Business Licensing & Operations in Long Beach, CA (2026)
8 verified business licensing & operations rules for Long Beach, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Adult entertainment businesses in Long Beach must sit at least 300 feet from any residential zone, 1,000 feet from a school or another adult business, 600 feet from a City park, and 500 feet from a church under Municipal Code § 21.45.110. The code also bars them from several named commercial corridors and caps hours to 9 a.m.–midnight.
Long Beach Adult Business Location Rules
Significant RestrictionsLong Beach Municipal Code § 21.45.110(A), (F)
Adult entertainment businesses may not be located: a. Within three hundred feet (300') of any residential zoning district or residential Planned Development District (specifically excluding mixed-use zones) within the City; or b. Within one thousand feet (1,000′) of any public or private school (kindergarten through twelfth grade) located within the City; or c. Within six hundred feet (600′) of...
Massage Establishments
Long Beach requires a Massage Establishment Permit, a Health Permit, and, when massage is the primary use, an Administrative Use Permit before any massage business can operate. Municipal Code Section 5.58.030 layers these on top of the standard Chapter 3.80 business license.
Long Beach Massage Establishment Permit
Significant RestrictionsLong Beach Municipal Code § 5.58.030(A)
No person shall engage in, carry on, or conduct the business of a massage establishment without first having obtained a Business License as prescribed by the provisions of Chapter 3.80, and, where required by this Chapter, a Massage Establishment Permit, a Health Permit, and an Administrative Use Permit as prescribed in Title 21.
Tattoo & Body Modification
Long Beach requires new tattoo parlors to sit at least 700 feet from another tattoo parlor and 700 feet from any K-12 school under Municipal Code § 21.45.166, unless a business wins an Administrative Use Permit. Parlors can only operate between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. and must post an 18-and-over notice at the front door.
Long Beach Tattoo Parlor Spacing & Hours
Significant RestrictionsLong Beach Municipal Code § 21.45.166(A)-(C), (H)
A. No new tattoo parlor use shall be located within seven hundred feet (700') of another tattoo parlor, unless granted through an Administrative Use Permit... B. No new tattoo parlor use shall be located within seven hundred feet (700') of any public or private primary or secondary school, unless granted through an Administrative Use Permit... C. Tattoo parlors shall operate only between the ho...
Tobacco Retail License
No one may sell tobacco in Long Beach without a City tobacco retailer's permit for each fixed location: mobile and foot-based sales are banned outright, permits run one year, and selling without one is a public nuisance in addition to being a crime under Municipal Code Chapter 5.81.
Long Beach Tobacco Retail Permit Requirement
Significant RestrictionsLong Beach Municipal Code §§ 5.81.020(A), 5.81.050, 5.81.060
A. No person or proprietor shall act as a tobacco retailer without first obtaining and maintaining a valid permit for each location at which tobacco retailing is to occur or otherwise as provided in this Chapter. In addition to the criminal penalties attached to violations of this Section, tobacco retailing without a valid tobacco permit is a public nuisance. ... 5.81.050 - Permit—Fees. An annu...
Secondhand Dealers
Secondhand dealers in Long Beach must hold a police-issued permit and cannot resell purchased or pawned goods for 30 days. Municipal Code § 5.64.010(C) defines the covered business as buying, selling, trading, consigning, or auctioning secondhand tangible personal property, and § 5.64.150(A) sets the 30-day resale hold.
Long Beach Secondhand Dealer Permit & Resale Hold
Significant RestrictionsLong Beach Municipal Code §§ 5.64.010(C), 5.64.150
C."Secondhand dealer" means any person, co-partnership, firm, or corporation engaged in or conducting the business of buying, selling, trading, taking in pawn, accepting for sale on consignment, accepting for auctioning, or auctioning secondhand tangible personal property. ... A.No pawnbroker or secondhand dealer shall sell or otherwise dispose of any article, goods or other thing within thirty...
Pawnbrokers
Long Beach requires anyone operating a pawnshop to obtain a police-vetted permit before opening. Municipal Code § 5.64.020 bars conducting a pawnbroker business without a permit, and § 5.64.040(B) separately requires pawnbrokers, but not secondhand dealers, to file a faithful performance bond with the City.
Long Beach Pawnbroker License, Bond & Reporting
Significant RestrictionsLong Beach Municipal Code §§ 5.64.010(B), 5.64.040(B)
B."Pawnbroker" means and includes any person, other than banks, trust companies, or bond brokers, who may otherwise be regulated by law and authorized to deal in commercial papers, shares of stock, bonds and other certificates of value, who keeps a pawn office, or engages in, or carries on the business of receiving jewelry, precious stones, valuables, firearms, clothing or personal property, or...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Long Beach allows residents to repair their own cars and motorcycles at home as an accessory use under Municipal Code § 21.51.227, but only on vehicles they own, only on paved surfaces, never in the public right-of-way, and never between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Long Beach Home Auto Repair Rules
Some RestrictionsLong Beach Municipal Code § 21.51.227(A), (B), (D), (G), (I)
Home automobile and motorcycle repair is an allowed accessory use in all residential districts provided: A. Ownership. The automobiles or motorcycles repaired shall be limited to vehicles owned by the residents of the property, and shall be registered and licensed; B. Public Right-of-Way. No automobiles or motorcycles shall be repaired on the public right-of-way; ... D. Paved Area Required. Nei...
Towing Companies
Long Beach permits tow companies that contract with the city for police-initiated tows, with rotation rules, fee schedules, and storage standards. Private property tows must follow California Vehicle Code rules.
Long Beach Tow Truck and Tow Operator Permits
Some RestrictionsCal. Veh. Code Sec. 22658(a)(1)
The owner or person in lawful possession of private property ... may cause the removal of a vehicle parked on the property to a storage facility ... under any of the following circumstances: (1) There is displayed, in plain view at all entrances to the property, a sign not less than 17 inches by 22 inches in size, with lettering not less than one inch in height, prohibiting public parking and i...
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