Business Licensing & Operations in Pasadena, CA (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Pasadena, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
A sexually oriented business in Pasadena, an adult bookstore, cabaret, motion picture theater, semi-nude model studio or sexual device shop, needs a city permit for the business and one for every employee under Municipal Code Chapter 5.45. Zoning confines these uses to the CG district with strict spacing from schools, parks and residential zones.
Pasadena Sexually Oriented Business Permits
Significant RestrictionsPasadena, CA, Municipal Code § 5.45.040 (Permit required); Zoning Code § 17.50.295.C
A. Business Permit. It is unlawful for any person to operate a sexually oriented business in the city without a valid sexually oriented business permit. B. Employee Permit. It is unlawful for any person to be an "employee," as defined in this chapter, of a sexually oriented business in the city without a valid sexually oriented business employee permit, except that a person who is a permittee u...
Massage Establishments
Operating a massage establishment in Pasadena requires a permit from the license collector under Municipal Code Chapter 5.48, on top of a regular business license. Applicants must be 21 or older, pass police, fire and health investigations, and the business must close between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Pasadena Massage Establishment Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsPasadena, CA, Municipal Code §§ 5.48.040, 5.48.310
5.48.040 - Permit—Required. No person shall operate a massage establishment without first having obtained a written permit from the city assessor, tax and license collector hereinafter referred to as license collector. ... 5.48.310 - Operating hours. No person shall conduct or operate a massage establishment between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. of the following day.
Tattoo & Body Modification
Pasadena treats tattoo parlors and piercing studios as a 'Personal Services, Restricted' land use, which means a Conditional Use Permit and a 500-foot buffer from any other restricted personal service, pawnshop, or massage establishment before the city will let one open, per Sections 17.50.200 and 17.80.020.
Pasadena Tattoo and Piercing Shop Location Rules
Significant RestrictionsPasadena, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 17.50.200.A-B; Sec. 17.80.020 (Personal Services, Restricted definition)
A.500-foot separation required. A personal services restricted use or pawnshop shall be a minimum of 500 feet from another personal services restricted use, pawnshop or massage establishment. B.How to measure separation. The distance between any structure used as a personal services restricted use or pawnshop and another structure used as a personal services restricted use or pawnshop shall be ...
Tobacco Retail License
Every tobacco retailer in Pasadena, including vape and e-cigarette sellers, needs a separate tobacco retailer's license for each location under Municipal Code Chapter 5.74. The license is annual, revocable on an escalating schedule for tobacco-law violations, and enforced by the environmental health division or the city prosecutor.
Pasadena Tobacco Retailer License Rules
Significant RestrictionsPasadena, CA, Municipal Code § 5.74.040 (Requirement for tobacco retail licensure)
A. It shall be 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. B. It shall be 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
Secondhand goods and jewelry dealers in Pasadena pay $10 a year for a license certificate under Municipal Code Chapter 5.56, separate from the higher pawnbroker fee, and must report every item bought or received to police twice weekly and hold it 15 days before resale.
Pasadena Secondhand Dealer Licensing Rules
Significant RestrictionsPasadena, CA, Municipal Code §§ 5.56.010(D), 5.56.030
"secondhand dealer" means: 1. A person, as herein defined, engaged in, conducting, managing or carrying on the business of buying, selling or otherwise dealing in secondhand goods, wares or merchandise; or 2. A person, as herein defined, engaged in, conducting, managing or carrying on the business of buying, selling or otherwise dealing in secondhand jewelry, precious and semiprecious stones an...
Pawnbrokers
Pasadena pawnbrokers need a $50 annual license certificate under Municipal Code Chapter 5.56, and must report every pledged or purchased item to the police twice a week and hold each item unaltered for 15 days before resale.
Pasadena Pawnbroker Licensing Requirements
Significant RestrictionsPasadena, CA, Municipal Code §§ 5.56.020, 5.56.030
5.56.020 - License—Required. It is unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to engage in, conduct, manage or carry on the business of pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, junk dealer or junk collector without a license certificate therefor issued as herein provided. ... Upon filing of an application for a license to act as a pawnbroker, complying with the requirements of this section, and upon th...
Towing Companies
Pasadena requires any company that performs police-ordered towing or impound work for the Pasadena Police Department or Department of Transportation to hold a city council-granted nonexclusive towing franchise; operating without one is a misdemeanor under Section 10.46.030.
Pasadena Police Towing Franchise Rules
Significant RestrictionsPasadena, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 10.46.030
Except as specified in this chapter, it is unlawful for any person to solicit or perform the business of police towing in the city unless: A.A franchise therefor has first been granted pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and such franchise is in full force and effect; and B.A written franchise agreement therefor has been executed between such person and the city and such agreement is in ...
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