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On January 1, 2020, new state law took effect to create opportunities for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and junior accessory dwelling units (JADUs) at single-family dwellings (Cal. Gov’t Code section 65852.2). Additional changes to state law now allow ADUs (but not JADUs) at multi-family dwellings as well in certain situations. Beyond traditional market rate construction and affordable housing developments, ADUs provide an alternative, flexible housing model that can help address home supply and affordability in California. The City of Long Beach currently administers regulations for ADUs and JADUs directly under state law. A local ADU ordinance is in development.

ADUs and JADUs are separate from the recently adopted State law known as Senate Bill 9 (SB 9)(Cal. Gov’t Code section 65852.21), effective January 1, 2022. In some situations, but not all, it may be possible to have two principal units through SB 9, as well as an ADU/JADU.

The City is preparing ADU and SB 9 ordinances to promote pro-housing policies while maintaining compliance with state laws. Both will be standalone ordinances, but their design and development standards will be complementary to ensure internal consistency and reduce ambiguity for the community, project applicants and City staff. These efforts will be coordinated with the City’s ongoing effort to update its Subdivision Ordinance (Title 20) and Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit Program.

The revised ADU Ordinance will provide a new set of ADU regulations tailored to the specific needs of Long Beach, with the goal of creating excellent housing stock and opportunities while ensuring quality design. To learn more in-depth about the details of the ordinances, please see ADU and SB 9 sections below.

A Public Review Draft of the ADU and SB 9 ordinances are now available:



Accessory Dwelling Units and Lot Splits (SB 9)

ADUs and SB 9 units are two ways of adding units to your property. Which is right for you?

  • An ADU may be appropriate if you are looking for an easier development path, you don’t want to develop another full-size (“principal”) unit, you do not live on the property and wish to rent the ADU for income, or your property is residential but not zoned R-1.
  • An SB 9 unit may be appropriate if you want to develop a full-size second (“principal”) dwelling unit, your property is zoned R-1, or you wish to do an Urban Lot Split (but you may build an SB 9 unit without going through an Urban Lot Split)

Learn More About ADUs

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) have become a major contributor to the growth of Long Beach’s housing stock. ADUs represent a unique opportunity for adding housing throughout the City’s existing neighborhoods and can be designed to be more affordable than large-scale multifamily developments. ADU construction in Long Beach has gone from zero 10 years ago to a current rate of more than 400 per year. The City’s goal is to facilitate 400–500 ADUs per year throughout the coming decade.

The revised ADU Ordinance will provide a new set of ADU regulations tailored to the specific needs of Long Beach, with the goals of creating excellent housing stock and opportunities while ensuring quality design. The revised Ordinance will:

  • Incorporate all changes to state ADU laws
  • Formalize the City’s approach to legalizing unpermitted units as ADUs, and administering ADUs within the Coastal Zone;
  • Incentivize enhanced ADU designs overall to benefit future ADU residents and neighbors alike.

ADU Documents and Reference Materials:

Learn More About SB 9

Senate Bill 9 (SB 9) is a California housing law that became effective on January 1, 2022, complementing state ADU law by enabling urban lot splits and two-unit development in existing residential neighborhoods. Specifically, SB 9 requires by-right approval of residential developments with no more than two primary units in a single-family zone and allows the subdivision of a parcel in a single-family zone into two parcels in certain cases.

The City does not have a local ordinance to implement the provisions of SB 9, although a separate local effort is already in process to update the Subdivision Ordinance (Title 20) to enable SB 9 urban lot splits. While the request for SB 9 projects has been limited thus far, it may increase in the future, especially for two-unit development projects. Much like the revised ADU Ordinance, a new SB 9 Ordinance will ensure compliance with State law while customizing specific regulations to suit the needs of Long Beach. It will provide clarity to the community, project applicants, City staff, and City Council on what is and is not permitted on various lots throughout the City.

SB 9 allows no more than a total of four units (two principal, two ADU/JADU) on an existing developed single-family zoned lot. This can be achieved two ways: (1) By building a second principal unit, plus one ADU and one JADU, or (2) if an existing lot is subdivided into two lots using the urban lot split provisions of SB 9, then no more than two units of any type are allowed on each resultant lot (two principal units each, or one principal unit each and one ADU or JADU each).

SB 9 Documents/Reference Materials

Learn More About Urban Lot Splits

An urban lot split is an option provided by the SB 9 law, which in addition to allowing development of a second principal dwelling unit, may also allow the subdivision of an existing single-family residential parcel in the R-1 Zoning District to create no more than two parcels. Each newly created parcel must be of approximately similar size, with the smaller one no less than 40% the size of the original lot and the larger one no more than 60%. An Urban Lot Split is not required in order to build the second principal dwelling unit allowed by SB 9. The City is currently in the process of updating the Urban Lot Split Ordinance to align with state law updates and customize regulations to suit the needs of Long Beach.

Additional Information

For questions on permitting, submittal requirements, plan checks, fees or frequently asked questions regarding ADUs and SB 9 units, please contact Building and Safety.



Contact

For zoning questions on ADUs, including if you can build and ADU, JADU or SB 9  on your property and development standards, contact the Planning Bureau. 

For questions on permitting, submittal requirements, plan checks, fees, the pre-approved ADU program or garage conversions, please contact Building and Safety.

Planning Bureau

562.570.6194

411 W. Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802

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W: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
TH: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
F: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

The Planning and Zoning phone line is open Monday through Thursday during regular business hours and closes daily for lunch from Noon to 1:00 p.m. The Permit Center is closed daily for lunch from Noon to 1:00 p.m.

411 West Ocean Blvd., 3rd Floor

Long Beach, CA 90802

562.570.LBCD (5223)

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