Hawthorne, CA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Entrance-blocking rule
- Hawthorne Code § 10.72.060
- Business-ordered-to-leave rule
- Hawthorne Code § 10.72.090
- Lawful-business exceptions
- § 10.72.080
- Infraction fine, 1st offense
- $100 (§ 1.22.030)
- Infraction fine, 3rd+ offense
- $500 (§ 1.22.030)
Summary
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 so as to unreasonably block an entrance, and separately unlawful to loiter in or about a business after the owner or an employee tells you to leave.
§ 10.72.060. Obstructing entrances. It is unlawful for any person to loiter or stand in or upon any street or sidewalk or other public way open for pedestrian travel or otherwise occupy any portion thereof in such a manner as to unreasonably obstruct or block the entrance to any business establishment, public or other facility which is open to the public. ... § 10.72.090. Loitering in business establishment. No person shall loiter, stop, stand or sit in or about any business establishment after having been asked to leave by the owner, manager or any employee of that establishment.
Full Breakdown
060 makes it unlawful for any person to loiter or stand in or upon a street, sidewalk or other public way in a manner that unreasonably obstructs or blocks the entrance to any business establishment or other facility open to the public. 070 similarly bars loitering or standing in a way that unreasonably annoys or molests other pedestrians or obstructs their free passage. 080 carves out exceptions for people waiting in line to do business, distributing political or religious literature, walking a picket line, or otherwise conducting lawful business, provided they comply with other applicable rules and keep any obstruction to the minimum necessary.
090 makes it unlawful to loiter, stop, stand or sit in or about a business establishment after the owner, manager or any employee has asked the person to leave, giving business operators direct authority to end loitering on their own premises. 110 lets a police officer order a violator to leave and makes disobeying that order a separate offense. 72's broader pedestrian-conduct rules alongside crosswalk and sidewalk-sitting restrictions.
Violations & Fines
Violating Section 10.72.060 (obstructing entrances) is listed as an infraction under Hawthorne Code Section 1.22.010, punishable under Section 1.22.030's escalating schedule: $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 for each additional offense in that year; the city attorney retains discretion under Section 1.22.040 to charge any of these violations as a misdemeanor instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Hawthorne business tell me to stop loitering outside its door?
Is standing in line outside a Hawthorne store illegal loitering?
What's the fine for blocking a sidewalk entrance in Hawthorne?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hawthorne
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