Business Licensing & Operations in Hayward, CA (2026)
8 verified business licensing & operations rules for Hayward, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Hayward bans adult entertainment activities, defined to include adult bookstores, arcades, theaters, and sexual encounter establishments, within 500 feet of any residentially zoned parcel, school, church running minors' religious classes, park, museum, library, or another adult business. Section 10-1.2735(a) also required any nonconforming adult business as of 1980 to close or conform by September 19, 1980.
Hayward Adult Entertainment Zoning Rules
Significant RestrictionsHayward Municipal Code Sec. 10-1.2735(a)(3)
a.Adult Entertainment Activity Regulations.(3)Location. No person shall place, maintain, own or operate any adult entertainment activity, as herein defined, in the following locations:(a)Within 500 feet of any parcel of real property zoned primarily for residential use; or(b)Within 500 feet of any parcel of real property on which is located any of the following facilities:(i)A school primarily ...
Massage Establishments
Hayward requires a Massage Permit Ordinance permit from the Chief of Police before opening a massage establishment, on top of zoning approval and state CAMTC certification for every therapist, with a sixty-day review and mandatory fingerprinting.
Massage Establishment Permits in Hayward
Significant RestrictionsHayward, CA, Municipal Code § 6-10.03
Except as otherwise provided in section 6-10.04, it shall be unlawful for any person to engage in, conduct or carry on, or permit to be engaged in, conducted or carried on, in or upon any premises within the city, the operation of a massage establishment without first having obtained a massage establishment permit issued by the Chief of Police pursuant to this Article. A separate permit shall b...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Hayward treats tattoo parlors as a zoning-regulated use whose permit level changes by commercial district. Table 10-1.802 lists Tattoo as a permitted use outright in the General Commercial and Central Business Districts, but requires an Administrative Use Permit in the Neighborhood Commercial-Residential and Commercial Neighborhood Districts, and bars it from the Residential-Office and Commercial Office Districts.
Hayward Tattoo Parlor Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsHayward, CA, Municipal Code § 10-1.802 (Table 10-1.802, Use Regulations - Commercial Districts)
"P" designates permitted uses. "A" designates uses that are permitted after review and approval of an Administrative Use Permit. "C" designates uses that are permitted after review and approval of a Conditional Use Permit. "M" designates uses that are permitted after review and approval of a Major Conditional Use Permit. "-" designates uses that are not allowed. [...] Personal Services Personal...
Tobacco Retail License
Every business that sells tobacco, e-cigarettes, or vaping products in Hayward must hold a City-issued Tobacco Retailer License under Municipal Code Section 10-1.2785, renewed every calendar year. New retailers also need a conditional use permit before opening. The license is nontransferable, mobile tobacco vending is banned outright, and the Planning Director can revoke a license after three violations within five years.
Hayward Tobacco Retailer License Rules
Significant RestrictionsHayward, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 10-1.2785
c.TRL Renewal and Expiration:1.Term and Renewal of TRL. A TRL is invalid if the appropriate fee has not been timely paid in full or if the term of the TRL has expired. The term of a TRL is one year, commencing the first day of each calendar year.d.TRL Nontransferable: A TRL may not be transferred from one Person to another or from one location to another. A new TRL is required whenever a Tobacc...
Secondhand Dealers
Hayward secondhand dealers, covering everyone from used-furniture shops to bicycle resellers, need a Chief of Police permit, must log every transaction for police inspection, and can only stay open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with limited late hours before holidays.
Secondhand Dealer Licensing in Hayward
Significant RestrictionsHayward, CA, Municipal Code §§ 6-3.02, 6-3.26
"Secondhand Dealer" shall include any person who engages in or conducts the business of buying, selling or exchanging, whether as a separate business or in connection with other businesses, any secondhand or used articles or things, including, but not limited to, typewriters, adding or calculating machines, scales, clothing, tools, surgical, dental or drawing instruments, furniture, household f...
Pawnbrokers
Hayward pawnbrokers need a permit under Chapter 6, Article 3, must fingerprint owners through the Police Department, and must hold pawned goods for 30 to 60 days depending on the item before reselling them.
Pawnbroker Licensing Rules in Hayward
Significant RestrictionsHayward, CA, Municipal Code §§ 6-3.01, 6-3.24
"Pawnbroker" shall include any person, firm or corporation who keeps a loan or pawn office, or engages in or carries on the business of receiving jewelry, precious stones, valuables, firearms, clothing or personal property, or any other article or articles, in pledge for or as security or in pawn for its repayment of monies, and exacts an interest for such loans. ... All articles purchased, rec...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Hayward requires a police permit before anyone repairs or dismantles a vehicle, boat, or other conveyance in the open within a residential district. Section 4-1.15 caps the work at 15 days, routes the application through the Fire Chief, and lets the city tow the vehicle at the owner's expense if the deadline is missed.
Home Auto Repair Permits in Hayward
Significant RestrictionsHayward, CA Municipal Code Sec. 4-1.15
It shall be unlawful for any person to repair or dismantle in the open in any residential district of the City of Hayward, any automobile, boat, or other vehicle or conveyance without first having obtained a permit to do so. ... All applications shall be referred to the Fire Chief for review prior to the granting of any permit. Where such work can be done without creating a police problem or a ...
Towing Companies
Hayward requires a Chief of Police-issued permit before any company can perform non-consensual tows in the city, backed by liability insurance and fingerprinting, and permit holders must release towed vehicles around the clock within thirty minutes of a request.
Non-Consent Towing Permit Rules in Hayward
Significant RestrictionsHayward, CA, Municipal Code §§ 6-8.10, 6-8.30
It shall be unlawful for any person or towing operation to perform any non-consensual tows within the City of Hayward unless the person so operating has applied for and obtained a permit to do so, and unless the permit is in full force and effect. ... A person conducting towing operations shall provide for the release of the vehicles towed twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week by ...
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