Torrance Municipal Code Art. 6 Miscellaneous Offenses

(Added by O-1001)

a) It shall be unlawful for any person to play or cause to be played any music in any hotel, restaurant, bar, club or any public place or place of private assembly, other than a private home, between the hours of 2:00 A.M. and 6:00 A.M.

b) It shall be unlawful for any owner, tenant, operator or other person having the possession or control of any hotel, restaurant, bar, club or any public place or place of private assembly, other than a private home, to permit to be played therein any music between the hours of 2:00 A.M. and 6:00 A.M.

(Added by O-227)

It shall be unlawful for any person to hold, conduct or address any assemblage, meeting or gathering of persons, or to make or deliver any public speech, lecture or discourse or to take part in any public debate or discussion in or upon any public park, public street or alley in the City without a permit first granted by the City Council.

Any permit granted pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall specify the time when and the place where such assemblage, meeting or gathering of persons shall be held or conducted and such speech, lecture or discourse shall be made or delivered and shall designate the name of the person, society, association or organization to whom such permit is granted.

(Added by O-835)

It shall be unlawful for any person to place on any property owned or leased by or dedicated to the City, any material advertising or promoting any person, event or thing without having received prior thereto the written consent of the City Manager or the City Council.

(Added by O-737; amended by O-3892; O-3899; O-3933)

a) It shall be unlawful for any person to use any public place, including but not limited to, any streets, highways, alleyways, sidewalks, public passage ways, public rights-of-way, publicly owned landscaped areas or greenbelts, parks or public places, including, but not limited to, parkways, bus stop sites, the Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center, the Civic Center, and the Madrona Marsh Preserve and Nature Center or other government-owned properties located within the City of Torrance as a camping place at any time; provided, that this Section shall not prohibit sidewalk vending operations pursuant to a permit issued by the Finance Director under Chapter 14, Sidewalk Vendors, of Division 4, Public Health and Welfare.

1. The term ‘camp’ or ‘camping’ shall mean the use of public property as a temporary or permanent place of dwelling, lodging or residence, or as a living accommodation at any time;

2. Indicia of camping may include, but are not limited to, storage of personal belongings, using tents or other temporary structures for sleeping or storage of personal belongings, carrying on cooking activities or making any fire in an unauthorized area, or any of these activities in combination with one another or in combination with either sleeping or making preparations to sleep (including the laying down of bedding for the purpose of sleeping).

b) Any person violating the provisions of this Section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined in an amount not to exceed one thousand dollars or imprisoned for a period not to exceed six months, or both.

(Added by O-341)

It shall be unlawful for any person, except an authorized agent or employee of a person engaged in the business of furnishing or supplying gas and whose service pipes supply or connect with the particular premises, to turn on or reconnect gas service in or on any premises where and when gas service is not at the time being rendered.

(Added by O-765)

It shall be unlawful for any person to, at any time, or for any length of time, leave or permit to be left or to be placed or permit to be placed or to remain or permit to remain at or in any place or location within the City any icebox, refrigerator, deep freeze, luggage trunk, chest, storage box or similar type container having an interior capacity of one and one-half (1-1/2) cubic feet or more, which has a door, lid, gate, cover or closing apparatus or device which when closed may not be opened easily and effectively from the inside thereof and to the interior of which, when closed, the outer air does not have full and free access, unless:

a) The same at such time is within a then occupied dwelling, building or structure;

b) Every latch, lock or other locking or securing device on, in or pertaining to the same has been completely removed;

c) The same is in a warehouse, building or structure, all entrances to which at the time are locked, barred or secured in such manner as to effectively prevent children from entering or having access to the interior of such warehouse, building or structure;

d) There is then and there and at all times immediately present, a person having the ability and initiative to effectively prevent any child from entering the same;

e) The same is effectively locked, shut or secured by a metal band or chain or other effective securing device in such manner that same may not be entered by any child or be opened by any unauthorized person; or

f) The door or other closing member or feature of the same is completely removed.

(Added by O-132)

It shall be unlawful for any person to operate any steam or internal combustion engine of more than four and one-half (4-1/2) inches internal diameter within the City, unless the exhaust from such engine shall be muffled by a muffler constructed in accordance with such specification as may be adopted by resolution of the City Council, unless a written permit shall first be obtained from the Superintendent of Buildings of the City allowing such person to use a muffler which shall appear to the Superintendent of Buildings to be of equal efficiency with that described in such specifications.

(Added by O-466; Amended by O-593)

The City Council hereby declares that uncapped or unguarded wells, cisterns, holes in the ground which are likely to produce bodily injury as a result of a fall therein, oil sumps and other earthen sumps or excavations to be of a dangerous nature and a public nuisance.

It is hereby declared to be unlawful for any person to own, occupy or possess any parcel of real property within the corporate limits of the City upon or in which there is allowed to exist any well, cistern, pipe or hole in the ground in an uncapped or uncovered condition where a fall by any person into such a well, cistern, pipe or other hole in the ground would be likely to result in personal injury.

(Added by O-593)

It shall be unlawful for any person to allow or permit the existence of any excavation or oil sump upon any parcel of real property within the City without constructing, erecting and maintaining around and about such excavation or oil sump a fence or barricade at least six and one-half (6-1/2) feet high, so constructed as to prevent any person other than those legally authorized to enter, from having free access thereto where such access might result in personal injury from slipping, falling or climbing into such excavation or sump.

(Added by O-849)

It shall be unlawful for any person who enters or leaves any excavation, sump or property containing any excavation or sump, which is enclosed by a fence, bars or otherwise, to fail or neglect to leave securely closed, the gates or other passway through which he entered or left the same.

(Added by O-1012)

a) It shall be unlawful for any person having the ownership, possession or control of land to maintain or have on said land on or after January 1, 1959, or hereafter to construct, erect or locate on said land, any swimming pool or any body of water, a part of which is more than eighteen (18) inches deep, without constructing, erecting and maintaining about said swimming pool or body of water, a solid or chain link fence or a wall at least five (5) feet high above adjacent grade.

b) Such fence or wall shall have no openings exceeding two (2) inches in any direction and shall be constructed to prevent any access thereto except by opening a self-closing and self-latching gate on which the latch is located at least four (4) feet six (6) inches above the bottom of the fence; provided, however, that the wall of a building may constitute a part of such wall.

(Added by O-1011; Amended by O-3708)

a) It shall be unlawful for any person to construct, erect or locate in the City or have on his premises, a fence which is charged or chargeable with electricity, unless permitted by the Community Development Director, as provided for in Section 92.13.2(c).

b) It shall be unlawful for any person to construct, erect or locate in the City or have on his premises a barbed wire fence; provided, however, that barbed wire may be placed on top of a fence, other than on a lot used for residential purposes, which is at least sixty inches high.

(Added by O-1340)

It shall be unlawful for any person to inhale, breathe, ingest, drink or in any manner use any product or substance or combination thereof containing organic solvents, which include amyl acetate, trichlor ethylene, acetone or other closely related or similar compounds used as solvents for products referred to as glue, adhesive cement, mucilage or dope, with the intent of becoming intoxicated, elated, dazed, paralyzed, irrational or in any manner changing, distorting, disturbing the eyesight, thinking process, balance or coordination or affecting the central nervous system of such person.

(Added by O-1340)

The provisions of Sec. 45.6.16. shall not pertain to any person who inhales, breathes or drinks or uses such product or substance pursuant to the direction or prescription of any doctor, physician, surgeon, dentist or pediatrist authorized to so direct or prescribe.

(Added by O-1681; O-1682; Amended by O-1950)

Any person who operates a motorcycle, trail bike, minibike, dune buggy, motor scooter, jeep or other motor driven vehicle on any vacant lot, parking lot, vacant property or acreage within the City and disturbs the peace or quiet of any neighborhood or person by noise, dust, smoke or fumes caused by such vehicle shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

(Added by O-1695)

It shall be unlawful for any person to cause or permit any railway train or railway cars or similar vehicle on rails to operate or to be operated in such a manner as to prevent the use of any street for the purpose of travel for a period of time longer than five (5) minutes, except that this provision shall not apply to railway trains, cars or similar vehicles on rails while blocking or obstructing a crossing because of an accident which requires the operator of the train, car or similar vehicle on rails to stop at or near the scene of the accident.

(Added by O-2153)

a) No person or corporation except a public utility doing business in this State under the authority of the Public Utilities Commission shall use or operate, attempt to use or operate, or cause to be used or operated, or arrange, adjust, program or install any device or combination of devices that will upon activation, either mechanically, electronically, or by other automatic means, initiate an intra-state telephone call and deliver a recorded message to any telephone number assigned to any subscriber by a public utility telephone company, without the prior written consent of such subscriber.

b) The term telephone number includes any additional numbers assigned by a public utility telephone company to be used by means of a rotary or other system to connect with the subscriber to such primary number when the primary number is in use.

(Added by O-2138)

Upon the private property of another or upon any public property which is not held open to the public for any vehicular use and which is not subject to the provisions of the Vehicle Code:

a) No person shall operate or drive a motor vehicle, motorcycle, mini-bike, trail bike, dune buggy, motor scooter, jeep or other form of motorized transportation.

b) The provisions of this Section shall not apply to emergency vehicles, governmental agencies or to persons driving upon such property with the written consent of the owner or person in lawful possession of such property, or to the owner himself, his family, employees, agents or lessees.

(Added by O-2238)

a) It shall be unlawful for any owner, manager, operator or employee to lease, rent or let any apartment, house, room or rooms to any person or persons under the age of eighteen (18) years without having a responsible adult over twenty-one (21) years of age as co-tenant.

b) It shall be the duty and requirement of such owner, manager, operator or employee to file with the Chief of Police of the City of Torrance, the following information:

1. Name, age, business or occupation and address of business or occupation of all persons, including the responsible adult to whom he leases, rents or lets such premises.

2. Names and addresses of parents, guardians, of all persons under the age of eighteen (18) years.

(Added by O-2470)

a) It shall be unlawful to cause or permit any trash bin to be or remain outside of the trash enclosure where such enclosure is required by this Code, except during trash pickup operations.

b) The terms of this Section shall apply equally to owners, operators and lessees of the property at which the offense occurs, and to persons engaged in the collection of trash from said premises.

(Added by O-2558; O-2559)

a) It shall be unlawful for any person to take-off or land any hang glider in the City of Torrance.

b) For the purpose of this Section, the term hang glider shall mean and include any hang glider, glider kite, kite, or other motorless vehicle, device, or contrivance which enables a person to fly, glide, soar or otherwise be propelled through or sustained in the air by human power or air currents; provided, however, that the term hang glider shall not include any aircraft regulated or required to be registered by the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States or the aeronautics authorities of the State of California.

(Added by O-2894)

The art or practice of hypnosis may be carried on, and self-hypnosis may be taught to any person undergoing a course of treatment or program of self-improvement if the hypnosis or teaching of self-hypnosis is done pursuant to the provisions of and for the purposes in Section 2908 of the Business and Professions Code of the State of California, and if performed by a person licensed to practice medicine or psychology in the State of California, or by a person licensed pursuant to the provisions of Division 3 of the Torrance Municipal Code, or if performed by a qualified person to aid police agencies in the investigation of crimes.

(Added by O-3039; O-3109)

Except as provided in Chapter 5 of Division 8 of the Torrance Municipal Code (Uniform Fire Code), it shall be unlawful for any person to possess, store, offer for sale, expose for sale, sell at retail, give, furnish, use, or explode any fireworks, including those fireworks defined in the California Health and Safety Code as safe and sane fireworks, within the City of Torrance.

(Added by O-3152)

No one shall ride upon, or aid or assist anyone in riding upon, a skateboard, surfboard with wheels or other wheeled conveyance which is equipped with a sail and which is propelled by means of the wind, in or on any street, alley, sidewalk, park, public parking lot or other public property, except in those places and at those times when such public property might be made available for such purposes by proper authority.

(Added by O-3239)

a) It is unlawful for any person to permit or suffer any obnoxious graffiti or other inscribed material or defacement by paint, other liquids or other means of inscription to remain on any permanent building or structure upon any lot or parcel of land under their ownership, custody or control. "Obnoxious graffiti or other inscribed material or defacement" means any writing, painting or inscription which would be punishable as vandalism pursuant to Section 594 of the Penal Code of the State of California if maliciously placed or applied by any person to such permanent building or structure, other than the owner of the said building or structure, but its continued display is declared to be unlawful whether having been so placed with or without malice and whether placed with or without the owner’s consent.

b) Upon a finding by the City Manager that any graffiti or other inscribed material or defacement is obnoxious, the City Manager may remove or cause to be removed such obnoxious graffiti or other inscribed material or defacement from any publicly owned permanent building or structure after securing the consent of the public entity having jurisdiction over such building or structure, and may remove any such graffiti or other inscribed material or defacement from any permanent building or structure on private property after securing the written consent of the owner or other person authorized by the owner to give consent.

c) This Section shall not constitute authority to perform any painting or repair of the buildings or structure except as may be required to remove the obnoxious graffiti or other inscribed material or defacement.

(Added by O-3375)

a) No person, firm or corporation selling, or offering for sale, aerosol spray cans of paint or dye shall keep, store or maintain such aerosol cans in a place which is accessible to the public without the assistance of a sales person or employee of the seller, pending legal sale or disposition of such paint or dye containers.

b) This Section shall not apply to the keeping, storage or maintenance of aerosol spray containers of clear or transparent lacquer, varnish or synthetic finish.

(Added by O-3727)

(a) It is unlawful for any person to possess on his or her person or in plain view to the public, an aerosol paint container, or a container which contains paint or dye, or any writing instrument having a porous point, tip, or nib in excess of one-eighth of one inch in width at its widest point, or gum label, paint stick, adhesive label, or glass etching tool or solution capable of scarring glass, or a glass cutter, drill bit, or any device or marking substance capable of being used to leave a visible mark upon any surface of any material in a public facility with the intent to commit vandalism or graffiti.

(b) "Public Facility" means a City park, playground, swimming pool, building, reservoir, parking structure, airport, tennis facility, golf course, beach, school, City Yard, well, or pump station.

(Added by O-3917)

a) It shall be unlawful to possess any catalytic converter that is not attached to a vehicle unless the possessor has valid documentation or other proof to verify they are in lawful possession of the catalytic converter.

b) For purposes of this section, “lawful possession” includes being the lawful owner of the catalytic converter or in possession of the catalytic converter with the lawful owner’s written consent. It is not required to prove the catalytic converter was stolen to establish the possession is not a “lawful possession.”

c) For the purposes of this section, “documentation or other proof” means written documentation that clearly identify the vehicle from which the catalytic converter originated based on the totality of the circumstances and includes, but is not limited to, the following document types:

1. Bill of sale from the original owner with photographs

2. Documentation from an auto-body shop proving the owner relinquished the catalytic converter to the auto-body shop

3. Verifiable electronic communications from the previous owner to the possessor relinquishing ownership of the catalytic converter

4. Photographs of the vehicle from which the catalytic converter originated

5. Vehicle registration associated with the catalytic converter containing an etched associated license plate number or vehicle identification number

d) Each and every violation of this section shall constitute a separate violation and shall be subject to all remedies and enforcement measures authorized by the Torrance Municipal Code. Each and every catalytic converter unlawfully possessed is a separate violation of this section.

e) Each and every violation of this section may be prosecuted as a misdemeanor and upon conviction be subject to a fine not to exceed $1000 or imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than 12 months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

f) The remedies provided herein are not to be construed as exclusive remedies. The City is authorized to pursue any proceedings or remedies provided by law.

(Added by O-3933)

a) No person shall make or kindle a fire in any public place, including but not limited to, any streets, highways, alleyways, sidewalks, public passage ways, public rights-of-way, publicly owned landscaped areas or greenbelts, or public places, including, but not limited to, parkways, bus stop sites, the Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center, the Civic Center, and the Madrona Marsh Preserve and Nature Center or other government-owned properties located within the City of Torrance for any purpose.

b) This Section shall not:

i) Prohibit sidewalk vending operations pursuant to a permit issued by the Finance Director under Chapter 14, Sidewalk Vendors, of Division 4, Public Health and Welfare;

ii) Prohibit permitted Torrance Certified Farmers’ Market operations under Chapter 12, Torrance Certified Farmers’ Market, of Division 4, Public Health and Welfare; or

iii) Prohibit activity allowed by permit issued by the City Manager or their designee.