Hawthorne, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Adult business permit plus business license
- Residential buffer
- 500 feet
- School/park/church buffer
- 1,000 feet
- Other adult business buffer
- 1,000 feet
- Alcohol license buffer
- 500 feet
- Zone
- M-2 only (§ 17.34.020)
- Review time
- 20 city business days
Summary
Any adult bookstore, cabaret, motion-picture arcade, or similar sexually oriented business in Hawthorne needs an adult business permit under Municipal Code Chapter 5.92, in addition to the standard business license. The director of licensing and code enforcement will not issue the permit unless the site clears strict distance buffers from homes, schools, churches, parks, liquor-licensed businesses, and other adult businesses, and sits inside the M-2 industrial zone.
A. The adult business is not proposed to be located within five hundred feet of any residential zone or residential use... B. The adult business is not proposed to be located within one thousand feet of any lot upon which there is located any religious institution, public park, any public or private elementary, secondary, middle, junior high or high school... C. The adult business is not proposed to be located within one thousand feet of another adult business not located within the same premises and under the same ownership and control... D. The adult business is not proposed to be located within five hundred feet of any property upon which is located a business which has either an on-sale or off-sale alcoholic beverage license... E. The adult business is located in the M-2 zone as required by Section 17.34.020 of the Hawthorne Municipal Code.
Full Breakdown
040(C). 050, and the decision is final. 020. 060(J) add a uniformed security guard on the grounds whenever the business is open, exterior lighting, sound insulation so noise is not audible off the premises, opaque window coverings, sign limits banning nude imagery, minimum twenty-footcandle interior lighting, and a bar on anyone under eighteen entering. 030 requires businesses to keep segregated gross-receipts records for at least three years and open them to the director on request. 100, and any change from one type of adult business to another voids the permit.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a permit is a misdemeanor under the citywide penalty in Section 1.20.010, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail, with each day a separate offense. The director must revoke a permit under Section 5.92.110 if a permit holder is convicted of specified sex-related felonies or misdemeanors tied to the premises, or if the business keeps violating this chapter for more than ten days after written notice. Revoked permit holders are barred from reapplying for three years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an adult business locate anywhere in Hawthorne?
How long does the city take to decide on a permit?
Can the permit be sold to a new owner?
What can get the permit revoked?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hawthorne
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle adult entertainment.