Does the LA County Fair Chance Housing Ordinance Apply in Gardena or Hawthorne?

Published August 10, 2026

Los Angeles County does not have a Fair Chance ordinance for housing. Its Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers covers hiring, not tenant screening, and only reaches the unincorporated county. What is commonly called a Fair Chance Housing Ordinance is a City of Los Angeles proposal that, as of the last record we could retrieve, was still a directive to draft an ordinance, not an adopted law. What does reach Gardena and Hawthorne is a narrower state statute limiting local crime free housing rules.

The short answer

No. Los Angeles County has no Fair Chance ordinance covering housing or tenant screening. Its only Fair Chance ordinance covers hiring, and it reaches unincorporated county land, not incorporated cities like Gardena or Hawthorne. What people usually mean by a Fair Chance Housing Ordinance is a City of Los Angeles proposal that, as far as we could confirm, was still a directive to draft an ordinance, not adopted law, and would only ever reach the City of LA. A narrower state statute, not a Fair Chance law by name, does reach every city in California.

Last verified: August 10, 2026

What LA County actually adopted, and who it covers

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted the Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers on February 27, 2024, and it took effect September 3, 2024, codified as County Code Chapter 8.300. Read its own scope language carefully: it applies to an employer with five or more employees whenever the employer is hiring or employing someone who performs at least two hours of work on average each week within the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Two things follow from that sentence. First, it is an employment ordinance, governing job applications and background checks for workers, not tenant applications for rental housing. Second, its geographic reach is the unincorporated county, the pockets of land the Board of Supervisors governs directly, not the incorporated cities that have their own city councils. Gardena and Hawthorne are both incorporated cities. Neither is bound by this ordinance, and even if it did reach them, it would not touch how a landlord screens a rental applicant, because it never addresses housing at all.

The thing people actually mean: a City of LA proposal, not a county law

Search for "Fair Chance Housing Ordinance" and most results point to a different jurisdiction entirely: the City of Los Angeles, tracked under City Council File 22-0280, titled "Fair Chance Housing Ordinance / Applicant Criminal History / Discriminatory Tenant Screening Practices." The file's history shows a motion first referred to committee in 2022, then expiring under Council policy on March 9, 2024. The Council revived it, and on April 9, 2024 adopted the motion by an 11-0-4 vote, with the action finalized April 12, 2024. That vote directed the City Attorney and the Los Angeles Housing Department to draft an actual ordinance modeled on similar laws in Oakland and Berkeley, one that would bar landlords from asking about a rental applicant's criminal history and would create a private right of action for prospective tenants. As of the file activity we could retrieve, that is a motion to draft a law, not a law. We could not confirm any later ordinance number or effective date, so we are not asserting one exists.

Two things matter for a South Bay landlord even in a world where the City of LA eventually finalizes that ordinance. It is a City of Los Angeles measure, not a county measure, so its reach was always going to stop at the LA city limits. Gardena, Hawthorne, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Inglewood, and Carson are each separately incorporated, and a City of LA ordinance does not bind them any more than an ordinance passed in Long Beach would.

What does reach Gardena and Hawthorne: a narrower state law

There is a real statewide protection here, just not one called a Fair Chance law and not one that bans landlords from asking about criminal history outright. Government Code section 53165.1, operative January 1, 2025, prohibits local agencies, meaning cities and counties, from enforcing "crime-free" or nuisance housing ordinances built around criminal history or police contact. Specifically, a city or county cannot require a landlord to run a criminal background check on a tenant or applicant, cannot penalize a resident solely because of contact with law enforcement, cannot require a landlord to evict or penalize a tenant because another household member had police contact or a conviction, cannot label law enforcement contact a nuisance, and cannot maintain a tenant registry designed to discourage renting to a listed person. A tenant, a landlord, or a qualifying nonprofit can go to court to void a conflicting local ordinance and recover attorney's fees. This statute binds every city in California, including Gardena and Hawthorne, the moment either maintains a program that runs afoul of it. It is a ceiling on what cities can force landlords to do, not a rule telling landlords what they personally may or may not ask.

Quick reference

| Question | Answer | Citation |

|---|---|---|

| Does LA County have a Fair Chance housing ordinance | No | dcba.lacounty.gov/fairchance |

| What does the county's Fair Chance ordinance cover | Employment hiring, not tenant screening | County Code Chapter 8.300 |

| Where does the county's Fair Chance ordinance reach | Unincorporated county only | County Code Chapter 8.300 |

| Is there a City of LA Fair Chance Housing Ordinance | Motion adopted April 2024; adoption of an actual ordinance not confirmed | LA Council File 22-0280 |

| If finalized, would it reach Gardena or Hawthorne | No, City of LA measures bind the City of LA only | LA Council File 22-0280 |

| Does any state law reach Gardena and Hawthorne on this topic | Yes, a narrower ban on local crime-free housing mandates | Government Code 53165.1 |

| Does state law ban landlords from asking about criminal history | Not confirmed as a general rule; the statute restricts what cities can require of landlords | Government Code 53165.1 |

FAQ

Is there a Los Angeles County law that stops a Gardena landlord from asking about a tenant's criminal history?

Not that we could confirm. LA County's only Fair Chance ordinance covers employment, not housing, and it applies only to the unincorporated county, not to Gardena.

Does the City of Los Angeles have a Fair Chance Housing Ordinance already in effect?

As of the record we retrieved, the City Council adopted a motion in April 2024 directing staff to draft one. We could not confirm that a final ordinance number or effective date exists. Confirm current status with the LA City Clerk before relying on this either way.

If the City of LA does finalize a Fair Chance Housing Ordinance, would it reach Hawthorne?

No. A City of Los Angeles ordinance binds property within the City of Los Angeles. Hawthorne is a separately incorporated city with its own municipal code.

What state law actually protects tenants with a criminal history in Gardena or Hawthorne?

Government Code section 53165.1 bars the city itself from mandating criminal background checks, nuisance labeling for police contact, or eviction based on a household member's record. It does not by itself stop a landlord from voluntarily screening applicants.

Do Gardena or Hawthorne have their own local crime-free rental housing programs?

We did not confirm this either way for either city. Check each city's municipal code directly, since Government Code section 53165.1 would void any conflicting local program.

Where should a South Bay landlord look for the actual, current rule?

Start with your own city's municipal code for any tenant screening or crime-free housing provisions, then check that provision against Government Code section 53165.1 for a conflict.

This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the current status of any city ordinance, and how state law interacts with it, with a licensed attorney before setting a tenant screening policy.

Topics: compliance, landlord law, tenant screening, South Bay, fair chance

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