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Layover guideLos Angeles · LAX

Local laws that catch crew out in Los Angeles

Cannabis is legal in the state and still barred from federal land, and your phone is inspectable at the border.

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All of Los Angeles

Cannabis is legal to buy from a licensed retailer at 21 and over, but it may not be smoked anywhere it is illegal to smoke tobacco, may not be taken across a state line, and may not be used or possessed on federal lands such as national parks. An open container of cannabis in a vehicle is an offence: it travels in a sealed container or in the boot.

No person under 21 is allowed on public premises, and no alcohol may be consumed on licensed premises between 2am and 6am. A container packaged for you by the licensed premises counts as an open container: it must travel in the boot, or in some other part of the vehicle not normally occupied by the driver or passengers, and it may not be drunk in public where open containers are prohibited by law.

Crossing outside a crosswalk is no longer a routine stop. Since AB 2147, chaptered in 2022, an officer may not stop a pedestrian for it unless a reasonably careful person would realise there is an immediate danger of a collision with a moving vehicle.

Every person arriving in or departing from the United States is subject to inspection, and CBP officers may search a phone, computer or camera during it. You must present a device in a condition that allows it and its contents to be examined. If a foreign national refuses, CBP may weigh that non-compliance when making an admissibility decision.

  1. California Department of Cannabis Control: what is legal · checked 2026-09-03
  2. California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control: frequently asked questions · checked 2026-09-03
  3. California Legislature: AB 2147 (2022) · checked 2026-09-03
  4. US Customs and Border Protection: border search of electronic devices · checked 2026-09-03

The rest of Los Angeles

The whole guide
Getting out of the airportThere is no train from the gate: the rail station sits away from the terminals and you reach it on a free shuttle bus.Ride-hailingUber, Lyft and Opoli are LAX's authorised ride apps, and they pick up at the LAX-it lot next to Terminal 1.Staying connectedFree Wi-Fi covers the public areas of every LAX terminal, in unlimited 45-minute sessions after a short ad.WeatherDry and mild at the coast for most of the year, and the sea is more dangerous than a calm afternoon suggests.Eating near the crew hotelsA letter grade on the door tells you the inspection score, and the menu price is never the price you pay.What to buyTax is added at the till, the rate changes with the city boundary, and there is no refund counter on the way out.TippingA tip is the employee's property by statute, and it is on top of a full minimum wage, not instead of one.