Hawthorne, CA Home Business: Zoning Restrictions (2026)

The City of Hawthorne permits home-based businesses through Chapter 17.72 (Home Occupation Permits) of its zoning code. The chapter's stated intent (17.72.010) is to let residents work at home and use their homes as a place of livelihood while preserving the residential character of neighborhoods and protecting them from adverse impacts. A home occupation is defined as an occupation or business activity producing a product or service conducted entirely in a dwelling unit by the residents, clearly incidental and secondary to the residential use. The core zoning conditions require that all operations be carried on within the dwelling, with not more than twenty percent of the ground-floor area used (including any storage area), and that the activity not alter the residential character of the premises. Only a permanent resident of the subject premises may be employed, and the use may not generate vehicular or pedestrian traffic beyond what a residence normally produces. Motors are limited to electrically driven motors not exceeding two total horsepower (one-half horsepower per single motor), and no noise, odor, dust, vibration, fumes, or electrical interference may disturb neighbors. A cottage food operation receives an explicit exception allowing it to exceed the twenty-percent floor-area limit if it complies with the chapter and the state Health and Safety Code. Approval is administrative through the Planning Department, with appeal to the Planning Commission and City Council.