Community Development

The Permit Center will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, from 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. for staff to participate in a year-end All-Hands Training.


Building and Safety Bureau Service Updates

The daily building inspection schedule is now available online! View your appointment window. Beginning Monday, April 3, 2023, the Bureau will fully transition to paperless internal operations. Customers will receive fee payment receipts and inspection job cards via email. 


For customer convenience, applications and materials will be accepted as DIGITAL PDF FILES on a USB DEVICE (also known as a flash/thumb drive or memory stick)


Now available online: Residential Single-Family & Duplex Remodel Applications for alterations or repairs.

Our goal at the Permit Center is to make your visit or inquiry as seamless and productive as possible. We provide customers with a variety of services, including submitting permit-related documents, requesting plan reviews and finding resources for construction projects of all types and sizes. Appointments are highly encouraged to help minimize wait times. Wait times for walk-ins may vary and are not accepted from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or after 3:30 p.m.

Please note that we are limiting the number of appointments per customer to one per day. For each appointment, a limit of either one or two projects may be processed based on the service per visit.

PERMIT SERVICES

Before starting the application submittal process, please learn about the different projects that qualify for each type of permit process:

IN PERSON:

Appointments are currently available at the City Hall 2nd Floor Permit Center on Monday - Friday, from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm, and on Wednesday from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, excluding holidays. In order to better serve our customers and reduce the wait time, we are limiting the number of appointments scheduled per customer to one per day.  For each appointment scheduled, we are limiting the number of projects to two (2) per visit. Your project must qualify as an Express Permit.

Please review the Information Bulletin IB-058 Express Permit Service for a list of minor construction projects that qualify for this service.

  1. Complete, sign and bring one or more of the permit applications as may be needed, as described below:
  2. Complete and sign the related permittee documents:
  3. When scheduling the In-Person appointment, please provide the following information in the “Notes” field in Step 3 Contact Details (see figure below): 
    • Address of the proposed project
    • Brief description of the proposed construction project

  4. Please be prepared to bring your permit applications and completed forms to your appointment.
     
  5. Please click below to schedule an In-Person appointment. 



 

ONLINE:

To learn about our online submittal options, please visit our Online Permitting webpage.


If you have any questions, please contact our Permit Center staff at 562.570.PMIT (7648).

IN-PERSON: For select projects requiring in-person plan reviews, which include one-story residential additions, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and relocation of 50 or less fire sprinkler heads. See the detailed information immediately below.

For select projects requiring in-person plan reviews, including one-story residential additions, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and relocation of 50 or less fire sprinkler heads. See full list in Bulletin IB-002

The types of construction projects that qualify for this service are minor additions or alterations to single-family dwellings, minor alterations to multi-family dwellings, minor tenant improvements or alterations to nonresidential buildings with office or retail uses, or minor addition or alterations to fire sprinklers, alarms and/or hoods as determined by Plan Check staff. Please refer to Information Bulletin IB-002 for examples of construction projects that may qualify for this service and the applicable agencies involved with the plan review.

Appointments for these types of permits are available Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., excluding holidays, and on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  In order to better serve our customers, for each appointment scheduled we are limiting the number of projects that will be processed and reviewed to one (1) per visit. Please click below to book an in-person appointment.






 
For construction projects that do not qualify as Express Permits or Over-The-Counter Plan Review Permits, plans are required to be submitted for plan review. These must be submitted In-Person. For more information on how to submit, please visit the Plan Review Service webpage and review the Submitted Plan Review section.
Our online permitting service option is available only to registered licensed California contractors who have a pre-authorized Personal Identification Number (PIN) and frequently perform minor or simple construction projects in Long Beach. Please visit the following link for a list of projects that qualify for this service.

Contractors who are registered with this service can apply for necessary permits online. Once you submit your permit application online, within 1-3 business days an electronic invoice is sent from Community Development regarding the amount of permit fees due to complete the permit issuance process.  Upon fee payment, a confirmation email will be sent to you that includes the permit receipt.

If you do not have a pre-authorized PIN and would like to request one online, visit INTERNET PERMITTING REQUESTS APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS.


Counter Services (Descriptions and Contact Information)

The following are brief descriptions of the various services, contact information and counter stations provided at the Permit Center:

  • Building: Permits and plans for all building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical construction on private property are issued and processed at this counter. For more information on building services call 562.570.PMIT (7648).
  • Business License: This station accepts applications for business licenses and various regulatory permits required by the Long Beach Municipal Code. Visit the City's Business License page for additional information.  For all inquiries or information, email LBBIZ@longbeach.gov or call 562.570.6211.
    For additional information on business services, visit:
  • Cashier: You can pay your fees at this station. For more information on how to pay your fees call 562.570.PAID (7243).
  • Code Enforcement: The Code Enforcement Bureau responds to a variety of complaints of violations, including substandard buildings, property maintenance, inoperative vehicles, weed abatement, and land use violations. For more information, please call 562.570.CODE (2633).
  • Fire: This counter processes plan reviews for specific types of building permits, and also plan review for fire code related construction permits. For more information call 562.570.6208.
  • Health: The Long Beach Health and Human Services Department, Bureau of Environmental Health is located at 2525 Grand Ave. They are responsible for reviewing food facility, public pool, and cannabis construction and/or operation plans. Also, they educate operators of health and safety regulations as they pertain to their businesses. In addition, they issue Health permits to facilities regulated under federal, state, and municipal laws. For more information, please contact Bureau of Environmental Health at 562.570.4132 or longbeach.gov/EH.
  • Planning: This station provides information regarding regulations governing how a property can be used as well as the minimum zoning standards for development are supplied. For more information, please call 562.570.6194 or visit Planning Bureau for more information.
  • Public Works/Utilities: This station issues permits for road excavations, curb installations, and other construction within the public right-­of-way. This station also provides information on water, sewer, and gas line locations. Sewer connection permits are also issued at this counter. For more information on Public Works Services call 562.570.6784 or visit the Long Beach Public Works Department.