Hawthorne, CA Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- HMC § 5.62.020, Residential Rental Business
- Trigger
- 5 or more residential units rented
- Fee, 5-15 units
- $15.00 per unit annually
- Fee, 16-25 units
- $20.00 per unit annually
- Fee, 26+ units
- $25.00 per unit annually
- Exempt
- Hotels, motels, motor courts, lodging houses
Summary
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 of the portfolio, from $15 a unit up to $25 a unit for the largest holdings.
Every owner or operator of a business engaging in a rental of five or more residential units other than hotels, motels, motor courts or lodging houses shall pay an annual fee as follows: 01-04 units $0.00 per unit; 05-15 units $15.00 per unit; 16-25 units $20.00 per unit; 26 or more units $25.00 per unit.
Full Breakdown
62 (Rentals and Rental Businesses), requires every owner or operator of a business that rents five or more residential units, other than hotels, motels, motor courts or lodging houses, to pay an annual fee tied to unit count. The tiers run: zero dollars per unit for one to four units (below the five-unit threshold that triggers the fee), fifteen dollars per unit for five to fifteen units, twenty dollars per unit for sixteen to twenty-five units, and twenty-five dollars per unit for twenty-six units or more.
14's licensing procedures. A rental information service must also get the property owner's written consent before advertising a listing, keep a current list of available properties open for patron review, and cannot publish false, misleading or nonexistent listings.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 5.62 does not print its own standalone penalty schedule; because rental business fees are collected as part of the city's general business license program under Chapter 5.14, nonpayment is enforced through Hawthorne's general licensing and code enforcement remedies rather than a chapter-specific fine printed here. Falsifying or misrepresenting a rental listing under the separate rental information service provisions is expressly declared unlawful under Section 5.62.010(E).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every Hawthorne landlord have to pay the rental business fee?
How much is the Hawthorne per-unit rental fee?
Is a rental information service the same as the rental business fee?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hawthorne
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How other cities in Los Angeles County handle rental registration.