What the city says is in force
The Community Development Accessory Dwelling Units page is the process the counter is using. It defines an ADU as an attached or detached dwelling with complete, independent living facilities on a lot that already has, or is proposed to have, a primary dwelling. A junior ADU is limited to 500 square feet inside the existing single-family house or an existing attached garage, needs an efficiency kitchen, and has its own bathroom or shares the main home’s. A junior ADU may connect to the house by a door or hallway. The city requires owner-occupancy in the junior unit or the main home only when the bathroom is shared.
That page also says Long Beach ranks as the highest per-capita producer of ADUs in California. That is the city’s statement, not a figure we recalculated. The same page says a replacement ordinance is still in development and tells readers to use the Planning Information Bulletin, which summarizes state law, for setbacks, height, parking, and how many units are allowed. We are not copying those standards here, because the city marks them as state rules in the bulletin rather than as a finished Long Beach code section.
Four steps the Permit Center actually uses
- Planning first. Read the bulletin. Historic-district work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness. Coastal-zone work needs an administrative, no-hearing local coastal development permit before you apply for the building permit. Planning questions: 562.570.6194.
- In-person submittal. Book a time or walk into the Permit Center, 411 W. Ocean Blvd., 2nd Floor. Bring the application and a full plan set as a PDF on a USB drive. Plan-check fees are due that day. The city says online submission is not available. Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, closed for lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m. Building and Safety: 562.570.7648.
- Two reviewers at once. After the fees are paid, a planner and an engineer review the set together. Corrections come in writing. Resubmit to both. Status is on the city’s plan-check status page.
- Ready-to-issue, then inspections online. Building and Safety emails when the permit can be issued. You pick it up in person. Schedule each inspection online. The city does not take building-inspection requests by phone.
Over-the-counter review is not available for a historic district, the coastal zone, or a project with major structural engineering.
Pre-approved plans: two named designs, not a city giveaway
The Pre-Approved ADU Program is for new construction, not a conversion of existing space. The program page says those plans and the permit application may be approved over the counter, and that a building permit can be issued the same day.
Two designs were listed when we checked the page:
- PAADU-01, The Sevila: new, 800 square feet, one story, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, Olfati Design Group Inc.
- PAADU-02, The Casita: new, 415 square feet, one story, one bedroom, one bathroom, same firm.
Information Bulletin IB-068 (effective March 27, 2024, revised July 31, 2026) says the plans are not owned by the city. You contract with the plan owner and pay that designer separately. The bulletin also says a plan approved in another city, or for one Long Beach lot, still has to pass the PAADU review before it is used on a different Long Beach property. Staff check the lot against Zoning Title 21 at the counter. The bulletin’s hazard list, which can force extra clearance or plan changes, is coastal zone, historic district, flood, methane, liquefaction, Alquist-Priolo, oil wells, and high wind. If the permit is not issued the day it is approved, IB-068 tells you to schedule the “Approved Plans Ready-To-Issue” appointment.
Money
Neither the ADU page nor IB-068 prints a construction-contract range or a dollar fee schedule. Plan-check fees are collected at submittal, and the remaining permit fees are collected when the permit is issued. Until you have those city numbers and a builder’s bid, a figure from our statewide cost guide is only a planning estimate.
Planning basics on this site are statewide. They do not override the Long Beach counter.
Sources
Reviewed October 22, 2026:
- City of Long Beach, Accessory Dwelling Units — state law applied directly, section 21.51.276 withdrawn, in-person USB submittal, historic and coastal steps.
- Pre-Approved ADU Program — The Sevila and The Casita, and same-day issuance after over-the-counter approval.
- Information Bulletin IB-068, revised July 31, 2026 — plans are privately owned; hazard zones; ready-to-issue appointment.