Municipal Code

The Lakewood Municipal Code contains the current ordinances (as amended) that have been adopted by the Lakewood City Council.

County of Los Angeles regulations such as the County Health Code, Fire Code, and Building Codes have been adopted by the city and are cited in the municipal code by reference. Los Angeles County codes can be found at municipalcodes.lexisnexis.com.

Lakewood residents and business operators also are subject to State of California and federal laws.

State codes are available electronically through leginfo.ca.gov and calregs.com and federal regulations are online at gpoaccess.gov.

Although the code is searchable by key word or phrase, the search function can only find what you put in.

Suppose you are looking for information on trash collection. Technical terms change through the years, and instead of trash, there could also be code references under rubbish, garbage, refuse, and solid waste. Similarly, all references to a single subject may not be collected in one location and citations can appear in different sections because of the relationship of those sections to other city ordinances.

For the best results, pick up search terms from the descriptive language in the section you are reading to find other sections that relate to the same topic.

The municipal code has had material added, deleted, and modified many times since 1954, and it was written in legal language designed to be defensible in a court of law. As a result, the code is not always easy to read. Take your time and read every part of the section.

The City Clerk’s office can answer general questions about the Lakewood Municipal Code and direct you to the appropriate city staff member for more details. For assistance go to www.lakewoodcity.org/service or call 562-866-9771, extension 2200. (City staff members cannot provide legal advice.)

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