Business Licensing & Operations in Hawthorne, CA (2026)
8 verified business licensing & operations rules for Hawthorne, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
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.
Hawthorne Adult Business Permit & Buffers
Significant RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 5.92.060
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 propos...
Massage Establishments
Hawthorne massage establishments need both a business license and a police-issued operator's certificate, and every practitioner must hold current CAMTC certification. The code sets facility, staffing and recordkeeping rules, backed by inspections and a $1,000 misdemeanor penalty.
Hawthorne Massage Establishment License Rules
Significant RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 5.58.040 / § 5.58.140
It is unlawful for any massage establishment to provide massage therapy services unless the massage establishment complies with all of requirements of this chapter and obtains the following: (a) a business license pursuant to Chapter 5.06; and (b) an operator's certificate, pursuant to this chapter... Any person violating this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of on...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Hawthorne confines tattoo parlors and body piercing facilities to a conditional-use framework under Chapter 17.77, capping hours at 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., banning alcohol on the premises, and requiring a 1,000-foot buffer from another shop and a 600-foot buffer from any school before the city issues a license.
Hawthorne Tattoo and Piercing Shop Rules
Significant RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 17.77.040
A. Business operating hours shall be limited to the hours between nine a.m. and ten p.m. B. The consumption or possession of alcoholic beverages on the premises is prohibited. C. No tattoo parlor or body piercing facility shall be located within one thousand feet of another tattoo parlor or body piercing facility. D. No tattoo parlor or body piercing facility shall be within six hundred feet of...
Tobacco Retail License
Selling cigarettes, cigars, snuff, chewing tobacco, or other tobacco products in Hawthorne requires a tobacco retailer's license for each location under Municipal Code Chapter 5.98, separate from the general business license. Retailers must card anyone who looks under thirty, cannot use self-service displays or vending machines, and face escalating license suspensions for repeat violations.
Hawthorne Tobacco Retailer License Rules
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 5.98.020
It is unlawful for any person to act as a tobacco retailer without first obtaining and maintaining a valid tobacco retailer's license pursuant to this chapter, for each location at which that activity is to occur. It is a violation of a tobacco retailer's license for a licensee or his or her agent or employee to violate any local, state, or federal tobacco-related law.
Secondhand Dealers
Hawthorne charges secondhand dealers $150 a year (or gross receipts, whichever is greater) under HMC § 5.52.020(B), and holds them to the same five-day resale hold and police reporting duties as pawnbrokers under Chapter 5.52.
Hawthorne Secondhand Dealer Licensing Rules
Significant RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 5.52.020
Every person engaging in the business of pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, junk dealer or junk collector shall pay a license fee as follows: ... B. Secondhand dealer—$150.00 per year, or on gross receipts basis, whichever is greater;
Pawnbrokers
Hawthorne charges pawnbrokers $200 a year (or gross receipts, whichever is greater) under HMC § 5.52.020, requires a five-day hold on all goods, twice-weekly police reports, and bars anyone whose license was revoked in the past twelve months.
Hawthorne Pawnbroker License and Hold Rules
Significant RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 5.52.020
Every person engaging in the business of pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, junk dealer or junk collector shall pay a license fee as follows: A. Pawnbroker—$200.00 per year, or on gross receipts basis, whichever is greater;
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Hawthorne expressly forbids vehicle sales, servicing and repair as a home occupation. The prohibition names cars, motorcycles, trucks, boats and bicycles and applies in every zone, with no permit path around it.
Hawthorne Bans Home-Based Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 17.72.050(A)
The following home occupations are expressly prohibited in any zone: A. Vehicle sales, servicing and repair, including, but not limited to, automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, boats, or bicycles;
Towing Companies
A tow operator that wants Hawthorne Police Department accident and impound referrals must hold a separate city referral towing permit under Municipal Code Chapter 5.94. Permittees pay the city 15% of gross receipts earned from those referrals, must reach the scene within fifteen minutes, and must run a fleet and storage yard that meet the chapter's minimum equipment and capacity standards.
Hawthorne City-Referral Towing Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 5.94.020
A towing business that receives the right from the city to service city referrals shall beforehand have duly obtained a referral towing service permit from the city's business license department.
Looking for Los Angeles County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Hawthorne city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Los Angeles County →