Business Licensing & Operations in Carson, CA (2026)
8 verified business licensing & operations rules for Carson, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Carson requires adult businesses to hold a Conditional Use Permit and stay at least 1,000 feet from schools, parks, other adult businesses, and the Civic Center, with a 500-foot buffer from churches and residences.
Carson, CA Adult Business Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsCarson Municipal Code § 9138.9(A)(2)
The use shall not be located within a one thousand (1,000) foot radius of any of the following: a. Another adult business; b. A public or private element elementary or secondary school; c. A public park; or d. The Carson Civic Center, as such term is defined in CMC § 9191.072. 3. The use shall not be located on any lot or parcel of land that has a front yard on the same or opposi...
Massage Establishments
Carson requires a Conditional Use Permit, a City business license, and annual inspections to operate a massage establishment, plus a separate City permit for every individual massage technician.
Carson, CA Massage Establishment License Rules
Significant RestrictionsCarson Municipal Code § 9138.91(C)(2)(a)
No person shall engage in, conduct or carry on, or permit to be engaged in, conducted or carried on, in any location within the City, the business or operation of a massage establishment, and no person shall manage a massage establishment, without first obtaining a valid business license and permit issued by the City Business License Division. b. Each establishment providing massage services...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Carson requires a Conditional Use Permit and City business license to operate a tattoo establishment, plus Los Angeles County health registration and permits before any tattoo service begins.
Carson, CA Tattoo Establishment Rules
Significant RestrictionsCarson Municipal Code § 9138.92(C)(2)(a)
No person shall engage in, conduct or carry on, or permit to be engaged in, conducted or carried on, in any location within the City, the business or operation of a tattoo establishment, and no person shall manage a tattoo establishment, without first obtaining a valid business license issued by the Business License Division. b. Each person providing tattoo service in a tattoo establishment ...
Tobacco Retail License
Carson tobacco retailers must apply to the Director for a City tobacco and electronic cigarette permit, hold a valid business license, and pay a fee set to recover permit administration and inspection costs.
Carson Tobacco Retailer License Process
Some RestrictionsCarson Municipal Code § 63150.5.3
A completed application for a tobacco and electronic cigarette permit (including the payment of all necessary fees) shall be submitted to the Director. The application shall be sought in the name of the person proposing to conduct retail tobacco sales and shall be signed by such person or, in the case of a business, by an authorized agent thereof. A valid City business license is also required ...
Secondhand Dealers
Carson licenses secondhand dealers under CMC § 63147, which folds them into the pawnbroker rules of § 63141: daily police reporting, positive ID on every purchase, and a two-year, fourteen-day hold before resale.
Carson Secondhand Dealer License Rules
Significant RestrictionsCarson Municipal Code § 63147 (incorporating § 63141)
Permit Fee $250.00. The provisions of CMC § 63141 apply to second hand dealers. (Ord. 06-1342 § 53) ... Every person who sells, pledges or consigns any property to a secondhand dealer ... shall furnish true, positive identification to the business permittee by which such person can be located by the Law Enforcement Agency of the City. ... Every such business permittee shall preserve for a perio...
Pawnbrokers
Carson pawnbrokers must report every purchase, pledge or consignment to police daily on a 'Buy Form,' hold items fourteen days before altering or reselling them, and cannot transact between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Carson Pawnbroker Recordkeeping and Hours
Significant RestrictionsCarson Municipal Code § 63141
Permit Fee $250.00. ... pawnbrokers, junk dealers, secondhand dealers, salvage dealers, auctioneers dealing in the purchase or consignment of personal property, and operators of swap meets shall be subject to the following provisions ... Each of the foregoing shall at the close of each day mail to the Law Enforcement Agency of the City the 'Buy Form' ... A pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, salvage...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Carson lets residents do minor auto repairs at home but caps visible work to one vehicle, owner-only, and bans loud or repetitive engine testing.
Carson Home Auto Repair Limits
Some RestrictionsCarson Municipal Code § 9122.7
Minor repair and service of a motor vehicle as defined in CMC § 9191.406 is permitted as an accessory use in conjunction with a dwelling unit, subject to the following limitations... Not more than one (1) motor vehicle, as viewed from a public right-of-way, may be repaired at any one (1) point in time. No repair or service work shall be performed on any motor vehicle where such work results in ...
Towing Companies
Carson, California requires a City-awarded, nonexclusive franchise before any company can perform nonconsensual (police-ordered) tows for the City; private-property and owner-requested tows are not covered by this rule.
Carson Nonconsensual Tow Franchise Program
Significant RestrictionsCarson Municipal Code § 618050(B)
No person shall perform vehicle towing services for a nonconsensual tow for the City of Carson unless such person has obtained a non-exclusive tow service franchise from the City to perform nonconsensual towing services, as memorialized in a written tow franchise agreement, which will contain or reference all program regulations, terms and conditions, including but not limited to those which sh...
Looking for Los Angeles County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Carson city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Los Angeles County →