Community Development

Overview of Long Beach Building Standards Code

 Public Hearing Notices | Local and State Resources | Administrative and Enforcement Provisions | Code Enforcement Development Impact Fees | Adopted California Building Standards Code | Local Amendments and Specialized Building Regulations | Basis for Local Modifications to Building Codes | Excerpts of other Long Beach Municipal Code

The City of Long Beach Building Standards Code was first enacted in 1923 by the passage of Ordinance No. C-206. The 1928 Uniform Building Code published by the International Conference of Building Officials was the first model code adopted by the City in 1930 with the passage of Ordinance No. C-927. In 1990, the City began adopting the latest edition of the California Building Code commencing with the passage of Ordinance No. C-6681. The 2006 International Building Code published by the International Code Council became the latest model code to be used by the State and was first locally adopted under Ordinance No. ORD-07-0062.

Every three years, the State updates the California Building Standards Code, which includes building, residential, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, energy, fire, historical, existing building, and green building standards. These updates establish uniform requirements for construction, maintenance, and life-safety systems. State agencies and commissions develop these regulations under authority granted by the Legislature, and the standards carry the force of law, taking effect 180 days after publication unless otherwise specified.

Effective January 1, 2026, all projects must comply with the 2025 Edition of the California Building Standards Code and the Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC) to receive approval from the Long Beach Community Development Department, as required by State law.

The California Building Standards Code consists of the following 12 parts:

Part 1 California Administrative Code (CAC)
Part 2 California Building Code (CBC)
Part 2.5 California Residential Code (CRC)
Part 3 California Electrical Code (CEC)
Part 4 California Mechanical Code (CMC)
Part 5 California Plumbing Code (CPC)
Part 6 California Energy Code (CEnC)
Part 7 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (CWUI)
Part 8 California Historical Building Code (CHBC)
Part 9 California Fire Code (CFC)
Part 10 California Existing Building Code (CEBC)
Part 11 California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen)
Part 12 California Reference Standards Code

All architects, engineers, designers, developers, owners and contractors must be familiar with the codes in effect at the time of plan submittal. The Department, as required by State law, cannot approve projects that do not comply with the codes in effect at the time of plan submittal.

For more information about State-mandated changes, please visit the State of California Building Standards Commission webpage.

Re-visit this webpage for updates on upcoming workshops, additional training information and resources on the 2025 Edition of California Building Standards Code.