued permit before anyone opens a pawn shop or secondhand goods business, at a $100 Category 3 fee, and a separate $25 Category 1 permit for junk and salvage dealers. Both run through the same Permits and Licenses Committee process and can be denied or pulled for cause.

Key details: Secondhand/pawn shop permit fee: $100 (Category 3). Junk/salvage dealer permit fee: $25 (Category 1). Issuing body: Permits & Licenses Committee. Decision deadline: 45 days after complete application. Appeal fee/window: $15 within 10 days.

Operating a pawn shop, secondhand dealer, junk dealer, or junk collector business without the Committee permit required by § 8-53 falls under the Article 3 permit-required rule in § 8-48, and conducting business without the associated business tax certificate triggers § 8-2's penalty of 20% of the tax due plus 10% for each month it stays unpaid, capped at 50%, collectible as a misdemeanor debt to the City. An existing permit can be suspended for up to fifteen days without a hearing under § 8-46, or revoked by the Committee or City Council under § 8-47 for illegal operation, a false application statement, nonpayment of City fees, or a zoning violation, with a 12-month bar on reapplying.

Compared to other cities, Inglewood takes a harder line on secondhand dealers. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Auto Repair on Residential Property

Inglewood bans vehicle servicing, repair, washing or storage as a home occupation outright. Section 12-17.1(a) of the Municipal Code names cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles and bicycles specifically, so no home-based auto repair business, however small, can ever be authorized in a residential zone.

Key details: Governing section: § 12-17.1(a). Banned activity: Vehicle servicing, repair, washing, storage. Vehicles named: Cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, bicycles. Permit available: None, activity is prohibited outright. Legal location instead: C-3/C-S/M-1/M-2 zones, § 12-16.6.

Running a vehicle repair, servicing, washing or storage operation from a residence violates Section 12-17.1(a) and is unlawful under Section 12-17.3 regardless of size or scale; no permit path legalizes it. Section 12-17 is absent from the infractions list in Section 1-18.1, so enforcement defaults to the Section 1-18 misdemeanor penalty: up to a $500 fine, up to six months in County Jail, or both.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Inglewood actively enforces its auto repair on residential property requirements.

Tattoo & Body Modification

Tattoo parlors, including body piercing shops, may only operate in Inglewood's C-1 Limited Commercial Zone with a Special Use Permit under Section 12-23.0(A)(22); the same use is flatly prohibited in the R-M Residential and Medical Zone under Section 12-22.20.1. The Special Use Permit route means discretionary city review before any tattoo studio can open its doors.

Key details: Allowed zone: C-1 Limited Commercial Zone only, with SUP. Permit type: Special Use Permit (discretionary), Sec. 12-23.0(A)(22). Prohibited zone: R-M zone bans tattoo parlors outright. Scope: Includes body piercing establishments. Enforcing department: Planning and Building Department.

Operating a tattoo or body-piercing shop in the C-1 zone without first securing Special Use Permit approval under Section 12-23.0(A)(22), or opening one anywhere in the R-M zone where Section 12-22.20.1 prohibits the use outright, is operating without the required zoning entitlement and can be cited by the Planning and Building Department, which can shut the business down until the permit is obtained or the use is relocated to an eligible zone.

Compared to other cities, Inglewood takes a harder line on tattoo & body modification. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

The Bottom Line

Inglewood is tougher than many cities when it comes to business licensing & operations. Out of the 8 rules covered here, 8 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Inglewood, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

This guide is based on Inglewood's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.