Public Conduct in Hawthorne, CA (2026)
8 verified public conduct rules for Hawthorne, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Aggressive Panhandling
Hawthorne bans solicitation done in an aggressive or abusive manner anywhere in public, and separately bans soliciting anyone standing at a bus stop, ATM, ticket line, outdoor dining area or drive-through lane. Chapter 9.65 lists ten specific acts that count as aggressive, from blocking someone's path to threatening them.
Hawthorne Aggressive Solicitation Ban
Significant RestrictionsHawthorne Code §§ 9.65.020, 9.65.030
A. It is unlawful for any person to engage in solicitation in an aggressive or abusive manner in any public place. B. It is unlawful for any person to engage in solicitation while the solicited person is in a prohibited place. ... A violation of this chapter is a misdemeanor, punishable upon conviction by imprisonment in the County Jail for a term not to exceed six months, or by a fine not to e...
Public Urination
Hawthorne makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate on any street, sidewalk, alley, plaza, park, public building, or any other place open to the public or exposed to public view, under Municipal Code Section 8.35.010. The only exception is using an actual restroom or other facility built for sanitary human-waste disposal.
Hawthorne Public Urination and Defecation Ban
Heavy RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 8.35.010
A. No person shall urinate or defecate in or upon any street, sidewalk, alley, plaza, park, public building, publicly maintained facility, or any other place open to the public or exposed to public view. B. This section shall not apply to urination or defecation which is done in any restroom or other facility designed for the sanitary disposal of human waste.
Skateboarding Rules
Hawthorne treats skateboards, roller skates, hoverboards and BMX bikes as transportation, not play equipment: riders must travel upright between destinations, obey traffic signals, and stay off any zone posted against wheeled activity. Tricks and stunts are barred everywhere except the city's designated skate park, and repeat juvenile violators risk a 30-day impound.
Hawthorne Skateboard and Wheeled-Vehicle Rules
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 9.43.020
A. Prohibition. No person shall operate, ride or use a skateboard, roller skates and other motorized or nonmotorized vehicles as defined above upon any public or private property within any zone of the city where notice of such provision has been posed and is clearly visible at a minimum of two entrances or the immediate area where such activity is prohibited. B. ... 1. Transportation Uses. ......
Loitering Rules
Hawthorne bars loitering that blocks a business entrance and requires anyone asked to leave a business to go. Chapter 10.72 makes it unlawful to loiter or stand on a street or sidewalk so as to unreasonably block an entrance, and separately unlawful to loiter in or about a business after the owner or an employee tells you to leave.
Hawthorne Loitering and Obstruction Rules
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code §§ 10.72.060, 10.72.090
§ 10.72.060. Obstructing entrances. It is unlawful for any person to loiter or stand in or upon any street or sidewalk or other public way open for pedestrian travel or otherwise occupy any portion thereof in such a manner as to unreasonably obstruct or block the entrance to any business establishment, public or other facility which is open to the public. ... § 10.72.090. Loitering in business ...
Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
Hawthorne prohibits smoking in every city park, recreational facility, parking lot, building and vehicle, and extends the ban to outdoor dining areas, outdoor public events, outdoor seating areas, service areas, enclosed public places and transit stops. The rule also reaches enclosed common areas of multi-unit apartment complexes, with a 20-foot buffer around most prohibited zones.
Hawthorne Bans Smoking in Parks, Public Places
Heavy RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 8.48.030
A. Smoking is prohibited in the following areas: 1. City Property. Except as otherwise provided by this chapter or by state or federal law, no person shall smoke or otherwise permit, allow, or suffer smoking in any city building or structure, city park or recreational facility, city parking lot or structure, or city vehicle. 2. Public Areas. Except as otherwise provided by this chapter or by st...
Jaywalking
Hawthorne requires pedestrians to use a marked crosswalk when crossing any roadway in the business district, and everywhere else pedestrians must cross at right angles to the curb unless using a marked crosswalk.
Hawthorne Crosswalk Requirement, Business District
Light RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 10.72.020
No pedestrian shall cross a roadway other than by a crosswalk in any business district.
Public Marijuana Use
Hawthorne's smoking ordinance defines "smoking" to include possessing a lighted marijuana product, so its public-place bans apply directly to smoking weed. Under Municipal Code Section 8.48.030, that means no smoking marijuana in any enclosed public place, service area, outdoor dining area, outdoor public event, outdoor seating area, transit stop, or shared area of an apartment complex.
Hawthorne Public Marijuana Smoking Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 8.48.030(A)
A. Smoking is prohibited in the following areas: 1. City Property. Except as otherwise provided by this chapter or by state or federal law, no person shall smoke or otherwise permit, allow, or suffer smoking in any city building or structure, city park or recreational facility, city parking lot or structure, or city vehicle. 2. Public Areas. Except as otherwise provided by this chapter or by st...
Public Alcohol Use
Hawthorne bans drinking alcohol and carrying an open container on any public sidewalk, street, alley, or public place in the city under Municipal Code Section 8.38.020(B)-(C). The only carve-outs are licensed restaurants and bars serving on-sale alcohol, outdoor dining areas with a valid encroachment permit, and city parks under a special consumption permit from the parks and recreation director.
Hawthorne Public Alcohol and Open Container Ban
Significant RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 8.38.020(B)-(C)
B. Consumption in Public Places. It is unlawful for any person, whether on foot or in a vehicle, to drink any alcoholic beverage upon any public sidewalk, street, or alley or in any public place in the city, excepting restaurants and other commercial establishments where on-sale consumption is permitted by license of the state, including in designated areas approved for outdoor dining with a va...
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