In brief
The city’s pages give a garage two routes to becoming living space: a conversion ADU, with “No limit” on size but “no addition” permitted, or a JADU of up to 500 square feet in an attached garage. The conversion needs full plans and an energy report, and the city lists $1,000 for illegal garage conversions.
- Parking is not required for conversions or JADUs under the Planning bulletin1.
- Plans and plan check fees are filed in person on the same day; over-the-counter review excludes historic, coastal and major structural projects4.
- As of October 2026 the ADU impact fees are $241.74 for fire, $1,781.39 for parks and $342.86 for police8.
- A seller in the parking impacted area must sign off on a report of legally required off-street parking under the Garage Resale Program; the report “can take up to five business days”5.
- Work started without a permit adds an investigation fee of 100 percent of the permit fee, no less than $482 as of October 20269.
Converting a garage is the most common way a Long Beach owner adds a dwelling, and the one that draws the most scrutiny: Code Enforcement lists “Garage conversions without permits” and “People living in garages” among its common violations12. The city’s ADU pages describe a garage that becomes a dwelling unit, and this page covers that case, not a conversion that creates a room and no dwelling: the two routes, the permit, the parking rules, the resale program and the penalties. The wider ADU rules are in ADUs in Long Beach, and the section pillar is Permits in Long Beach.
This page describes the rules as of October 2026. It is not legal advice.
The short answer
| If you are… | What the city’s pages say |
|---|---|
| Turning a detached garage into a separate dwelling | A conversion ADU: “No limit” on size, “but no addition is permitted”1 |
| Turning an attached garage into a small unit | A JADU of up to 500 sq ft inside the house or an attached garage, or a conversion ADU1 |
| In a historic district or the coastal zone | A Certificate of Appropriateness or an administrative coastal permit is filed with the building permit1 |
| Selling a house in the parking impacted area | A report of legally required off-street parking, under the Garage Resale Program5 |
| Already converted without a permit | Fines up to $1,000 and an investigation fee on top of the permit fee69 |
The two routes
A conversion of an accessory building, such as a garage, is the city’s second ADU category on a single-family lot. The bulletin allows one such ADU with “No limit, but no addition is permitted”; the only added floor area is 150 sq ft for access, such as a stair. The converted unit keeps the garage’s existing height and setbacks1.
A JADU is the smaller route: one per single-family lot, up to 500 sq ft, inside the house or an attached garage only. It needs the owner to live on the property only “if the JADU shares a bathroom”1. A lot may hold one conversion ADU, one detached ADU and one JADU1. On a multi-family lot, conversions of accessory buildings count toward the limit of “8 ADUs, or equal to the number of existing permitted units, whichever is less”, and no JADU is allowed1.
The city says it has no adopted local ADU ordinance and that all ADU and JADU projects are reviewed “strictly in accordance with State ADU law”2.
What the conversion needs
Garage conversions need full plans and an energy report. A design professional is not required if the work “fully complies with IB-010”3. All construction documents and permit applications “must be submitted in person, and applicable plan check fees are due the same day”; a planner and an engineer review at once, and over-the-counter review excludes historic, coastal and “major structural engineering” projects4.
In a historic district the project needs a Certificate of Appropriateness; in the coastal zone, an administrative Local Coastal Development Permit; both are filed with the building permit1. The city does not publish a plan check turnaround.
Official pages disagree The Planning bulletin says a conversion keeps its existing setbacks1. The Building and Safety FAQ says an ADU “must comply with the most restrictive requirement of either the Zoning Regulations yard setback OR Building Code’s fire separation distance”3. For a garage standing on or near a property line, the two statements point different ways. The cautious reading is that the building-code distance applies until the Permit Center says otherwise.
Parking
The bulletin lists conversions and JADUs among the cases where parking is not required, alongside the half-mile transit rule, historic districts and the Parking Exempt Area1. The city’s zoning map page lists Parking Impacted Areas, “ADU Parking Exemption” and “SB9 Parking Exemption” as layers11.
The Garage Resale Program
The Garage Resale Program is separate from the ADU rules. It requires a seller in the parking impacted area to sign off on a report of legally required off-street parking, requested by calling (562) 570-2633. “A report can take up to five business days”, and a missed appointment brings a “re-inspection fee” of “$220”. The exemptions are condominiums with common parking, first sales of never-occupied buildings, and buildings where “no parking was ever provided”5.
Where to check How the resale report treats a garage that was legally converted to an ADU is a question to put to the program at (562) 570-2633; the Parking Impacted Areas layer on the zoning map shows whether an address is inside the program’s area511.
Fees as of October 2026
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| ADU impact fee, fire facilities | $241.74 |
| ADU impact fee, parks and recreation | $1,781.39 |
| ADU impact fee, police | $342.86 |
| Plan review | 85 percent of the building permit fee, not less than $154 |
| Processing fee | $119 per application |
| Local Coastal Development Permit, administrative only (ADUs) | $1,984.00 base, $2,222.08 with the 12 percent surcharge |
| Certificate of Appropriateness, minor, accessory buildings (the schedule names garages) | $2,046.00 base, $2,291.52 with surcharge |
Fees as of October 2026. Sources:8 for impact fees,9 for plan review and processing,10 for the Planning lines.
The state’s handbook exempts ADUs of 750 sq ft or less from local impact fees; the city’s schedule does not say how it applies that rule to its ADU lines8. That question is treated in the ADU article.
If the conversion already exists
A written warning “may be issued with notice to correct the violation(s) at the City’s discretion”. Failure to correct can bring “A fine not exceeding $100 for each violation”, then $200 within one year, then $500, and “$1,000 for illegal garage conversions and/or illegal conversion of a structure for residential use”. An appeal “must be requested within 30 calendar days from the date of service of the Citation”6.
The city’s fine schedule dataset lists a code, GAR0001, at $1,000 for a first citation only, and four codes with the same prefix, GAR005 to GAR008, at $100, $200 and $500. The dataset lists codes without plain-language descriptions, so which code applies to which offense is not stated7.
Separately, the municipal code (the 2023 compilation) requires “a special investigation” before a permit can be issued for work begun without one, with an investigation fee in addition to the permit fee13. As of October 2026 the schedule prints it as “100% of permit fee but no less than $482”9. The route for legalizing existing work is in Unpermitted Work in Long Beach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I convert my garage to living space in Long Beach?
The city’s pages describe two routes: a conversion ADU with no size limit and no addition, and a JADU of up to 500 sq ft in an attached garage1.
Do I need a permit to convert a garage in Long Beach?
Does a garage conversion need replacement parking in Long Beach?
What is the fine for an illegal garage conversion in Long Beach?
The city’s page lists “$1,000 for illegal garage conversions and/or illegal conversion of a structure for residential use”6.
What is the Garage Resale Program?
A seller in the parking impacted area signs off on a report of legally required off-street parking; the report can take up to five business days5.
Can I convert an attached garage into a JADU?
Yes, up to 500 sq ft, inside the house or an attached garage, per the bulletin1.
Related Articles
Sources
- Information Bulletin IB-PZ-001: ADU and JADU Standards — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- ADUs: Accessory Dwelling Units — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Building and Safety ADU FAQs — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- ADU applications: how to submit — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Garage Resale Program — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Code Enforcement: Fines and Appeals — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Code Violation Fine Schedule — City of Long Beach open data portal. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Development Impact Fees (effective October 1, 2026) — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Building Plan Review and Permit Fees, October 1, 2026 — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Planning Bureau Fee Schedule, October 1, 2026 — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Zoning maps and related map layers — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Code Enforcement — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Building Standards Code (2023 compilation, LBMC Title 18) — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.