Long Beach's Hotels & Lodging: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles hotels & lodging a little differently. In Long Beach, California, there are 3 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Transient Occupancy Tax

Long Beach charges a 12% Transient Occupancy Tax on hotel, motel, and short-term lodging stays under 30 days. Operators collect from guests at registration and remit monthly to the city Treasurer.

Key details: TOT rate: 12% of rent. Code section: LBMC Chapter 3.64. Threshold: Under 30 consecutive days. Filing: Monthly remittance. Administered by: Financial Management Dept.

Failure to collect, remit, or register triggers penalties, interest, and potential audit. Willful evasion is a misdemeanor with possible criminal referral and license revocation.

Hotel Worker Retention

Measure WW, passed by Long Beach voters in 2018, requires hotels with 50+ rooms to provide panic buttons, daily room-cleaning workload caps, and worker-retention rights when hotels change ownership.

Key details: Threshold: Hotels 50+ rooms. Adopted: Measure WW, November 2018. Panic buttons: Required for solo housekeepers. Retention period: 90 days post-sale. Enforcement: Private right of action.

Civil penalties, back wages, reinstatement, and attorney fees. Failure to issue panic buttons or honor retention rights exposes operators to lawsuits and city enforcement.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Long Beach actively enforces its hotel worker retention requirements.

Hotel Living Wage

Long Beach Living Wage Ordinance requires city service contractors and certain airport and convention center employers to pay an hourly living wage above California minimum wage, with annual indexing.

Key details: Code section: LBMC Chapter 2.73. Coverage: City service contractors. State floor: $16.50 minimum wage indexed. Adjustments: Annual CPI indexing. Health benefit: Required or wage adder.

Back wages, civil penalties, contract suspension, and possible debarment from city contracts. Workers may sue and recover attorney fees under the ordinance.

The Bottom Line

Long Beach's hotels & lodging rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Long Beach is broadly strict or permissive.

This guide is based on Long Beach's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.