Long Beach, CA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing body
- Cultural Heritage Commission
- District threshold
- 60% of properties must be contributing
- Interim permit freeze
- Up to 180 days during nomination review
- Certificate validity
- 36 months, renewable 12 months
- Appeal deadline
- 10 calendar days from written decision
- Recorded with
- Los Angeles County Recorder
Summary
Long Beach designates cultural resources as Landmarks or Landmark Districts through its Cultural Heritage Commission under LBMC Chapter 2.63. Once designated, no owner, renter or occupant may modify the property without a certificate of appropriateness, and nominated properties get interim protection while review is pending.
Landmarks. A cultural resource qualifies for designation as a Landmark if it retains integrity and manifests one (1) or more of the following criteria: A. It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of the City's history; or B. It is associated with the lives of persons significant in the City's past; or C. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction, or it represents the work of a master or it possesses high artistic values; or D. It has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. Landmark Districts. A group of cultural resources qualify for designation as a Landmark District if it retains integrity as a whole and meets the following criteria: A. The grouping represents a significant and distinguishable entity that is significant within a historic context. B. A minimum of sixty percent (60%) of the properties within the boundaries of the proposed landmark district qualify as a contributing property.
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
63 gives the Cultural Heritage Commission authority to recommend Landmark and Landmark District designations, either on its own initiative or on nomination by an owner, occupant or interested group. 050, association with significant historic events or persons, distinctive construction characteristics or the work of a master, or the likelihood of yielding important historic information. A Landmark District requires that at least 60 percent of properties within its boundaries qualify as contributing properties. Nominations go to the Development Services Department, which schedules a Cultural Heritage Commission public hearing within 60 days of a complete application; the Commission then recommends approval or disapproval to the City Council, which acts by ordinance.
080(A) bars any modification to a Landmark or a contributing structure within a Landmark District, whether or not the work would otherwise require a City permit, unless a certificate of appropriateness has been issued. Substantial alterations go to the Cultural Heritage Commission; routine items like in-kind window, siding, porch, garage door or gutter replacement are decided by the Director of Development Services. Determinations must issue within 45 days of a complete application, and a certificate becomes void if construction has not started within 36 months (renewable for 12 more months).
060(D) blocks permits for alteration, demolition or removal of improvements on the nominated property for up to 180 days. Designation ordinances are recorded with the Los Angeles County Recorder and run with the land.
Violations & Fines
Modifying a designated Landmark or a contributing property in a Landmark District without a certificate of appropriateness violates LBMC § 2.63.080(A) regardless of whether a separate building permit would otherwise be required, and the Director of Development Services or Cultural Heritage Commission can deny the application or condition approval on remedying the unpermitted work. During the nomination review window, § 2.63.060(D) independently blocks the City from issuing any alteration, demolition or removal permit on the nominated property for up to 180 days after the application is deemed complete. A denied or approved certificate of appropriateness can be appealed to the Development Services Department within 10 calendar days of the written decision, with the appeal fee set by City Council resolution; appeals from the Director go to the Cultural Heritage Commission, and appeals from the Commission go to the Planning Commission, whose decision is final subject to a 90-day judicial review window under Code of Civil Procedure § 1094.6.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I repair or paint a Long Beach Landmark without a permit?
Who decides whether my property qualifies as a Long Beach Landmark?
What happens to a pending Landmark nomination on my property?
How do I appeal a denied certificate of appropriateness in Long Beach?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Long Beach to another location·View the California historic preservation overview
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Historic-Cultural Monuments in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle historic-cultural monuments.