Long Beach, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- IL (Light Industrial) maximum coverage
- 55%
- IM (Medium Industrial) maximum coverage
- 60%
- IG (General Industrial) maximum coverage
- 80%, unless a redevelopment plan sets another
- IP (Port-Related Industrial) maximum coverage
- No restriction
- Westside Redevelopment Project Area
- 60 percent for new buildings
- Governing section
- Long Beach Municipal Code § 21.33.120 and Table 33-3
- Review required
- Site plan review under Chapter 21.25, Division V
Summary
Long Beach caps how much of an industrial lot a building can cover: 55 percent in the IL district, 60 percent in IM, 80 percent in IG, and no limit in the port-related IP district. Section 21.33.120 sets the rule and Table 33-3 holds the numbers. City redevelopment plans can replace the IG figure, and the Westside Redevelopment Project Area holds new buildings to 60 percent.
No building or structure shall be constructed to exceed the lot coverage standards indicated in Table 33-3. ... Table 33-3 General Development Standards Standard Zone District IL IM IG IP ... Maximum Lot Coverage (see 21.33.120 ) 55% 60% 80% (b) No restriction ... (b) City redevelopment plans may establish an alternative standard which supersedes this standard. For the Westside Redevelopment Project Area, the maximum lot coverage standard is 60 percent for new buildings.
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
Long Beach divides its industrial land into four districts: Light Industrial (IL), Medium Industrial (IM), General Industrial (IG) and Port-Related Industrial (IP). Section 21.33.120 gives one command for all four: no building or structure shall be constructed to exceed the lot coverage standards indicated in Table 33-3. The percentages live in that table. IL lots top out at 55 percent coverage, IM lots at 60 percent, and IG lots at 80 percent. The IP district carries the entry "No restriction," so a port-related parcel is not held to a coverage percentage by this chapter.
The IG figure comes with footnote (b). City redevelopment plans can set an alternative standard that supersedes the 80 percent number, and for the Westside Redevelopment Project Area the maximum is 60 percent for new buildings. Anyone planning an IG project near the Westside needs to confirm which standard governs the parcel before drawing the footprint.
Coverage sits beside other numbers in the same table and the sections around it. Minimum lot size is 15,000 square feet in IL and 20,000 in IM and IG, but footnote (a) limits that to new subdivisions of land, not new construction or remodeling on existing lots. Height is 4 stories or 60 feet, whichever is more restrictive, in IL, 45 feet in IM, and 65 feet in IG and IP.
Yards also shrink the usable footprint. Under Table 33-4, a yard fronting a local or collector street is 6 feet in IL and 0 feet in IM, IG and IP, while a yard fronting a minor arterial or larger street is 10 feet in all four. Yards abutting a residential district are 20 feet in IL and 45 feet in IM and IG, with no restriction in IP. Section 21.33.140 requires yard areas to be clear of all structures from the ground to the sky, apart from listed projections, and allows only driveways, automobile surface parking lots, landscaping and on-premises signs inside them. Where parking abuts a street, Section 21.33.145 adds a 5 foot wide landscaped strip.
Process matters too. Section 21.33.040 requires site plan review under Chapter 21.25, Division V, and Section 21.33.045 sends IP projects to the Harbor Department for review under Section 18.04.040.
Violations & Fines
Section 21.33.120 is a flat prohibition: no building or structure shall be constructed to exceed the Table 33-3 percentage for its district. The section carries no penalty clause of its own, and the 1995 ordinance that created it adds none. The practical consequence is that a plan over 55, 60 or 80 percent, depending on the district, does not conform and has to be redesigned. Encroaching on required yards under Section 21.33.140 is a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum lot coverage in Long Beach's industrial zones?
Can the 80 percent IG limit be different on a particular property?
Does the IP district have a lot coverage cap?
Do required yards count against what I can build?
Is a project plan reviewed before construction?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Long Beach to another location·View the California building setbacks & zoning overview
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