Business Licensing & Operations in Monterey Park, CA (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Monterey Park, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
In the City of Monterey Park, sexually oriented businesses are confined to the Office Professional (O-P) zone under Municipal Code § 21.26.020 and need a City Council special use permit plus a separate business license. They must sit at least 500 feet from a freeway, residential zone, school, park, or religious institution, and 300 feet from a major arterial street.
Monterey Park Sexually Oriented Business Rules
Significant RestrictionsMonterey Park Municipal Code § 21.26.020
(A) Subject to the foregoing, sexually oriented businesses shall be permitted only in the Office Professional (O-P) Zone provided: (1) Each such sexually oriented business shall, prior to commencement or continuation of such business, first apply for and receive approval from the City Council, after recommendation from the Planning Commission, for a special use permit. ... (B) A sexually orient...
Massage Establishments
In the City of Monterey Park, opening a massage establishment requires a conditional use permit and a business license under Monterey Park Municipal Code Section 5.28.050, and every massage technician must hold current CAMTC certification under Section 5.28.040. Owners with a five percent or greater interest who are not themselves certified must also pass a background check through the Community and Economic Development Director.
Monterey Park Massage Establishment License
Significant RestrictionsMonterey Park Municipal Code §§ 5.28.050, 5.28.150
§ 5.28.050. Conditional use permit—Business license required. (a) Every person conducting, managing, operating, owning or in control of a massage establishment or any other place that is open to the public or is a private club, where facial massages, fomentations, massages, electric or magnetic treatments, or alcohol rubs are administered or given, or any public bathing place, which has in conn...
Tobacco Retail License
In the City of Monterey Park every tobacco retailer, including sellers of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices, must hold a Chapter 9.100 license for each fixed location under Municipal Code Section 9.100.030. The police department administers annual licenses, and violators face administrative fines, response-cost billing, and license suspension or revocation.
Monterey Park tobacco and e-cig retailer license
Significant RestrictionsMonterey Park Municipal Code § 9.100.030
(a) It is unlawful for any person to act as a tobacco retailer without a valid license issued pursuant to this chapter for each location at which activity is proposed to occur.
Secondhand Dealers
Monterey Park requires every secondhand dealer to report transactions to police twice weekly, keep open records, and hold purchased goods for five days before resale, per Municipal Code Chapter 5.64. The definition specifically excludes retailers taking used goods as trade-in credit toward new merchandise.
Secondhand Dealer Licensing in Monterey Park
Significant RestrictionsMonterey Park Municipal Code SS 5.64.020, 5.64.030, 5.64.070
"Secondhand dealer" is any person conducting, managing, or carrying on the business of buying, selling or otherwise dealing in used or secondhand goods, but shall not be construed to apply to the receipt or sale of any secondhand goods by any person that received the same as part payment on new goods, if such person is the authorized representative or agent of the manufacturer, jobber, or distr...
Pawnbrokers
Monterey Park defines pawnbrokers under Municipal Code Chapter 5.64 and requires them to report every pledge, purchase, or deposit of used goods to the police department twice weekly. Records must stay open to police inspection, and articles cannot be resold for five days after intake.
Pawnbroker Licensing in Monterey Park
Significant RestrictionsMonterey Park Municipal Code SS 5.64.010, 5.64.030, 5.64.070
"Pawnbroker" is any person conducting, managing, or carrying on a business of receiving goods in pledge for loans for which interest is exacted, or of purchasing goods and agreeing, at or before such purchase, to resell the same to the vendor at a stipulated price. ... Every pawnbroker or secondhand dealer ... shall, on each Monday and Thursday before the hour of ten o'clock in the morning, mak...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
In the City of Monterey Park, the municipal code's home occupation rules expressly list auto repair and auto, boat and trailer painting among businesses that can never qualify as a home occupation, regardless of permit, in the R-1, R-2, or R-3 zone.
Monterey Park Bars Home Auto Repair Business
Heavy RestrictionsMonterey Park Municipal Code § 21.08.040(A), (C)
Auto Dismantling, Repairing, Assembling. ... In all residential zones, subject to the following limitations: (1) Work cannot be performed within public view. (2) Work must be performed within an enclosed building or in an area which is completely enclosed by view-obscuring walls, not less than six feet in height, or by the exterior walls of a building or buildings. (3) Work cannot be performed ...
Towing Companies
Monterey Park contracts with towing companies under Municipal Code Chapter 5.84 and runs a police rotation list for non-consensual tows. Companies must respond within fifteen minutes, run a 24/7 dispatch operation, and maintain a storage yard within two miles of city limits.
Non-Consent Towing Rules in Monterey Park
Significant RestrictionsMonterey Park Municipal Code SS 5.84.030, 5.84.070
Any such entity must have a storage facility which complies with the provisions of this chapter and the tow service policy located either within the city or within two miles of the boundaries of the city of Monterey Park. ... Unless waived by the city council for good cause, the city will not enter into an agreement with a tow company unless that tow company has provided towing service, in Cali...
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