Hawthorne, CA

Hawthorne allows a private, noncommercial backyard aviary as an accessory use in every residential zone, but caps it at twelve birds and limits it to song and decorative species such…

Hawthorne caps household pets at three per residential lot, in any combination, as part of the citywide accessory-use standards for the R-1 through R-4 zones. Simians, other dangerous…

Anything beyond a household pet, dog, cat, canary, parrot or similar bird, requires a special permit from Hawthorne's director of animal services before it can be kept on any property…

Hawthorne bans crowing roosters outright on residential, church or educational-use property and caps domestic fowl at ten and rabbits at five per lot. Manure from any kept fowl or…

Hawthorne prohibits keeping any hive or swarm of bees within two hundred feet of a residence, hospital, school, church, store, office, or any other place of habitation, which…

Hawthorne does not require an individual license for cats the way it does for dogs, but cats are still covered by the citywide at-large ban and by mandatory rabies vaccination once…

Hawthorne does not ban specific dog breeds, but it singles out any dog "trained to attack persons or animals" and requires it to be confined behind a fence or wall at least six feet…

Hawthorne allows small animal hospitals, kennels and veterinary offices in the M-1 industrial zone, but only if the building is fully soundproofed and every outdoor run is walled off…

Feeding coyotes, raccoons, foxes, opossums, or ground squirrels is a misdemeanor in unincorporated Los Angeles County, with only narrow exceptions for trapped or injured animals.

In unincorporated LA County, licensed pet-grooming facilities must follow detailed equipment, sanitation, and staffing standards set by County Code, not just general business rules.

In unincorporated LA County (and contract cities where Title 10 applies), dogs and cats four months or older must be spayed or neutered unless the owner holds an unaltered-animal…

All dogs and cats four months of age or older in unincorporated LA County must be implanted with a microchip, and owners must register the chip number with the Department.

Dogs must be kept on a leash no longer than six feet on all public property and common areas of private property in unincorporated LA County.

Feeding wildlife in unincorporated LA County is discouraged and may violate nuisance provisions. CDFW regulations prohibit feeding certain species. The county's large unincorporated…

A Hawthorne property loses its shot at a short-term rental permit if it's under an active compliance order, has racked up more than three administrative citations in the past year, or…

Hawthorne short-term rentals must comply with the city's noise ordinance and observe quiet hours from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. every night, with no amplified sound permitted at any time.

Every Hawthorne short-term rental must provide at least one on-premises, off-street parking space for the host and one more for the guest, using the property's driveway unless it is a…

Hawthorne caps short-term rental occupancy at two guests per bedroom plus two more, and allows only one booking or reservation per residence per night no matter how many bedrooms the…

Hawthorne short-term rental hosts must register for a transient occupancy tax certificate and collect a 12% TOT on top of the rent, remitted quarterly, plus pay a nonrefundable annual…

Anyone renting out a Hawthorne home for stays of 30 days or less, or even advertising one, must first get a short-term rental permit from the planning and community development…

Every Hawthorne short-term rental applicant must show proof of at least $1,000,000 in general liability insurance covering the rental operation for the full permit term. Hawthorne…

Hawthorne lets a resident rent a room or unit in their own primary residence as "home-sharing" under a city short-term rental permit, capped at thirty consecutive days per stay…

Hawthorne's short-term rental program is built around home-sharing from a host's primary residence: Hawthorne Municipal Code § 17.74.010 defines a primary residence as the one home…

Hawthorne limits a vacation rental, a short-term rental that is not the owner's primary residence, to no more than ninety total rental days per calendar year, and bars vacation rentals…

Hawthorne does not require the host to physically stay on site, but the host or owner must be reachable by phone around the clock, answer complaint calls within two hours, and start…

Hawthorne requires hosting platforms like Airbnb to disclose each Hawthorne listing, the responsible person, the address and the length and price of stays to the city on request…

Hawthorne prohibits parking within 15 feet of an intersection, within 25 feet of a traffic signal or stop sign, or at any spot the police chief signs as a traffic hazard, under…

Hawthorne's city council can designate residential streets as preferential parking zones by resolution, letting adjacent residents park exempt from posted restrictions. The city clerk…

Hawthorne declares abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles on private or public property a public nuisance. The chief of police can order removal after a 10-day notice…

Hawthorne caps loading-zone use at posted time limits, or twenty minutes with no posted sign, and reserves loading privileges to commercial vehicles making deliveries. Passenger…

Hawthorne assigns four curb colors fixed meanings under Chapter 10.24: red bans stopping entirely, yellow limits stops to loading between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., white caps stops at three…

Hawthorne bars parking or storing a vehicle anywhere in a required front yard, or in the street-side yard of a corner lot, except on the specific area designated as a driveway, under…

Hawthorne bars parking or storing recreational vehicles, house cars, and trailers on any public street without an oversized parking permit, and residential-district permits max out at…

Hawthorne runs an expedited, nondiscretionary permitting process for electric vehicle charging stations, accepts electronic applications and e-signatures, and cannot condition approval…

Hawthorne caps commercial vehicle, trailer, and bus parking at one hour citywide, and bars it entirely on streets fronting R-1 through R-4 residential zones unless the vehicle is…

Hawthorne's overnight parking ordinance, titled "all night parking prohibited," caps trucks and commercial vehicles at 30 minutes on any street, alley, or roadway between 2:00 a.m. and…

Los Angeles County regulates non-consent towing only in its unincorporated territory, not in the 88 incorporated cities, and its Title 15 traffic ordinance is about when a vehicle may…

Hawthorne sets numeric exterior noise ceilings by land-use type and time of day: 60 dBA daytime and 50 dBA nighttime for residential receivers, 65/60 dBA for commercial, and 70 dBA at…

Hawthorne bars anyone from operating amplifying devices, speakers, radios, TVs or music equipment on private property in a way that disturbs neighbors' peace and comfort. There's no…

Hawthorne limits construction and demolition noise to weekdays 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., barring it entirely on Sundays and federal holidays, with added decibel…

Hawthorne treats a dog that barks in a substantially continuous manner, day or night, to the annoyance of neighbors as a declared nuisance, enforced through a formal complaint…

Hawthorne outlaws running a motor vehicle, motorcycle, dune buggy, scooter or jeep on a vacant lot, parking lot or acreage in a way that disturbs a neighborhood's peace through noise…

Hawthorne's Airport Overlay Zone (AOZ) wraps Hawthorne Municipal Airport and splits into Area #1 (2012 65 CNEL noise contour) and Area #2 (60 CNEL contour). New noise-sensitive…

Hawthorne bans running a radio, TV, stereo, or similar device in any residential zone between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. if it disturbs neighbors, and treats any noise over the property line…

California AB-1346 bans the sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers and other small off-road engines under 25 horsepower starting 2024, applying countywide. LA County does not have a…

Hawthorne treats a retaining wall's fill height separately from any fence stacked on top of it, and it lets a wall topping a cut-slope retaining wall on a shared lot line reach…

Hawthorne caps residential fences at six feet, up to ten feet away from the front yard with a police-recommended crime-prevention permit. Front-yard fences face material and openness…

Where a commercial or industrial lot in Hawthorne shares a property line with residentially zoned land, the code requires the commercial or industrial owner to install and maintain a…

Hawthorne's zoning code bans barbed wire and electrified fencing citywide, and residential front yards face an additional list of banned materials, including chain link, wire mesh and…

Hawthorne requires a building permit before any fence or wall goes up in any zoning classification. The rule sits in the general fence and wall standards of the zoning code, and it…

Hawthorne caps residential and commercial landscape irrigation to before 8 a.m. and after 6 p.m. under Municipal Code Chapter 8.60, with tighter day-of-week schedules once the city…

Hawthorne's nuisance code makes it unlawful to let lawn grass grow past six inches, or to leave hedges, weeds, and vegetation unmowed and untrimmed, declaring both conditions a…

At street intersections, Hawthorne bars property owners from letting tree branches hang lower than seven feet above the curb within thirty-five feet of where the curblines meet, a…

Hawthorne bars anyone, including utility companies, from cutting, trimming, removing, or otherwise interfering with any tree, shrub, or plant on a city street, park, boulevard, alley…

A Hawthorne lot with less than 2,500 square feet of landscape can skip the full water-efficient landscape documentation package if stored rainwater captured on site, or treated or…

In the unincorporated Santa Monica Mountains Coastal Zone, Los Angeles County requires new landscaping and revegetation to use locally-indigenous, drought-tolerant plants outside…

Since SB 676 took effect in 2024, Government Code 53087.7 protects only drought-tolerant living landscaping from local bans, so cities may again prohibit artificial turf. Civil Code…

SB 1383 requires every California resident and business to separate food scraps and yard waste from trash, with universal collection or on-site composting.

Hawthorne treats small family day care homes as an outright permitted residential use in every zone allowing single-family homes, while large family day care homes (up to 14 children)…

Hawthorne allows no signage at all for a home-based business. The home occupation permit standards flatly prohibit any sign or advertising device displayed for the business, not just…

Hawthorne's home occupation rules flatly bar customers from coming to the residence for a home business, requiring in-person contact to happen off-site, with only narrow exceptions for…

Hawthorne requires a home occupation permit from the planning department before running a business from a residence, and caps the operation at twenty percent of the home's ground floor…

Government Code section 51035 forbids any California city, county, or city and county from prohibiting a cottage food operation in a residential dwelling. The local agency must pick…

California lets home cooks sell meals from their own kitchen under a microenterprise home kitchen operation (MEHKO) permit, capped at 30 meals a day, 90 a week, and $100,000 in annual…

Hawthorne bans propane tanks larger than fifty gallons water capacity in every residential and open-space zone under Municipal Code Section 8.32.060(E), which amends the Los Angeles…

Hawthorne limits backyard cooking, recreational, and ceremonial fires to commercially produced containers, or containers the Los Angeles County Fire Department specifically approves…

Hawthorne allows only state-defined "safe and sane" fireworks, sold solely by up to eight nonprofit organizations holding a city council permit, and only for use on July 4th between…

Property owners in unincorporated LA County must maintain 100 feet of defensible space around any structure located on or adjacent to brush- or forest-covered land. The fire department…

Unincorporated LA County designates Local Agency Fire Hazard Severity Zones throughout the region, including the Malibu–Santa Monica Mountains Area and the San Gabriel Mountains…

Open outdoor fires are generally prohibited in unincorporated LA County except for specific permitted exceptions. Small recreational and cooking fires on private property (maximum 3…

Hawthorne limits homeowners to one accessory structure other than a garage per lot, confined to the rear half of the property. Storage rooms and tool sheds for household items cap out…

Hawthorne charges a non-refundable application review fee for every ADU or JADU permit under § 17.21.040(A), set by city council resolution rather than printed in the code. For ADUs…

Hawthorne allows one accessory dwelling unit on any single-family lot and up to two ADUs on multifamily lots, reviewed ministerially by the planning director with no public hearing…

Hawthorne routes every garage-to-living-space conversion through Chapter 17.21's accessory dwelling unit rules. Multifamily properties can convert detached garages, carports, or…

Hawthorne Code § 17.21.070(H) lets owners rent an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit, but only for terms of thirty consecutive days or longer. Anything shorter…

Hawthorne's accessory dwelling unit ordinance assumes an owner-occupancy condition can apply to ADUs and JADUs, but § 17.21.070(J) waives it outright when the property owner is a…

Any Hawthorne pool, pond, spa, or hot tub deeper than 3 feet must be enclosed by a structure, fence, or wall at least 6 feet high, with outside gates fitted with a self-closing and…

Above-ground pools in unincorporated LA County holding 3,000+ gallons require a building permit from LA County Building & Safety. All barrier requirements (60-inch fencing…

Hawthorne requires a community events permit from the community events coordinator for street fairs, festivals and carnivals that impact public streets or property, filed at least 90…

Hawthorne bans parades on public streets without a chief-of-police permit, applied for 30 to 90 days ahead, and gives police broad discretion to grant, deny, reroute or condition the…

Hawthorne requires a permit for any organized park assembly of twenty-five or more people, capped at 150 participants during nighttime hours, filed with the parks and recreation…

Hawthorne requires a city council permit for any outdoor restaurant that wants to serve customers outside a fully enclosed building late at night: between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. any day…

Hawthorne has no separate parklet ordinance; sidewalk and curb-space dining structures are permitted as encroachments on city property under Chapter 9.50. Outdoor dining applications…

Hawthorne closes its parks and buildings to the public between nine p.m. and six a.m. The Memorial Building runs later, closing at one a.m. with activities required to stop by midnight…

Hawthorne bars minors from public places and businesses between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. every night of the week. Chapter 9.74 also makes it unlawful for a parent or guardian to…

Hawthorne requires anyone selling food from a vehicle on public streets to carry a business license and a vendor's permit, restrict vending stops to 10 minutes with a 100-foot move…

Hawthorne requires a sidewalk vending permit from the finance director under HMC § 5.57A.020, restricts vending to 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. citywide (6:00 p.m. in residential areas)…

Hawthorne lets permitted sidewalk food vendors operate on public sidewalks, but bans vending within set distances of intersections, hydrants, driveways and roadways, and near active…

Hawthorne massage establishments need both a business license and a police-issued operator's certificate, and every practitioner must hold current CAMTC certification. The code sets…

Hawthorne charges pawnbrokers $200 a year (or gross receipts, whichever is greater) under HMC § 5.52.020, requires a five-day hold on all goods, twice-weekly police reports, and bars…

Hawthorne charges secondhand dealers $150 a year (or gross receipts, whichever is greater) under HMC § 5.52.020(B), and holds them to the same five-day resale hold and police reporting…

Selling cigarettes, cigars, snuff, chewing tobacco, or other tobacco products in Hawthorne requires a tobacco retailer's license for each location under Municipal Code Chapter 5.98…

A tow operator that wants Hawthorne Police Department accident and impound referrals must hold a separate city referral towing permit under Municipal Code Chapter 5.94. Permittees pay…

Any adult bookstore, cabaret, motion-picture arcade, or similar sexually oriented business in Hawthorne needs an adult business permit under Municipal Code Chapter 5.92, in addition to…

Hawthorne expressly forbids vehicle sales, servicing and repair as a home occupation. The prohibition names cars, motorcycles, trucks, boats and bicycles and applies in every zone…

Hawthorne confines tattoo parlors and body piercing facilities to a conditional-use framework under Chapter 17.77, capping hours at 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., banning alcohol on the premises…

Hawthorne protects officially designated landmarks and monuments in the public right-of-way through Chapter 9.60, which bars anyone but authorized city employees from cutting…

Properties within LA County's Historic District overlays must comply with special development standards, and in the Historic Highlands Historic District (Altadena, established July…

Hawthorne prohibits sitting, lying or sleeping on any street, sidewalk or public way in the city, with a single carve-out for approved outdoor dining encroachments where sitting is…

Unincorporated Los Angeles County bans camping on any accepted county road or highway under Los Angeles County Code § 16.86.020, with fines escalating from $100 to $500 for repeat…

Hawthorne charges a 12% transient occupancy tax on rent paid by any guest staying 30 consecutive days or less at a hotel, motel, or similar lodging. Operators collect the tax from…

Hotel and janitorial employers in unincorporated LA County must offer available positions in writing to laid-off workers who qualify, prioritized by seniority, giving them at least 10…

Hotel employers in unincorporated LA County must pay room attendants double their regular rate for every hour worked on any day their cleaning workload exceeds 3,500 square feet (for…

Hawthorne requires construction sites to deploy sediment barriers, silt fencing, tracking controls and slope erosion measures to keep runoff to the maximum extent practicable, and to…

Hawthorne Chapter 8.50 bans any illicit discharge into the city's storm drain (MS4) system unless it is an NPDES-authorized nonstormwater flow, firefighting runoff, or an RWQCB-LA…

Hawthorne requires a development permit for any construction in a flood-prone area identified on FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Los Angeles County. The director of building and…

Any new construction or substantial improvement, including manufactured homes, sited in a Hawthorne flood-prone area must be anchored against flotation and lateral movement and built…

In unincorporated Los Angeles County, marinas, docks, piers, and boat launches need a Conditional Use Permit in the Open Space (O-S) zone and are barred outright in the A-1, A-2, R-R…

Los Angeles County's defensible space rules require specific vegetation management within 100 feet of structures on or adjacent to brushland. Dead vegetation must be removed…

Several unincorporated LA County areas fall within the California Coastal Zone, including communities near Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains. Coastal development permits from the…

Hawthorne's discarded-materials code bars pharmacists, physicians, nurses, veterinarians, clinics and hospitals from throwing used or partly used hypodermic syringes, needles and…

Hawthorne treats overgrown vegetation likely to harbor rats, vermin or insects as a declared public nuisance, along with tree branches left within five feet of a roofline that give…

Hawthorne requires anyone applying for a sidewalk vending permit who intends to sell food or food products to submit proof of completing a food handler course, plus proof of all…

Hawthorne food facilities must post the Letter Grade Card or Inspection Score Card issued by the Los Angeles County Health Officer where it is clearly visible to the public, in a…

In unincorporated LA County, rental properties with two or more units must have landlords treat every adjacent unit for bed bugs once an infestation is confirmed, under the county's…

Hawthorne's objective noise ordinance names noisy HVAC and pool equipment as an example of the ongoing, stationary sources it targets, and holds them to the numeric exterior noise…

Hawthorne bans live entertainment between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. in any licensed establishment serving alcohol under HMC § 5.40.190, unless the chief of police issues special written…

Unincorporated Los Angeles County requires any sounding motor-vehicle burglar alarm to shut off within 15 minutes of activation, treating a longer-running alarm itself as a noise-code…

Hawthorne requires owners of any lot, improved or unimproved, to keep it free of weeds, dead trees, rubbish and unsanitary debris that could endanger neighboring property or public…

A Hawthorne building left vacant for more than ninety consecutive days is a declared public nuisance unless the city manager finds it is actively being repaired, is code-compliant and…

Most unincorporated LA County areas do not receive snow. Mountain communities (e.g., Wrightwood, Mt. Baldy area) may experience snowfall but there is no county snow removal ordinance…

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…

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…

Hawthorne treats skateboards, roller skates, hoverboards and BMX bikes as transportation, not play equipment: riders must travel upright between destinations, obey traffic signals, and…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

In a narrow slice of unincorporated LA County near the Palos Verdes Peninsula, hosting a gathering where a minor drinks or ingests cannabis is a public nuisance carrying a $1,000 fine…

Hawthorne bars anyone from making or kindling a fire in a city park unless it's in a picnic stove the city provided, or unless the director of parks and recreation issues a special…

Hawthorne prohibits setting up or operating a propane barbecue device to cook food anywhere in a city park. The only exception is a city of Hawthorne sponsored event; everyone else…

Hawthorne bars anyone from occupying or working in a public street, alley, sidewalk or right-of-way without an encroachment permit from the city engineer. Applicants must detail the…

Hawthorne places a legal duty on property owners to maintain and repair sidewalks, driveway aprons, curbs and gutters fronting their lots. Owners who fail to act after notice can be…

Hawthorne Municipal Code § 12.24.010 bars leaving any movable or immovable object on a public sidewalk or parkway, closing off blocked walkways from vendors, movers and property owners…

Owners renting out five or more residential units in Hawthorne, other than hotels, motels or lodging houses, must pay an annual per-unit rental business fee that climbs with the size…

Hawthorne classifies a rental building as a public nuisance the moment it contains any condition listed in California Health and Safety Code Section 17920.3, the state's…

Unincorporated LA County caps annual rent hikes on pre-1995 rental units at 3% (up to 4% for small landlords, 5% for luxury units) under the Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections…

California Civil Code §1950.5, amended by AB-12 effective July 2024, caps residential security deposits at one month's rent statewide. Los Angeles County does not add a local cap…

Landlords in unincorporated Los Angeles County can only terminate an occupied tenancy in a covered rental unit by citing a specific At-Fault or No-Fault reason under the county's Rent…

Landlords of rent-stabilized units in unincorporated LA County must give tenants at least 30 days' written notice before any annual rent increase, and register the unit with the…

California Government Code §12955 bans housing discrimination based on a tenant's lawful source of income, including Section 8 vouchers and other rental subsidies. LA County Title 8.42…

California evictions run through the unlawful detainer process. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 1161, nonpayment requires a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit (excluding weekends and…

California Civil Code § 1954 limits when a landlord may enter a rented home. Except in emergencies, abandonment, or with tenant consent, the landlord must give reasonable written…

California sets no fixed dollar or percentage cap on rent late fees, but a late fee in a residential lease is treated as liquidated damages. Under Civil Code § 1671, such a fee is…

To end a California month-to-month tenancy, a tenant gives 30 days' written notice. A landlord gives 30 days if the tenant has lived there under a year, or 60 days if a year or more…

California adverse possession requires five years of continuous, open, hostile possession AND payment of all property taxes during that period under Code of Civil Procedure § 325. A…

Hawthorne's film permit chapter bars production crews from blocking pedestrian or vehicular access to homes and businesses without the affected parties' prior written consent, and…

Hawthorne exempts student films from the film permit fee and still-photography fee under HMC § 5.96.050, but a reduced application fee still applies and every other permit requirement…

Hawthorne's film permit chapter requires production companies to get special permission, which the city can refuse, before filming with excessive noise from explosions, gunfire, or…

Filming anywhere in Hawthorne, on public or private property or in the airspace above it, requires a film permit from the business license division under Municipal Code Chapter 5.96…

Hawthorne's director of building and safety must withhold permits and certificates of occupancy whenever plan checks or field inspections reveal a zoning violation, and any permit…

Hawthorne requires approved automatic fire sprinkler systems in every new building of 5,000 square feet or more, any structure four or more stories tall, or where an A, B, E, F, H, I…

Hawthorne enforces the 2022 California Building Code, as locally amended, for construction citywide, and Municipal Code § 15.04.040 narrows the state's permit exemption list so that…

Hawthorne requires every short-term rental applicant to file a notarized affidavit swearing the unit has carbon monoxide detectors installed and meets or exceeds the city's fire and…

Anyone installing, moving, or demolishing plumbing, sewers, septic systems, gas piping, or pool-heater gas outlets in Hawthorne works under the 2022 California Plumbing Code, adopted…

Hawthorne enforces the 2022 California Green Building Standards Code as its 'sustainable green building program' under Hawthorne Code § 15.40.010, covering energy efficiency, water…

Every exterior swinging door on a Hawthorne house or attached garage, including the door from the garage into the home, needs a single-cylinder deadbolt with a one-inch bolt throw, a…

Hawthorne wires every building to the 2022 California Electrical Code, adopted by reference under Hawthorne Code § 15.28.010, and layers on local amendments requiring copper…

In unincorporated LA County, child care centers must supply 1 parking space per staff member, 1 per business vehicle, and 1 per 20 licensed children, plus a dedicated on-site drop-off…

In Chapman Woods, unincorporated LA County caps new houses at 40% of lot area (max 3,500 sq ft) on lots under 13,000 sq ft, dropping to 20% (max 8,000 sq ft) on lots over 40,000 sq ft…

Hawthorne does not have shared scooter no-ride zones; it bans dockless shared mobility devices outright. Leaving, parking or offering any wireless-locking shared scooter or bike on…

On county highways in unincorporated Los Angeles County, drivers must not drive in a marked bicycle lane except to cross at a driveway or to park where parking is legal or the vehicle…

A low-speed vehicle in California may not be driven on any roadway with a speed limit above 35 miles per hour. Vehicle Code section 21260 permits it to cross a faster road only where…

Hawthorne requires recyclables to be kept separate from trash and organics and placed only in a labeled recyclable materials container, and it is a separate offense for anyone besides…

Hawthorne requires every property to carry the city's franchised three-container collection service, but yard waste your own gardener, landscaper or tree service hauls away as part of…

Every Hawthorne property owner or occupant must sign up for the city's franchised three-container collection service covering recyclables, organics and solid waste, with pickup at…

Hawthorne allows one storage container on a residential property for up to 7 calendar days, no more than twice a year, and bans placing it in the required front-yard setback, though…

Hawthorne requires weekly collection service for every property and controls exactly when bins can hit the curb: containers go out no earlier than twelve hours before pickup day and…

Hawthorne Code § 8.16.020 bars anyone from dumping, placing or burying discarded materials or health-officer-condemned substances in any lot, land, street, alley, water or waterway…

Hawthorne requires every trash, recycling and organics container to sit somewhere accessible for pickup, never blocking a street unless the city engineer allows it. Containers go in…

Hawthorne Code § 12.31.010 makes it unlawful to leave bulky waste, furniture, appliances, electronics or tires on any street, curb, sidewalk or public right-of-way. The ban covers…

In the unincorporated High Desert Area, county code requires occupied properties without county-provided trash pickup to use a permitted hauler or a self-hauler permit for at least…

Unincorporated LA County residents and businesses must divert organic waste from landfills by source-separating food scraps, green waste, and other organics using an authorized hauler…

Hawthorne bans garage-sale signs in the public right-of-way outright and limits private-property signage to one double-face sign no larger than five square feet per face, displayed…

Hawthorne Municipal Code Chapter 12.38 caps every digital sign face on the city's own municipal message center network at 7,500 nits and limits the network to no more than six…

Hawthorne Municipal Code § 9.62.040 makes it a misdemeanor to take, confiscate, damage, deface or otherwise remove someone else's political or campaign sign, banner or the like without…

Hawthorne caps permanent window signs at 25% of window area and limits temporary window signs to the smallest of 25% of window area, 200 square feet per wall segment, or one square…

New or relocated billboards facing Hawthorne's freeways are confined to the Freeway Overlay Zone under Chapter 17.88, and none can go up until the operator negotiates a signed…

In unincorporated Los Angeles County, holiday decorations are exempt from the sign ordinance's ban on attention-getting devices like banners and balloons, but only if displayed in…

Hawthorne taxes most businesses on a gross-receipts sliding scale under HMC § 5.48.010, starting at $75 a year for receipts under $25,000 and rising to $100 per additional $100,000…

Hawthorne requires anyone soliciting or canvassing door to door to buy a license, submit fingerprints and a photo for police vetting, and stop knocking after 7 or 8 p.m. in residential…

Door-to-door solicitors in unincorporated LA County may not approach any residence without a prearranged appointment between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. (8:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. during…

Hawthorne caps residential garage sales at two permits per individual or address per calendar year, each valid for two consecutive days, under HMC § 5.46.030; a permit from the…

Hawthorne caps cannabis retailers at six per business type and keeps them away from sensitive uses under Municipal Code Section 5.100.040(F): retail and consumption-area licenses must…

Hawthorne has not opted out of commercial cannabis. Retail cannabis, with or without a consumption lounge, is allowed in every C and M zone, but only after a Cannabis Screening…

Adults 21 and older in unincorporated LA County may cultivate up to six living cannabis plants per private residence under California Proposition 64, with plants kept indoors or in a…

Health and Safety Code section 11362.2 grants every adult 21 or older the statewide right to cultivate up to six cannabis plants indoors, and bars local governments from completely…

Hawthorne's building department must run an administrative, nondiscretionary review for small residential rooftop solar systems, issuing over-the-counter permits within one to three…

Hawthorne requires solar panel applications to be filed in person with the building department because the city cannot process electronic submittals, and it caps permit fees under…

California Solar Rights Act (Civil Code 714) prohibits HOAs from effectively banning solar installations in unincorporated LA County. Any restriction increasing cost by more than…

Hawthorne's R-1 zone requires a 15-foot front setback, a 5-foot interior side yard (10 feet on a street side), and a 5-foot rear yard for single-family homes under the Use and Bulk…

Hawthorne caps residential building height at 12, 22, or 50 feet depending on the Use and Bulk Table for the zone, and ties each ceiling to a story count: 12-foot buildings can't…

In Hawthorne's R-1 Low Density Residential zone, a single-family detached dwelling cannot cover more than fifty percent of the lot under the § 17.14.020 development table. The city's…

Hawthorne must grant a density bonus above the base zone's maximum density under Hawthorne Code §§ 17.17.020-.030 when a housing developer sets aside qualifying affordable units…

Hawthorne requires commercial parking lots serving more than ten spaces to keep at least one foot-candle of light on the pavement and to engineer fixtures so they do not throw direct…

Freeway Overlay Zone billboards in Hawthorne cannot use red, blinking, or intermittent lighting that could be mistaken for a warning signal, and digital displays are capped at 0.3…

The Santa Monica Mountains North Area CSD requires all outdoor lighting to be fully shielded and directed downward, turned off from 10 pm to sunrise, with prohibited lighting types…

In Hawthorne's Trucking Intensive Overlay zone, Section 17.86.040(J) requires street trees planted in the public right-of-way along the property line, sized and spaced to a fixed…

In unincorporated Los Angeles County land inside a mapped Significant Ecological Area, removing, pruning past 25% of foliage, or encroaching on a tree from the County's SEA Protected…

The Santa Monica Mountains North Area CSD designates any tree with a single trunk 36 or more inches in diameter (or two trunks totaling 54 or more inches) as a heritage tree; removal…

Landscaped areas required under Hawthorne's zoning title must be planted from the city's approved Appendix A plant list, and the planning director will only clear an off-list species…

Hawthorne's water-efficient landscaping code defines recycled water as treated, nonpotable wastewater suitable for irrigation and water features, and rewards its use by letting…

In unincorporated Los Angeles County, County Code § 11.38.640 makes leak repair a legal duty, not a suggestion: anyone who owns or rents premises with accessible indoor plumbing or…

Unincorporated Los Angeles County has no data-center-specific zoning. Title 22 does not define or regulate data centers, so they are reviewed as an industrial use permitted in the…

Los Angeles County prohibits tobacco retailers from selling any flavored tobacco product, including menthol, mint, fruit, chocolate, vanilla, and candy flavors, as well as electronic…

Federal Tobacco 21 (Public Law 116-94) and California Business and Professions Code section 22963 bar LA County retailers from selling cigarettes, cigars, vapes, or any tobacco product…

Section 8.53.105.B commits the County Housing Program Chief to a routine habitability inspection of every covered rental property in unincorporated Los Angeles County once every four…

Tenants in unincorporated Los Angeles County rental properties with two or more units can file a habitability complaint with the County Housing Program Chief, who must schedule the…

Unincorporated LA County zones farmland A-1 Light Agricultural or A-2 Heavy Agricultural under Title 22 Chapter 22.16, permitting crops, livestock, and low-density homes through…

California Civil Code §3482.5 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance suits after three years of consistent activity. LA County applies the state rule, particularly…

California Penal Code section 25400 prohibits carrying a concealed firearm without a CCW. The LA County Sheriff issues permits to county residents under shall-issue rules following…

California Penal Code section 26350 bans open carry of unloaded handguns in incorporated areas, and section 26400 bans openly carried unloaded long guns. Most LA County cities are…

California Penal Code sections 25400 and 25610 require firearms transported by vehicle in LA County to be unloaded, with handguns inside a locked container or trunk. Long guns must be…

California preempts most local firearm regulation under Government Code 53071 and Penal Code 25605, reserving licensing, registration, and manufacture authority to the state. However…

California AB-1276 prohibits restaurants and food vendors from automatically providing single-use foodware accessories. Utensils, straws, condiments, and stirrers must only be supplied…

California prohibits grocery stores and large retailers from providing single-use plastic carryout bags under Public Resources Code 42280-42288, enacted by SB 270 (2014) and ratified…

California restricts expanded polystyrene food containers statewide through SB 54 (2022) packaging requirements under Public Resources Code 42040-42081. The law mandates that…

California Public Resources Code 42270-42273, enacted by AB 1884 (2018), prohibits full-service restaurants from providing single-use plastic straws unless requested by the customer…

California AB-1236 (Labor Code §2814) prohibits LA County and any city or county from requiring private employers to use E-Verify. Federal mandates apply only to federal contractors…

LA County has no general predictive-scheduling ordinance for unincorporated areas. California AB-1228 governs fast-food workers via the statewide Fast Food Council, and statewide…

California sets a statewide minimum wage floor under Labor Code 1182.12, $16.90 per hour for all employers as of January 2026. Local governments are not preempted and may set higher…

California's Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act under Labor Code 245-249 mandates paid sick leave for nearly all employees statewide. SB 616 (2023) raised the minimum to 40 hours…

HOAs in LA County are governed by the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act (Civil Code §4000–6150). Board meetings require advance notice, open sessions, and recorded…

HOAs in LA County may require architectural approval for exterior modifications under their CC&Rs, but California law limits restrictions on solar panels, drought-tolerant landscaping…

The Davis-Stirling Act regulates HOA assessments in LA County. Regular assessments may increase up to 20% annually without member vote. Special assessments exceeding 5% of budget…

The Davis-Stirling Act requires HOAs to offer internal dispute resolution (IDR) and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) before litigation. Members may request IDR meetings with the…

HOAs in LA County enforce CC&Rs through the Davis-Stirling Act. Fines require notice and hearing. CC&R amendments typically need 67% member approval. Enforcement must be uniform and…

California voids any HOA governing-document clause that effectively bans or unreasonably restricts a clothesline or drying rack in an owner's exclusive-use backyard. Civil Code Section…

Civil Code section 4735 voids any HOA rule that bans low-water plants, turf replacement, or artificial turf, and bars fines for cutting back watering during a declared drought…

Civil Code § 4745 voids any HOA covenant or governing-document rule that prohibits or unreasonably restricts installing an EV charging station in an owner's unit or designated parking…

Civil Code § 4705 bars every California homeowners association from limiting a member's display of the United States flag on their own lot or within their exclusive-use common area…

California law caps homeowners association fines at $100 per violation or the amount listed in the association's published penalty schedule, whichever is less. Civil Code section 5850…

A California homeowners association cannot foreclose on a member’s home over unpaid dues until the delinquent assessments alone reach $1,800, or until the assessments secured by the…

Civil Code § 4741 bars every California homeowners association from adopting or enforcing a rule that prohibits, or unreasonably restricts, renting out a separate interest, and sets a…

In unincorporated Los Angeles County, violating any Title 22 zoning provision, permit, or approval is a misdemeanor by default under County Code § 22.242.030, with each day of the…

Security cameras on private residential property are legal in unincorporated LA County. California is a two-party consent state for audio recording (Penal Code §632), so cameras…

California is a two-party (all-party) consent state for recording confidential communications. Under Penal Code §632, recording private conversations without consent from all parties…

California's Gambling Control Act bars any city or county from issuing a gambling license to a cardroom unless a local ordinance authorizes it first: one adopted by voters after…

California Penal Code § 326.5 lets only tax-exempt nonprofits, mobilehome park associations, senior groups, and school-affiliated charities run bingo, and only under a local city or…

California law exempts private home card games from gambling regulation entirely. Penal Code § 337j(e)(2)(D) excludes any card game played in a private home or residence from the…

California has no legal sports betting, in stores or online. Penal Code section 337a criminalizes bookmaking, pool-selling, and placing or accepting any bet on the result of a sporting…

Sobriety checkpoints are lawful in California and stopping at one is a statutory obligation, not a courtesy. Vehicle Code § 2814.2(a) requires a driver to stop and submit to a sobriety…

California is one of the few states that answers this by statute rather than by case law alone. Penal Code § 148(g) says that photographing or making an audio or video recording of a…

California has no general stop-and-identify statute. The old Penal Code § 647(e), which required a person lawfully detained to give "credible and reliable" identification, was held…

California has no statute that requires you to consent to a search of your car, and none that requires an officer to warn you that you may refuse. What the Legislature and the voters…

California works from a closed list: Vehicle Code section 24003 says no vehicle may carry any lamp or illuminating device not required or permitted by the code, so an accessory light…

California measures dash cam placement in square inches. Vehicle Code section 26708(b)(13) lets a video event recorder occupy a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield…

Lane splitting is lawful in California. Vehicle Code section 21658.1, added by AB 51 in 2016, defines it as driving a motorcycle with two wheels in contact with the ground between rows…

California does not let you put a cover over your license plate. Vehicle Code section 5201(c) allows exactly two things: a full car cover on a lawfully parked vehicle, and a license…

No section of the California Vehicle Code makes it an offense for a private motorist to own, carry or use a radar detector. The prohibition in Vehicle Code section 28150 reaches only…

California permits metal studded tires only between November 1 and April 30, and only where the studs are tungsten carbide or another suitable material and the metal touching the road…

California never publishes a "legal VLT" for front side windows because it does not permit aftermarket darkening there at all. Vehicle Code section 26708(d) allows only clear…