Hawthorne, CA Public Health Rules: Restaurant Grade Cards (2026)
Key Facts
- Posting priority 1
- Front window, within 5 ft of door
- Posting priority 2
- Pass-out window (mobile food facilities)
- Posting priority 3
- Location set by Health Officer's discretion
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. 1987 §§ 2-3 (2011)
- Grading authority
- LA County Health Officer, not a city inspector
Summary
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 priority order set out in Municipal Code § 8.10.015.
Paragraph A of Section 8.04.752 of Division 1 of Title 8 of the Los Angeles County Code is hereby amended to read as follows: (a) Upon issuance by the County Health Officer, the Health Officer shall post at every food facility the Letter Grade Card or the Inspection Score Card, as determined by the County Health Officer, so as to be clearly visible to the general public and to patrons entering the facility. ... (1) Posted in the front window of the food facility within five feet of the front door or posted in a display case mounted on the outside front wall of the food facility within five feet of the front door.
Full Breakdown
010 adopts, by reference, Division 1 of Title 11 (the County Health Code) and Division 1 of Title 8 (Public Health Licenses) of the Los Angeles County Code as amended and in effect March 21, 2006 and November 18, 2010, respectively, with a certified copy kept on file at the city clerk's office for public inspection. 752 as it applies within Hawthorne, requiring the County Health Officer, upon issuing a grade, to post the Letter Grade Card or Inspection Score Card at every food facility so it is clearly visible to the public and to patrons.
The section sets a strict order of priority for where it must go: first, in the front window within five feet of the front door, or in a display case mounted on the outside front wall within five feet of the door; if that is not reasonably possible, second, adjacent to the pass-out window on a mobile food facility or on the customer service side of an unenclosed mobile facility; and only if neither works, third, wherever the Health Officer determines will give the most effective notice.
Hawthorne does not run a separate city grading program; it enforces the same county Letter Grade/Inspection Score system used across Los Angeles County, adopted locally by Ordinance 1987 in 2011.
Violations & Fines
Because the grading and inspection function itself belongs to the Los Angeles County Health Officer under the adopted county health code, noncompliant facilities are subject to the county's own enforcement and permit actions for failing to post or for tampering with a posted grade. Separately, violating the posting requirement as codified in Hawthorne's own § 8.10.015 is a Hawthorne Municipal Code violation, defaulting to the general penalty under § 1.20.010: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or both, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who inspects Hawthorne restaurants and assigns the letter grade?
Where exactly must a Hawthorne restaurant post its grade?
Does Hawthorne use a different grading scale than the rest of the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hawthorne
California rules heatmap·Compare Hawthorne to another location·View the California public health rules overview
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Restaurant Grade Cards in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle restaurant grade cards.