Long Beach, CA Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)
Key Facts
- Sample size
- At least 10% of units per inspection
- Expanded inspection
- Up to 100% of units if violations found
- Advance notice
- 14 calendar days' written notice required
- Registration deadline
- Within 60 days of acquiring property
- Refusal remedy
- City may obtain a CCP inspection warrant
- Imminent hazard action
- Citation every 15 days if not abated in 72 hrs
Summary
Under Long Beach Municipal Code § 18.30.120, City inspectors periodically check PRHIP-registered rental properties, sampling at least ten percent of units and all common areas and exits, and expanding to a full one-hundred-percent inspection if they find violations. Owners get fourteen days' written notice before an inspection under § 18.30.130, and registration is due within sixty days of acquiring a qualifying property under § 18.30.040.
A.PRHIP Inspection. In accordance with the requirements of this Subsection, the City shall be authorized to periodically conduct an inspection of residential rental properties to assure compliance with all applicable building, housing, and sanitation codes and ordinances. Property Owners and Tenants shall provide access to all common areas of a residential rental property for inspection when requested by the City's Department of Community Development...C.Random sampling inspections. The inspection shall be made of the exterior of the property, all common areas, and all exits. Inspectors shall request access to no less than ten percent (10%) of the rental units and garages where applicable in a Residential Rental Property. If access is granted, the inspector(s) shall inspect at least ten percent (10%) of the total units in the building. If the inspector discovers any violations, the inspector may conduct an inspection of additional units up to one hundred percent (100%) of the units.
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
A authorizes the City 'to periodically conduct an inspection of residential rental properties to assure compliance with all applicable building, housing, and sanitation codes and ordinances,' with owners and tenants required to provide access to common areas. Subsection C sets the sampling method: inspectors examine the exterior, common areas and exits of every covered property, then 'request access to no less than ten percent (10%) of the rental units and garages,' inspecting at least that share of units if access is granted, and 'up to one hundred percent (100%) of the units' if violations turn up.
040 requires each owner to register on a City form within sixty days of acquiring or converting a qualifying rental property, with registration documents signed under penalty of perjury; knowingly filing a false statement is unlawful. 130 requires the City to mail written notice of an inspection's date and time at least fourteen calendar days beforehand, to both the owner's contact representative and the rental units themselves. 57, with 24 hours' notice to the owner and tenant before execution, except where the inspector has reasonable cause to believe the property is so hazardous that immediate entry is needed to protect public safety. B.
Violations & Fines
Refusing a scheduled PRHIP inspection does not stop it, § 18.30.140 lets the City obtain an inspection warrant and enter by any lawful means. Violations found during an inspection that pose an imminent health or safety threat go to the City Prosecutor within 24 hours under § 18.30.120.F, and an owner who fails to abate within 72 hours faces an administrative citation every 15 days the violation continues.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many units does Long Beach inspect under PRHIP?
How much notice does Long Beach give before a PRHIP inspection?
Can a Long Beach landlord refuse to let PRHIP inspectors in?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
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Inspection Programs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle inspection programs.