Long Beach, CA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit categories
- building, grading, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, sign
- Grading permit trigger
- >100 cu yd or >5 ft deep cut
- Application section
- LBMC § 18.04.030
- Issuing authority
- Building Official, Dept. of Community Development
- Combination permit
- available for 1-2 family dwellings, § 18.04.010(F)
- Unpermitted work penalty
- up to $1,000 fine / 6 months jail
Summary
Long Beach requires a permit before any building, grading, electrical, plumbing, mechanical or sign work begins. LBMC § 18.04.010 bars erecting, altering, remodeling, moving, converting or demolishing any building or structure, or changing its occupancy, without a permit issued first by the Building Official in the Department of Community Development.
A.Building permits. No person, firm or corporation shall erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, remodel, move, remove, improve, convert or demolish any building or part of a building or structure, or change the character or occupancy or use of any building or structure, or part of a building or structure, in the City without first obtaining a permit covering such work from the Building Official.B.Grading permits. No person, firm or corporation shall commence or perform any grading, and no person shall import or export any earth materials to or from any grading site, without first having obtained a permit therefore from the Building Official. Any grading project involving more than one hundred (100) cubic yards of excavation and involving an excavation in excess of five (5) feet in vertical depth at its deepest point measured from the original ground surface shall be done by a State of California licensed contractor who is licensed to perform the work described herein.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 52 Update 1 | City Charter: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
010 lays out the citywide building permit requirement across seven categories: building permits (subsection A), grading permits (B), electrical permits (C), plumbing permits (D), mechanical permits (E), a combination permit for one- and two-family dwellings (F), and sign permits (G). Subsection A is the broadest: no person, firm or corporation may erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, remodel, move, remove, improve, convert or demolish any building or structure, or change its occupancy or use, without first obtaining a permit from the Building Official. Grading has its own numeric trigger under subsection B, any project moving more than 100 cubic yards of excavation with a cut deeper than 5 feet must be performed by a State of California-licensed contractor, and a separate permit is required for each grading site. 06. 040. 020 to reject noncompliant work, require exposure of concealed work, and stop work in progress.
Violations & Fines
Doing any of the seven categories of permitted work without first obtaining the required permit is a Municipal Code violation under § 1.32.010: a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in jail, or an infraction capped at $1,000, with each day of unpermitted work a separate offense. The Building Official may also issue a written stop-work order under § 18.03.020(H) and treat the unpermitted condition as a public nuisance subject to summary abatement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of work need a permit in Long Beach?
Who issues building permits in Long Beach?
Does a grading project always need a permit?
What happens if I do permit-required work without one?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Long Beach to another location·View the California building safety overview
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