Long Beach, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Owner Occupancy (2026)

1 of the Long Beach Municipal Code, adopted by ORD-21-0028 in 2021 and amended from the 2017 and 2019 ADU ordinances, applies the owner-occupancy condition to every accessory dwelling unit created under the City's ADU program, whether a Limited ADU carved from existing floor area or a Conforming ADU built with new construction. Subsection (a) requires 'the owner of the property' to reside in either the primary dwelling or the ADU, with a single carve-out: both units may be rented out if they go to the same tenant, and that tenant is prohibited in writing, by lease or other written instrument, from subleasing or re-renting either unit to a different person or entity.

The City enforces the condition administratively: subsection (f) requires the owner or applicant to record a deed restriction, in a form the City approves, before a building permit for the ADU is even issued. That recorded restriction locks in the size and attributes of the unit and the occupancy condition itself, so a title search on any Long Beach ADU parcel shows the restriction. 276, including the occupancy condition, the City can require the ADU removed entirely, at the property owner's own expense. The same removal remedy applies if the primary single-family use of the lot ends, such as through addition of another principal dwelling unit, or if a government agency orders the structure vacated because of coastal hazards.