How Do I Find my Local Laws and Local Government in the Los Angeles Area?

It might sound like a dumb question to some people, but it can be confusing to figure out what official city or “municipality” you are in, particularly in the greater Los Angeles area. Within Los Angeles County, there are 88 different “incorporated” cities (aka “municipal corporations”).

The city of Los Angeles is by far the largest city in the county, both by population (over 4 million) and geographic area (over 500 square miles). And within the city of Los Angeles are many neighborhoods or districts which people often mistake as separate cities (even some that have “city” in the name, like Century City or Studio City, which are NOT their own city!). 

Not only that, but you may not even be in any city at all, but instead one of the many “unincorporated communities” of Los Angeles County.

Why does it matter what city I’m in?

Each city or municipality is the local government that makes its own laws (called “ordinances” or “municipal laws” or more simply “local laws,” “city laws” or “county laws”) on certain issues, such as parking, noise, alcohol consumption, etc.

If you are in a proper incorporated city, your local government is the city. If you are in an unincorporated area, your local government is the county. Whichever jurisdiction you are physically located in at any particular moment will determine which laws apply (see Legal Basics). Once you determine your local government, you can get your applicable local laws, usually called the “municipal code.”

So, to determine what your local government is:

• If you are within a municipality, your local government is the municipality.
• If you are not within a municipality, your local government is usually the county.

For your specific local government, see below for our What is My City feature.

So how do I find out what municipality I’m in?

NEW FEATURE: We are soup-er excited to debut our new What is My City feature. You can find your local government for any location in the country, and it’s totally FREE! All you need to do is subscribe to our mailing list to get the link for our What is My City chatbot function (you can unsubscribe at any time).

For a less precise method, you can check the following list of many of the areas in greater Los Angeles, and which city (or non-city) they belong to.

San Fernando Valley

This issue is particularly tricky in the San Fernando Valley, where residents routinely write their mailing address using their neighborhood rather than the city (almost the entire San Fernando Valley is within the city of Los Angeles). So most of the San Fernando Valley is actually subject to the laws made by the Los Angeles City Council.

Here are the neighborhoods/districts in the San Fernando Valley that are actually within the boundaries of the city of Los Angeles (see mapping LA for map):

And the following are their own cities within the San Fernando Valley (and further west)

Northeast LA (“NELA”) and East LA

All of the following areas of Northeast LA and East LA are actually within the city of Los Angeles:

 

These areas in NELA and East LA are “unincorporated communities” of Los Angeles County:

• Altadena
• East Los Angeles (just east of Boyle Heights)
• La Crescenta-Montrose

And the following are their own cities further East or further Northeast LA

• Glendale
• La Canada Flintridge
• Pasadena
• South Pasadena

Central and Westside LA

In the center of it all? No, Hollywood is not its own city. But West Hollywood is! Here are the central and westside areas within the city of Los Angeles:

 

Note: Marina del Rey and Topanga are both “unincorporated communities” of Los Angeles County

And here are the central/westside cities that are actually their own city:

• Beverly Hills
• Culver City
• Malibu
• Santa Monica
• West Hollywood

South LA and Southeast LA

The following are South LA and Southeast LA neighborhoods within the city of Los Angeles:

These South LA or Southeast LA areas are unincorporated communities within Los Angeles County:

And these South LA or Southeast LA areas are their own cities:

 

South Bay and Harbor

Most of the South Bay is made up of separate cities:

Here are the South Bay or Harbor neighborhoods within the city of Los Angeles:

• Harbor City
• Harbor Gateway
• San Pedro
• Wilmington

And these South Bay or Harbor areas are “unincorporated communities” of Los Angeles County

• Alondra Park
• Del Aire
• Lennox
• Unincorporated Catalina Island
• West Carson

San Gabriel Valley

Virtually none of the SGV is within the city of Los Angeles.

Here are the SGV areas that are their own city:

And these San Gabriel Valley areas are unincorporated communities of Los Angeles County:

Still not sure exactly which your local government is? NOW you can find your local government for any location in the country, and it’s totally FREE! All you need to do is subscribe to our mailing list to get the link for our What is My City feature

Zip Codes in Los Angeles County

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