Los Angeles, CA Single-Use Items: Plastic Straw Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- City ordinance
- Ord. 185489, LAMC 195.20
- Default
- Straws on request only
- State law
- AB-1884, PRC section 42270
- Disability access
- Must accommodate requests
Summary
Los Angeles Ordinance 185489 (LAMC section 195.20) bars food and beverage facilities from automatically providing single-use plastic straws. Straws must be offered only on request and ideally non-plastic. California AB-1884 imposes a parallel statewide rule on full-service restaurants.
42270. For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply: (a) "Consumer" has the same meaning as in Section 113757 of the Health and Safety Code. (b) "Food facility" has the same meaning as in Section 113789 of the Health and Safety Code. (c) "Ready-to-eat food" has the same meaning as in Section 113881 of the Health and Safety Code. (d) "Single-use" means designed to be used once and then discarded, and not designed for repeated use and sanitizing. (e) "Single-use foodware accessory" means all of the following single-use items provided alongside ready-to-eat food: (1) Utensils, which is defined as forks, knives, spoons, and sporks. (2) Chopsticks. (3) Condiment cups and packets. (4) Straws. (5) Stirrers. (6) Splash sticks. (7) Cocktail sticks.
Full Breakdown
LAMC chapter XIX article 5 section 195.20 makes Los Angeles a straws-on-request city. Restaurants, fast-food outlets, coffee shops, food trucks, and beverage retailers cannot place plastic straws at self-service stations or hand them out automatically with drinks. They may provide a single straw if the customer affirmatively asks, and the city encourages compostable or paper alternatives. Persons with disabilities must be accommodated upon request without burden. California AB-1884 (Public Resources Code section 42270) covers full-service dine-in restaurants with the same rule. The Bureau of Sanitation enforces locally with warnings and escalating fines after repeat violations.
Violations & Fines
Auto-distributing plastic straws violates LAMC section 195.20 and triggers a written warning, then fines starting around twenty-five dollars per violation up to several hundred dollars for repeats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a coffee shop set out a self-serve straw caddy?
Are paper or compostable straws restricted too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Los Angeles
California rules heatmap·Compare Los Angeles to another location·View the California single-use items overview
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Plastic Straw Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle plastic straw rules.