Moving to Hawthorne, CA?

Hawthorne's Noise Regulations make it unlawful to keep any animal that, by frequent or long-continued noise, causes annoyance or discomfort to reasonable persons of normal sensitivity in the vicinity. A written affirmation from two persons at separate residences that the noise disturbs their peace and quiet is prima facie evidence of a violation. This city rule applies within city limits.

Hawthorne's Noise Regulations (Ordinance No. 2138) bar construction noise heard beyond the property line outside set hours: 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, and none on Sundays or City holidays. Construction may not exceed a 75 dBA hourly average at residential property. A DIY exception allows non-commercial work on your own property 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sundays/holidays.

Hawthorne's nighttime quiet hours run 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Under its Noise Regulations (Ordinance No. 2138, in Municipal Code Title 9), the one-hour average sound level at residential property may not exceed 60 dBA daytime or 50 dBA at night. Amplified sound audible 50 feet away between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. is prima facie unlawful.

Hawthorne bans portable leaf blowers citywide. Under its Noise Regulations (Ordinance No. 2138), it is unlawful to use any portable machine powered by a gasoline engine OR electric motor to blow leaves, dirt, and debris off sidewalks, driveways, lawns, and other surfaces. This is stricter than California's statewide rule, which targets only gas-powered equipment.

Hawthorne prohibits operating any radio, stereo, instrument, loudspeaker, or sound amplifier so as to disturb the peace and comfort of a reasonable person in any residential or public area. Operation between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. that is plainly audible 50 feet from the building, structure, or vehicle is prima facie evidence of a violation under Ordinance No. 2138.

Hawthorne enforces on- and off-highway vehicle noise under the California Vehicle Code, but its Noise Regulations (Ordinance No. 2138) separately prohibit noisy off-street engine racing, willful backfiring, tire screeching, and repairing or testing vehicles in a disturbing way. State law caps modified exhaust at 95 dBA (CVC 27150-27151) and bars sound systems audible 50 feet away (CVC 27007).

Hawthorne's Noise Regulations (Ordinance No. 2138) set one-hour average sound limits measured at the receiving property. Residential and abutting property: 60 dBA daytime (7 a.m.-10 p.m.), 50 dBA at night. Commercial (C-2, C-3, Regional Commercial) and UOS zones not abutting residential: 65 dBA anytime. Short bursts get graduated allowances, e.g. +3 dB for up to 30 minutes hourly.

In Hawthorne's public parks, parking lots, and adjacent streets, operating a radio or sound device without prior written City Manager approval is prohibited if it exceeds 65 dBA (7 a.m.-7 p.m.) or 55 dBA (7:01 p.m.-6:59 a.m.), measured 10+ feet away. On private property, outdoor sound must meet the residential 60 dBA day / 50 dBA night limits.

Hawthorne's Noise Regulations (Ordinance No. 2138) apply one-hour average sound limits to stationary sources like machinery, pumps, and air conditioners, measured at the receiving property. Commercial property (C-2, C-3, Regional Commercial) not abutting residential is capped at 65 dBA anytime; where it abuts residential, the 60 dBA day / 50 dBA night limits apply.

Hawthorne's Noise Regulations make it unlawful to operate aircraft or engines within or above the city in violation of the chapter, but in-flight aircraft noise is federally preempted by the FAA (Burbank v. Lockheed). The city's main tool is the FAA-approved Hawthorne Municipal Airport Part 150 Noise Compatibility Program (December 2017). Adjacent LAX is governed by FAA, not city code.

Hawthorne short-term rental hosts must collect and remit the city's Transient Occupancy Tax under Chapter 3.40 (a 12% base rate) on stays of 30 days or less, hold a Chapter 5.02 business license, and pay a non-refundable permit application/renewal fee set by city council resolution.

Under Chapter 17.74, a Hawthorne short-term rental may not be occupied by more than two guests per bedroom plus two additional guests at any one time. Eligible dwellings are limited to residential buildings of four units or fewer.

The City of Hawthorne allows short-term rentals but requires a Short-Term Rental Permit from the Planning Department under Municipal Code Chapter 17.74. A rental must be tied to a primary or qualifying secondary residence, and the permit is renewed annually on a showing of continued compliance.

Hawthorne short-term rental operators must register the property by obtaining a Planning Department permit, a current business license under Chapter 5.02, and a transient occupancy tax registration certificate under Chapter 3.40. Applications are filed and paid online through the city's Citizen Self-Service portal.

Chapter 17.74 requires each Hawthorne short-term rental to provide at least one off-street parking space for the host and one for the guest, on-premises. The dwelling's driveway is used to satisfy this requirement, keeping guest vehicles off neighborhood streets.

Hawthorne short-term rentals are subject to nighttime noise restrictions, with quiet hours running roughly 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Operators must designate a 24-hour local contact who can respond to noise complaints, and excessive noise can jeopardize the permit.

Hawthorne ties short-term rentals to residency: a rental must be either a primary residence with the host living on-site, or a secondary residence owned by someone whose primary residence is in Hawthorne. Investor-owned units with no Hawthorne residency link do not qualify.

Hawthorne allows both hosted stays (host on-site at a primary residence) and a limited un-hosted option (a secondary residence owned by a Hawthorne primary resident). In all cases a 24-hour local contact must be available to respond to issues at the rental.

Hawthorne limits short-term rentals to no more than 90 days total during a calendar year under Chapter 17.74. The cap, combined with the residency requirement, is designed to keep rentals from displacing long-term housing.

Hawthorne requires short-term rental operators to carry and maintain general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 covering the rental operation for the full term of the permit. Proof of coverage is part of the permit application under Chapter 17.74.

Unlike most Los Angeles County cities, Hawthorne PERMITS State Fire Marshal 'safe and sane' fireworks under Municipal Code Chapter 8.34. They may be used only on July 4 between 12:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Dangerous fireworks remain illegal statewide under California Health & Safety Code Section 12500 et seq.

Hawthorne Municipal Code Section 8.32.070 limits cooking, recreational, and ceremonial outdoor fires on private property to commercially produced containers (or containers approved by the LA County Fire Department), and only certain clean fuels are allowed. The City contracts fire protection to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Open outdoor burning of trash, leaves, brush, or debris is effectively banned in Hawthorne. South Coast AQMD Rule 444 prohibits open burning in the South Coast Air Basin without a permit, and Hawthorne's adopted LA County Fire Code bars open burning that creates a hazard. Only approved contained recreational fires are allowed.

Hawthorne is flat, dense urban land outside any CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone, so the Government Code Section 51182 100-foot defensible-space rule does not apply citywide. Property owners must still keep lots clear of dry weeds and combustible debris under the City's nuisance and adopted fire code provisions.

Propane storage in Hawthorne follows the California Fire Code Chapter 61 (LP-Gas) provisions adopted through the Los Angeles County Fire Code at Municipal Code Section 8.32.060. A standard 20-lb BBQ tank is allowed at homes without a permit; larger installations trigger permits and setback requirements enforced by the LA County Fire Department.

Backyard recreational fires in Hawthorne are allowed only in commercially produced or LA County Fire-approved containers, fueled solely by coal, charcoal briquettes, white gas, natural gas, or LNG, per Municipal Code Section 8.32.070. Open ground fires and trash burning are prohibited. Fires must be attended and kept clear of structures.

Hawthorne is flat, fully built-out urban land on the LA coastal plain and is NOT mapped in any CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone. The Government Code Section 51182 defensible-space rule, AB 38 wildfire disclosure, and Chapter 7A wildfire-resistant building requirements do not apply to Hawthorne parcels.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm requirements in Hawthorne come primarily from California state law - Health & Safety Code Sections 13113.7 (smoke alarms) and 17926 (CO alarms) - enforced through the California/LA County Fire Code that Hawthorne adopts in Municipal Code Section 8.32.060. Landlords must install and maintain working alarms in rental units.

Hawthorne has no citywide ban on parking a standard passenger car overnight on the street, but the 72-hour limit, posted street-sweeping signs, and preferential-parking zones effectively control overnight parking. RVs and oversized vehicles face strict overnight limits under HMC 10.36.190.

The City of Hawthorne has its own ordinance. Under Hawthorne Municipal Code 10.36.190, recreational vehicles and oversized vehicles cannot be parked or stored on residential streets except briefly for travel-related loading, cleaning, or unloading, and only up to 48 hours. Extensions require police approval.

Hawthorne has its own parking ordinance (HMC Title 10) and actively enforces posted street-sweeping restrictions. The Hawthorne Police Department began dedicated enforcement of street sweeping, timed parking, and peak-traffic violations on June 1, 2020. Curb colors and posted signs control where and when you may park.

Hawthorne's own code (HMC 10.36.060) bars commercial vehicles, commercial trailers, and buses from parking on any street more than one hour except for active loading or unloading, and prohibits them entirely on streets fronting residential R-1, R-2, R-3, and R-4 zones except for loading.

Hawthorne has its own abandoned-vehicle ordinance, HMC Chapter 10.68, declaring abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles on private or public property a public nuisance subject to abatement and removal. On streets, the 72-hour rule and CVC 22651 also apply.

Hawthorne's zoning code restricts where vehicles may park on residential lots: no portion of a required front yard (or street-side yard of a corner lot) may be used to park or store vehicles except on a designated driveway. Combined driveway-and-walkway width and walkway width are also capped.

Hawthorne's own ordinance (HMC 10.36.190) prohibits parking or storing oversized vehicles on residential streets. An oversized vehicle is one over 22 feet long, or both over 84 inches wide and over 84 inches tall. Street use is limited to 48 hours, extendable to 72 hours only with police approval.

Hawthorne does not appear to have a dedicated EV-charging parking chapter in its municipal code; EV charging-space parking is controlled by California Vehicle Code 22511, which bars non-EVs (or EVs not actively charging) from designated charging spaces and authorizes citations and towing.

Hawthorne has its own loading-zone ordinance (HMC Chapter 10.44). The chief of police, with city manager approval, designates loading and passenger-loading zones, marked by curb color and 'LOADING ONLY' or 'PASSENGER LOADING ONLY' stencils. Passenger loading is limited to three minutes.

Hawthorne defines painted curb colors in its own ordinance, HMC Chapter 10.24. Red means no stopping at any time, yellow is loading only (6 a.m.-6 p.m.), white is passenger loading only, and green limits parking to 20 minutes. Only official city markings are valid; private curb painting is not authorized.

Hawthorne Municipal Code Chapter 17.48 allows fences, walls, and hedges up to 6 feet on any part of a lot. In the front yard or along a street frontage, the maximum is 3.5 feet within the required visibility triangle. Heights above 6 feet (up to 10 feet) require a fence conditional use permit.

Hawthorne Municipal Code 17.48.020 addresses retaining walls. Where a retaining wall holds fill, its height is not counted toward fence height, but a fence above it cannot exceed 6 feet. A retaining wall protecting a cut on a lot line may be topped by a fence of the height otherwise permitted. A building permit is required.

Hawthorne requires a building permit for any fence or wall in any zone. Per the city's code, no fence or wall may be constructed in any zone classification without first obtaining a building permit, and the planning department reviews fences before construction. Fences over 6 feet need a fence conditional use permit.

Hawthorne's code governs fence height, materials, and permits, but shared boundary-fence cost-sharing is governed by California Civil Code 841 (the Good Neighbor Fence Law). Adjoining owners are presumed to share equally in construction and maintenance costs, and 30 days' written notice is required before incurring costs.

Hawthorne fences must comply with Chapter 17.48: a building permit and planning review, height limits (6 ft general, 3.5 ft in the front-yard visibility triangle, 10 ft only by conditional use permit), open-view requirements above 18 inches, approved materials, and pool-enclosure standards. No electrified fences are allowed.

Hawthorne restricts fence and wall materials. Permitted materials are wrought iron, wood, decorative block (slump stone or split face), brick, stone or stone veneer, or stucco matching the building. Chain link, wire mesh, and precision block (creating an 'industrial look') are prohibited. Electrified fences are not allowed.

Approved fence and wall materials in Hawthorne are wrought iron, wood, decorative block (slump stone or split face), brick, stone or stone veneer, and building-matching stucco. Chain link, wire mesh, and precision block are not permitted under HMC 17.48.020. All fences require a building permit and planning review.

Under Hawthorne Municipal Code Chapter 6.24, no person may keep crowing roosters, more than ten domestic fowl, or more than five rabbits on residential, church, or educational property. Fowl and birds other than dogs, cats, canaries, or up to four Psittacinae birds must sit at least 35 feet from any habitable dwelling unless specially permitted.

The City of Hawthorne's Municipal Code (Title 6, Animals at Large) bars animals from running at large in public streets, parks, and other public places or on unenclosed premises unless restrained by a substantial chain or leash not exceeding six feet and in the control of a competent person. Hawthorne runs its own Animal Control.

Hawthorne does not ban any dog breed. California Food & Agricultural Code §31683 forbids cities from declaring a dog dangerous or vicious based on breed and requires that no dog-control program be breed-specific. Hawthorne instead regulates individual animals through its vicious-animal and impounding provisions in Title 6 of the Hawthorne Municipal Code.

Hawthorne Municipal Code Chapter 6.24 prohibits keeping any hive or swarm of bees within two hundred feet of any residence, hospital, public eating place, school, church, office building, store, home, apartment house, rooming house, or other place of habitation. Narrow exceptions exist for educational and medical/research uses where bees are not allowed to fly at large.

Hawthorne Municipal Code Chapter 6.24 bars keeping any animal other than household pets (dog, cat, canary, parrot, or similar) except by special city permit. California's restricted-species rules (14 CCR §671, Fish & Game Code) separately ban private possession of many exotic mammals, reptiles, and birds without a state permit not issued for pet keeping.

Hawthorne Municipal Code Chapter 6.24 bars keeping any animal, fowl, or bird (other than dogs, cats, canaries, or up to four Psittacinae birds) within 35 feet of any habitable dwelling except by special permit, and caps residential property at no crowing roosters, ten fowl, and five rabbits. The dense city leaves little room for livestock.

Hawthorne Municipal Code defines a 'kennel' as any premises where four or more dogs are kept for any purpose, and similarly defines a cat facility as a place keeping four or more cats over four months of age. Keeping at or above those thresholds requires registration/permitting; dogs duly licensed or excepted are not counted toward a registered kennel's number.

Hawthorne's mandatory licensing applies to dogs only; the city does not require a license for individual house cats. However, keeping four or more cats over four months of age is defined as a cat facility under the Hawthorne Municipal Code and is subject to registration. Cats are recognized household pets exempt from the 35-foot animal setback.

The Hawthorne Municipal Code reviewed does not contain a stand-alone ordinance banning the feeding of wild animals. Feeding that attracts pests, strays, or wildlife and creates unsanitary or harmful conditions can be addressed under the city's Animal Nuisances provisions in Title 6. California state law separately discourages feeding big game and certain wildlife.

Hawthorne does not use the word 'hoarding,' but its kennel/cat-facility thresholds (four or more dogs or cats), the 35-foot animal setback, and the Animal Nuisances and Impounding provisions in Title 6 together limit how many animals can be kept and allow abatement of overcrowded, unsanitary keeping. Overcrowding that harms animals is prosecutable statewide under California Penal Code §597 and §597.1.

Hawthorne sets no numeric lawn-height limit. Instead, overgrown, dead, or decayed weeds and vegetation visible from a public right-of-way or neighboring property are treated as a property-maintenance nuisance. Code enforcement issues notice, and owners must abate within the time the notice specifies.

Hawthorne requires a permit from the Director of Parks and Recreation to cut, trim, prune, plant, remove, or interfere with any tree, shrub, or plant in a city street, park, parkway, alley, or city property. Trees on private property are not subject to that permit, but owners must keep them from becoming a hazard.

Removing a tree in a Hawthorne street, parkway, park, alley, or on city property requires a permit from the Director of Parks and Recreation - the same authority that governs trimming. The code does not impose a citywide heritage-tree permit for trees on private property; private-tree removal is generally unregulated unless tied to development review.

Hawthorne has no ordinance restricting rain barrels or cisterns, and the city encourages conservation. Rainwater collection is governed mainly by California rules: rooftop rainwater harvesting needs no state water-right permit, and rain-barrel/cistern systems up to 5,000 gallons used for gravity-fed outdoor irrigation are exempt from a plumbing permit.

Hawthorne abates weeds and unsafe vegetation under its nuisance and property-maintenance rules. Dead, decayed, diseased, or hazardous trees and weeds - and overgrown vegetation visible from public or neighboring property - are declared nuisances. After written notice, owners must begin abatement within seven days and pursue it diligently.

Hawthorne's Water Conservation Program assigns watering days by address parity and limits landscape irrigation to before 8 a.m. and after 6 p.m., not within 48 hours of measurable rain. It bans hosing down hard surfaces, runoff, and washing vehicles without a shut-off nozzle, with tighter limits in higher drought stages.

Hawthorne does not mandate native plants, but its Water Efficient Landscaping ordinance pushes new and rehabilitated landscapes toward low-water, climate-appropriate plants and heavy mulching under California's MWELO. Residents replacing lawns with drought-tolerant plants can also tap regional SoCal Water$mart turf-replacement rebates.

Hawthorne does not ban artificial turf, but its Water Efficient Landscaping ordinance treats synthetic turf differently from living plants, and residential development standards govern front-yard and setback landscaping. Note: the regional SoCal Water$mart turf-replacement rebate does NOT count synthetic turf as an approved lawn conversion.

Hawthorne runs a mandatory organic-waste program under California SB 1383: residents must keep food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard/green waste out of the trash and place them in the organics cart for collection. Backyard composting is allowed and encouraged, and MWELO landscape projects must use compost and mulch.

Hawthorne allows home occupations in residences under Zoning Code Chapter 17.72. The business must be clearly incidental and secondary to the dwelling, use no more than twenty percent of the ground-floor area (storage included), employ only permanent residents, and not alter the residential character of the neighborhood.

Hawthorne prohibits home-business signage outright. The Chapter 17.72 conditions state that no signs, advertising devices, merchandise, or articles may be displayed for advertising purposes at a home occupation, keeping the dwelling indistinguishable from a normal residence.

Hawthorne follows California's family-daycare preemption. Under Chapter 17.73, small family day care homes (up to 8 children) are a permitted residential use in any zone allowing single-family homes, with no use permit. Large family day care homes (up to 14 children) require a city permit but are processed ministerially with limited conditions.

A Hawthorne home business needs a Home Occupation Permit under Chapter 17.72 plus a business tax certificate. The application goes to the Business License Division, is reviewed by the Planning Department, carries a one-time Planning filing fee plus a $56 business license application fee, and may be appealed to the Planning Commission.

Hawthorne expressly accommodates cottage food operations in Chapter 17.72, letting a CFO exceed the normal twenty-percent floor-area limit, employ one non-household worker, and make direct sales 9 a.m.-9 p.m. The operation must stay in the kitchen and storage rooms and also register with Los Angeles County Environmental Health under state law.

Hawthorne Zoning Code 17.20.160 requires any swimming pool, pond, spa, or hot tub deeper than three feet to be enclosed by a structure, fence, or wall six feet in height. Any gate or door to the outside must have a self-closing and self-latching device located not less than four feet above the ground.

A private swimming pool in the City of Hawthorne is an accessory use regulated under Zoning Code 17.20.160. It cannot sit in a required front yard or within five feet of an exterior property line, and a building permit is required for construction, plumbing, and electrical work.

Hawthorne combines its local 17.20.160 enclosure rule (six-foot barrier, self-closing/self-latching gate four feet up) with California's Swimming Pool Safety Act. At permit time the City enforces Health and Safety Code 115922-115928, which requires new residential pools to have an approved enclosure plus a qualifying drowning-prevention feature.

Hawthorne's pool rules apply by water depth, not pool type. Any pool, pond, spa, or hot tub deeper than three feet - including an above-ground pool - must have a six-foot enclosure with a self-closing/self-latching gate (latch four feet up) under Zoning Code 17.20.160, and electrical and structural permits still apply.

Hawthorne names spas and hot tubs directly in Zoning Code 17.20.160. Any spa or hot tub deeper than three feet must be enclosed by a six-foot structure, fence, or wall with a self-closing/self-latching gate (latch four feet up). Spas also follow the accessory-use setback: not in a front yard, five feet from property lines.

The City of Hawthorne regulates ADUs and JADUs under Hawthorne Municipal Code Chapter 17.21, which implements California's state ADU law. ADUs are permitted in any residential or mixed-use zone allowing housing. A single-family site may have one ADU plus one JADU; JADUs are capped at 500 square feet within the primary dwelling.

Hawthorne Municipal Code Section 17.20.160 governs accessory buildings and structures, including sheds. Storage rooms and tool sheds for customary household items are limited to a maximum of 120 square feet, may be wired for electrical service, but may not have plumbing. Buildings and structures must stay at least 10 feet from an alley centerline.

The City of Hawthorne has no standalone tiny-home or tiny-house-on-wheels ordinance. A fixed-foundation tiny house used as a second dwelling is regulated as an ADU under Municipal Code Chapter 17.21 and California state ADU law. Movable tiny houses on wheels are treated like recreational vehicles and are not permitted as permanent dwellings.

Hawthorne allows converting an existing garage to an ADU or JADU under Municipal Code Chapter 17.21, consistent with California state ADU law. A JADU is capped at 500 square feet within the primary single-family dwelling. Converting garage space into living area without permits is a code violation, and any habitable conversion must meet building-code standards.

Hawthorne regulates carports under the residential development standards in Municipal Code Chapter 17.20. Carports may substitute for required garages on key and interior lots only where parking is screened from the street by a building or wall. Fabric and prefabricated metal carports are prohibited, and canopies are not allowed in any setback area or over driveways.

Barbecuing is allowed at Hawthorne homes. Outdoor cooking fires must be in a commercially produced container using approved fuels per Municipal Code Section 8.32.070. Standard 20-lb propane BBQ tanks are permitted without a fire-code permit under the adopted California Fire Code Chapter 61. Multifamily balcony grilling is restricted by the fire code.

Backyard smokers are allowed in Hawthorne when used as a commercially produced cooking container with approved fuel under Municipal Code Section 8.32.070. Charcoal, natural gas, and propane smokers are fine; loose-wood open fires and burning yard waste are not. Wood smoke is subject to South Coast AQMD rules and nuisance limits.

Hawthorne regulates non-commercial signs on residential property - including political signs - under Municipal Code Chapter 17.35 (On-Premises Signs). Temporary non-commercial signs may not exceed three square feet per side, may not be illuminated, and no more than five yard signs are allowed per residential property or per unit, whichever is larger.

Garage sales in Hawthorne require a permit under Municipal Code Chapter 5.46, and signage is limited. The permit runs for two consecutive days, and only two permits may be issued to an individual or address per calendar year. One garage sale sign is allowed, limited to six square feet and located only on the premises where the sale occurs.

The City of Hawthorne's own Municipal Code (Title 8, Chapter 8.20, Nuisances) makes blighted property a public nuisance. Premises out of harmony with surrounding maintenance standards, or causing diminution of neighboring property values, can be abated by the city at the owner's expense.

Under Hawthorne's Municipal Code, garbage, recycling, and yard-waste containers kept in front or side yards and visible from a public street are a nuisance, except when set out for collection at permitted times. Carts must otherwise be screened from public view.

The City of Hawthorne's Municipal Code treats neglected vacant lots and vacant buildings as nuisances. Owners must actively maintain landscaping, exteriors, and security, and remove trash and overgrowth. Code Enforcement can require fencing and abate at the owner's expense.

The City of Hawthorne's nuisance code lists dead, decayed, diseased, or hazardous trees, weeds, ground cover, rank growth, and overgrown vegetation as a public nuisance when they create fire hazards, dust, erosion, or diminished property values. The city can abate at the owner's expense.

The City of Hawthorne regulates garage and lawn sales under Municipal Code Chapter 5.46. A permit is required, only one permit is issued per individual or address per calendar year in residential zones, and each permit is valid for two consecutive days.

Hawthorne does not have a dedicated dark-sky ordinance. Outdoor lighting on residential development is regulated under Municipal Code Chapter 17.20, which requires that lighting fixtures not produce excessive glare or dark shadows and that lighting for multifamily projects be focused downward. A lighting plan is required before installation on covered projects.

Hawthorne controls light spilling onto neighboring property through the development standards in Municipal Code Chapter 17.20, which prohibit lighting that produces excessive glare and require multifamily lighting to be directed downward. There is no numeric foot-candle light-trespass cap; persistent stray light is addressed through the city's nuisance and code-enforcement provisions.

Republic Services (formerly Allied Waste) is Hawthorne's exclusive franchised residential and commercial hauler. Automated cart service uses a brown trash cart in 32, 64, or 96 gallons. Collection begins at 6 a.m., and holiday weeks delay service one day.

Hawthorne's Municipal Code sets a 12-hour window for cart placement. Containers may not be set out more than 12 hours before collection and must be removed within 12 hours after. Carts go in the rear alley where one exists, otherwise at the curb in front.

Hawthorne cart customers receive free bulky-item special pickups through Republic Services, the franchised hauler. The current city page lists four free special pickups per year of up to 64 cubic feet each. Bulky items include furniture, appliances, electronics, landscaping debris, and up to two tires.

Hawthorne residents receive a 65-gallon blue recycling cart and a 65-gallon green yard-waste cart from Republic Services. Blue carts take plastic, glass, metal, clean Styrofoam, and paper. State law (AB 341/AB 1826) plus SB 1383 require recyclables to be separated from trash.

Hawthorne adopted a Mandatory Organic Waste Disposal Reduction chapter implementing California's SB 1383. Because Hawthorne's population exceeds 70,000, it is not rural-exempt. Food waste goes in the brown cart, and residents must separate organics or self-haul to a compliant facility.

Hawthorne city parks are closed overnight: it is unlawful to remain, stay, or loiter in a public park between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. the following day without a special written permit from the director of parks and recreation. A separate minors' curfew under Chapter 9.74 prohibits minors from public places from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Per the City of Hawthorne Residential Development Standards, residential zones R-1, R-2, and R-3 require a 15-foot front setback (18 feet for a front-facing garage), a 5-foot minimum rear setback, an interior side setback of 10% of lot width (3.5-foot minimum), and a street side setback of 20% of lot width.

Per the City of Hawthorne Residential Development Standards, the maximum building height is 22 feet in the R-1, R-2, and R-3 residential zones. The R-4 maximum-density zone allows up to 50 feet for multifamily, and the Mixed-Use Overlay allows the lesser of 60 feet or 5 stories.

Per the City of Hawthorne Residential Development Standards, maximum lot coverage is 50% in the R-1 zone. R-2 allows 50% for up to 2 units and 75% for 3 or more; R-3 allows 50% for up to 2 units and 60% for 3 or more; R-4 is 50% for single-family and 60% for multiple units; the Mixed-Use Overlay allows 90%.

Hawthorne requires a permit from the Director of Parks and Recreation to remove (or trim, prune, plant, or otherwise interfere with) any tree, shrub, or plant in a city street, park, parkway, alley, or on city property. The code does not create a separate heritage/protected-tree permit for trees on private property.