Fullerton / North Orange County
The two chain fitness operators we could confirm in Fullerton are on Imperial Highway and Harbor Boulevard: 24 Hour Fitness at 130 E. Imperial Highway and Club Pilates at 1313 S. Harbor Boulevard near Orangethorpe Avenue. LA Fitness' club list has no Fullerton club (the nearest we found are at 1621 W. Imperial Highway in La Habra and in Garden Grove), Crunch has no Fullerton page, and F45's studio list has none in the city, so those brands would be new to the city. A studio under 4,000 sq ft is permitted by right in any O-P, G-C, C-3 or C-M zoned space, while a larger gym needs a CUP anywhere in the city, so confirm the zone of the center before touring.
Population
140,968
Median HHI
$104,286
Median age
36.9
Homeownership
51.8%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Primary retail corridors
Harbor Boulevard · Commonwealth Avenue · Chapman Avenue · Malvern Avenue · Imperial Highway
Specific shopping centers in Fullerton that already carry credible co-tenancy for this use. Listed in approximate order of fit.
1889–2291 W. Malvern Avenue
Anchors / key tenants: Target, Albertsons, Ross, Barnes & Noble
Regency Centers-owned retail core of the 293-acre Amerige Heights master-planned community (1,365 homes). Mix includes Bath & Body Works, Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks, Menchie's, Starbucks, McDonald's. The strongest national co-tenancy in Fullerton.
Existing operators are the most honest comp for whether a use can support Fullerton rents. These are publicly visible fitness space businesses currently trading in the market.
24 Hour Fitness Fullerton Super-Sport
130 E. Imperial Highway, Fullerton, CA 92835
The brand's Fullerton page lists one club, a Super-Sport format open 24/7 and marked 'Recently Renovated'.
Club Pilates Fullerton
1313 S. Harbor Boulevard, Fullerton, CA 92832
Club Pilates' own page describes the studio as 'Located off Orangethorpe and Harbor Blvd.', on the same south Harbor Boulevard stretch as PetSmart (1411 S. Harbor) and Sola Salon Studios (1361 S. Harbor).
01
The 4,000 sq ft line: Chapter 15.04 defines a 'Fitness facility, small' as under 4,000 sq ft (dance, yoga, martial arts, spin, personal training and functional fitness), and FMC 15.30.030.1 through 15.30.030.4 permit it by right in O-P, G-C, C-3 and C-M. A 'Fitness facility' of 4,000 sq ft or more is a conditional use in all four zones under Chapter 15.70, so a boutique that wants 4,200 sq ft should weigh trimming the premises against a CUP hearing.
02
Parking and the change-of-use rule: Table 15.30.060(A) has no fitness ratio, so gyms fall under 'All commercial and office uses not identified' at 1 space per 250 sq ft (16 spaces for a 3,900 sq ft studio, 160 for a 40,000 sq ft club). Section 15.30.060(E) waives added parking when a use permitted by right moves into an existing building with no expansion and no open code enforcement case. A small studio qualifies; a 4,000 sq ft or larger gym is a CUP use and does not, so its parking will be looked at in the hearing.
03
Courts, rinks and climbing: 'Recreation, commercial' (skating rinks, racquetball and tennis courts, bowling, archery, swimming pools and similar) is a CUP in G-C (15.30.030.2(B)(26)) and C-3 (15.30.030.3(B)(18)), is not on the O-P or C-M lists, and has its parking set by the CUP. Pickleball, climbing or turf concepts should get Planning's written view on whether they are a fitness facility or commercial recreation before an LOI.
04
Sound and 24-hour operation: the 2025 noise rules in FMC 15.90.030(B) cap G-C and C-3 noise at the property line at 75 dBA (5-minute) and 80 dBA (1-minute) from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and 65 and 70 dBA overnight, and 15.90.030(B)(3) says speakers in mixed commercial and residential areas must not be plainly audible inside neighboring buildings with doors and windows closed. A 24-hour club or a studio sharing a demising wall should budget for sound isolation.
05
Outdoor training and events: FMC 15.30.040(C) requires activities of a permitted use to stay inside a building enclosed on at least three sides, and the listed outdoor exceptions do not include exercise. Parking lot boot camps, sled pushes or community workouts need a special event approval, which the use lists allow in every commercial zone (under Chapter 15.58, or 15.55.020(D) in C-3).
06
Exterior work: new construction, a facade change or an expansion of more than 25% of existing square footage in a commercial zone goes through site plan review (15.47.020(B)), and a project that also needs a CUP cannot use the minor site plan track under 15.47.025(A). A big-box re-tenanting with a new storefront should plan for that review in the schedule.
Zoning, licensing, and demographic figures on this page come from the public records below. Codes and licenses change, so confirm with the city and the licensing agency before you sign.