Lakewood Municipal Code Ch. 1 General

For the purpose of this Chapter certain words and phrases are defined and certain provisions shall be construed as herein set forth, unless it is apparent from the context that a different meaning is intended.

PUBLIC EATING PLACE OR RESTAURANT

Includes and means, but is not limited to, any coffee shop, cafeteria, school cafeteria, short order cook, luncheonette, tavern, cocktail lounge, sandwich stand, soda fountain, club, hotel, boarding house, fraternal organization, employee or in-plant feeding establishment, or other public eating or drinking establishment, which prepares and offers for sale or gift, food and drink to the public, as well as kitchens in which food and drink is prepared on the premises for sale, gift or distribution elsewhere.

FOOD ESTABLISHMENT

Includes and means any public or private market, shop, store, storehouse, bakery, food processing establishment, or any other plant or place, not a restaurant, itinerant restaurant, hawker, caterer, wayside stand, temporary refreshment stand, or vending machine in or about which food is stored, prepared, or, offered for sale or gift, for human consumption.

FOOD

Means all articles and substances used for food and drink, confectionery, or condiment, whether simple or compound, and all ingredients and components used in the preparation thereof.

HAWKER

Means any person who vends edible food or food products, which are carried by any such person on a vehicle, or his person, except:

A.

Distributors of milk and bottled water, delivering their products to regular customers.

B.

Distributors of food and food products delivering such products to retail or wholesale establishments for resale.

C.

Operators of restaurants, itinerant restaurants, food establishments, way-side stands, caterers and temporary refreshment stands.

No hawker shall sell food or food products unless he shall have in his possession a valid permit issued to him personally as provided in Article VI of this Code.

All persons claiming to be hawkers but vending food or food products from a fixed location, shall comply with the laws and provisions of this Code pertaining to food establishments or public eating places. Any hawkers vehicle or conveyance which is not moved at least 500 feet within each 24-hour period shall constitute a fixed location. A hawker shall not permit his vehicle or conveyance to remain in any one location for the purpose of sale or display of food or food products for more than 30 minutes during any 24-hour period or return to the same location within any 24-hour period, unless toilet and hand washing facilities are available to said hawker within a distance of not to exceed 300 feet. All toilet and hand washing facilities shall meet with the approval of the Health Department. This section does not permit vending on any street or highway contrary to the provisions of the Municipal Code.

HEALTH OFFICER

Shall mean the Health Officer of Los Angeles County or his duly authorized representative.

Notwithstanding any provision of this Article, no health permit or inspection fee shall be collected hereunder where said fee duplicates in whole or in part of any fee imposed by or collected by the County of Los Angeles for inspection or enforcement arising out of a State statute, order, quarantine, rule or regulation pertaining to public health. Except where otherwise provided in the Lakewood Municipal Code or this Chapter, no health inspection or permit fees shall be collected by the Health Officer other than those fees specified in the Public Health Code.