Animal Ordinances in Hawthorne, CA (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Hawthorne, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Hawthorne bans crowing roosters outright on residential, church or educational-use property and caps domestic fowl at ten and rabbits at five per lot. Manure from any kept fowl or livestock also has to stay a set distance from doors, windows and nearby institutions and be cleared out regularly.
Hawthorne Backyard Chicken and Rabbit Limits
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 6.24.050
No person shall keep any crowing roosters or more than ten domestic fowl or birds, or more than five rabbits on any real property, the use of which is restricted to residential purposes, church purposes or educational purposes by this code or any other ordinance of the city.
Breed Restrictions
Hawthorne does not ban specific dog breeds, but it singles out any dog "trained to attack persons or animals" and requires it to be confined behind a fence or wall at least six feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates whenever it is on private property, even the owner's own yard.
Hawthorne Attack Dog Confinement Rules
Significant RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 6.16.015
Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 6.08.010 and 6.16.010, no person owning or having charge, care, custody, or control of any dog which dog has been trained to attack persons or animals, shall cause, permit or allow the same to be or run at large or be chained or fastened upon any private property or premises including those of the person owning or having charge, care or custody of such...
Beekeeping
Hawthorne prohibits keeping any hive or swarm of bees within two hundred feet of a residence, hospital, school, church, store, office, or any other place of habitation, which effectively rules out backyard beekeeping on most standard residential lots citywide.
Hawthorne Beekeeping Distance Requirement
Significant RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 6.24.060
No person shall keep any hive or swarm of bees within two hundred feet of any residence, hospital, sanitarium, public eating place, school, church, office building, store, home, apartment house, rooming house, or any other place of habitation. This section shall not apply to the keeping of bees within an educational institute for study or observation, or within a physician's office or laborator...
Exotic Pets
Anything beyond a household pet, dog, cat, canary, parrot or similar bird, requires a special permit from Hawthorne's director of animal services before it can be kept on any property in the city, and the director can deny the permit outright if it would risk public health or safety.
Hawthorne Exotic Animal Keeping Permit
Significant RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 6.24.020
No person shall keep any animal other than a household pet (dog, cat, canary, parrot, or similar animal or bird) on any real property except by special permit issued by the director of animal services or the director of licensing and code enforcement upon written application setting forth the exact nature and numbers of such animals desired to be kept, the reason for the request of issuance of ...
Pet Limits
Hawthorne caps household pets at three per residential lot, in any combination, as part of the citywide accessory-use standards for the R-1 through R-4 zones. Simians, other dangerous animals and poisonous or constricting reptiles do not count toward that limit because they are not permitted household pets to begin with.
Hawthorne Household Pet Limit: Three Per Lot
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 17.20.160(D)(4)
Permitted accessory uses: ... 4. Household pets (but not including simians or dangerous animals or poisonous or constricting reptiles); provided, the total number in any combination thereof shall not exceed three;
Cat Rules
Hawthorne does not require an individual license for cats the way it does for dogs, but cats are still covered by the citywide at-large ban and by mandatory rabies vaccination once impounded. Owners who let a cat roam loose off their property without confinement can be cited under the same nuisance-at-large ordinance that governs dogs.
Hawthorne Cat At-Large and Vaccination Rules
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 6.08.010
No person owing or having possession, charge, custody or control of any animal shall allow the same to stray, or run, or in any other manner be, at large, or in or upon any public street, park, or other public place in the city or in or upon any unenclosed lot, land or premises... providing that the provisions of this section shall not apply where such animal is restrained by a substantial chai...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Hawthorne allows small animal hospitals, kennels and veterinary offices in the M-1 industrial zone, but only if the building is fully soundproofed and every outdoor run is walled off. The city treats vet clinics as a conditional industrial use, not a by-right commercial one.
Hawthorne Veterinary Office Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 17.32.020
Small animal hospitals, kennels and veterinary offices; provided, the building or structure is completely soundproofed; all run areas are completely surrounded by an eight-foot solid wall; the animal runs are constructed in such a manner that no animal can see any other animal; and an incinerator of a type recommended by the health department shall be installed;
Bird Protection
Hawthorne allows a private, noncommercial backyard aviary as an accessory use in every residential zone, but caps it at twelve birds and limits it to song and decorative species such as canaries, specifically excluding pigeons and birds of prey.
Hawthorne Backyard Aviary Bird Limit
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 17.20.160(D)(3)
Permitted accessory uses: ... 3. Aviaries (private and noncommercial) for birds such as canaries and other song and decorative birds, but not including pigeons and birds of prey; provided, the total number of birds shall not exceed twelve;
Looking for Los Angeles County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Hawthorne city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Los Angeles County →