In brief
Long Beach requires a sign permit to “display, enlarge, modify, relocate or change in any way” an on-premises sign unless the sign code expressly exempts it, and the first sign costs $119.84 in Planning’s fee as of October 2026. A wall sign may be one square foot per linear foot of wall, an awning sign 40 percent of the awning’s face, and a banner stays up 90 days at most in a calendar year.
- Exempt from a sign permit: window signs covering up to 10 percent of the glass, interior signs under 25 percent of the window, and “any other non-prohibited sign, if less than 3 sq. ft.”1
- Wall signs: 100 square feet at most facing a residential, local or collector street and 250 facing an arterial1.
- Banners: $38.08 for the first sign as of October 2026, valid 90 days and “not renewable in the same calendar year”12.
- Freestanding signs are not permitted in the CNP, CNA and CNR districts; wall, projecting and awning signs are allowed in every commercial district1.
- Neither fee schedule has a line for an awning structure; any awning that projects over public property needs Public Works approval13.
A sign sits in two departments’ rules at once: Planning’s sign chapter in the zoning code sets what is allowed, and Building’s plan review sets what the structure needs. This page covers what needs a permit, what the zoning allows by sign type, banners, awnings, and the fees as of October 2026. The order of the other permits is in The Commercial Build-Out Sequence in Long Beach, and the section pillar is How to Start a Business in Long Beach.
The short answer
| If you are… | Do this |
|---|---|
| Putting a business name on a wall | A sign permit; area up to one square foot per linear foot of wall, capped at 100 or 250 square feet by street type1 |
| Hanging a banner | A banner permit, $38.08 first sign as of October 2026; 90 days a year, email application, approval from business and property owner124 |
| Lettering your window | No permit if all signs cover 10 percent or less of the window and you allow one per 3 linear feet of window1 |
| Adding an awning with your name | Awning sign up to 40 percent of the awning face, 100 square feet at most; Public Works approval if it projects over public property1 |
| Adding an electronic message sign | A conditional use permit1 |
| In a historic district | The Cultural Heritage Commission reviews exterior changes; “CoA Signs and other Minor Exterior Features” is $443.52 as of October 202625 |
What needs a permit
Chapter 21.44 of the zoning code is the on-premises sign chapter. The rule is broad: “A sign permit is required to display, enlarge, modify, relocate or change in any way, other than to perform general maintenance, repair or complete removal, an on-premises sign in any zoning district, unless such action is expressly exempted by this chapter”1. A permit lapses if not used “within one hundred eighty (180) days of issuance”1. The city’s retail brochure tells tenants to “check with the Planning Bureau for sign regulations” before the lease6.
The exemptions are in Table 44-4. The code adds that the exemption “shall not exempt such signs from other provisions of the Municipal Code, including but not limited to those that may require building or electrical permits”1.
| Exempt sign | Limit |
|---|---|
| Window signs | All signs in one window no more than 10 percent of window area; one per 3 linear feet of window; must not obstruct visibility into the business |
| Interior signs | Less than 25 percent of the window; three per window; between 1 foot and 6 feet inside the glass; may not flash or rotate |
| Public service and accessory signs (hours, restrooms, vacancies) | 10 square feet total visible from any one street |
| Building directory | 18 square feet; one per parking lot entry and building entry |
| Any other non-prohibited sign | Less than 3 square feet; one per 10 linear feet of frontage; not in the public right-of-way |
| Flags | Up to 9 by 6 feet; three flags |
Source:1.
What the zoning allows, by sign type
The code calls wall, projecting, freestanding, monument, awning and building identification signs “major signs”. “A freestanding sign and a projecting sign may not be located on the same property”, and major sign copy “shall be limited to the identification of the business, and up to two (2) products or services sold or available on the premises”1. Table 44-1 decides where each type is allowed:
| Sign type | CNP, CNA, CNR | CCA, CCP, CCR, CCN, CHW |
|---|---|---|
| Wall | Yes | Yes |
| Projecting | Yes | Yes |
| Freestanding | No | Yes |
| Monument | Yes | Yes |
| Awning | Yes | Yes |
Source:1. In planned development districts, “sign regulations specified within each PD ordinance take precedence” over the chapter1.
The standards for the types a tenant uses most:
| Type | Standard |
|---|---|
| Wall | One per wall, or one per business in a multi-tenant building, plus secondary wall signs naming up to two products or services; “one (1) square foot of sign area per linear foot of building wall”, at most 100 square feet facing a residential, local or collector street and 250 facing an arterial |
| Projecting (blade) | One per street frontage; up to one square foot per linear foot of building frontage; at least 8 feet above the pedestrian right-of-way; attached to a building; in multi-tenant buildings, separated by at least 25 feet |
| Awning, marquee, canopy | One sign per awning; up to 40 percent of the awning face and 100 square feet; may not project closer than 2 feet to the curb line; face slopes no more than 60 degrees from vertical; an under-mounted sign may show the business name only, up to 8 square feet, with 8 feet of clearance for pedestrians |
Source:1.
Other rules a tenant meets: no major sign, special major sign or minor sign subject to the chapter “shall display prices for products or services”, except changeable copy signs, banners, electronic message signs and gas price signs; up to 3 square feet of the allowed area may carry contact information; flashing, rotating, portable signs and signs on street furniture are prohibited; and “a sign shall be removed within thirty (30) days of disuse of the business”, with the wall repaired within 30 days of removal1. Check what the previous tenant left: abandoned signs “shall be removed immediately”, and “illegal signs have no vested rights”1.
Banners
A banner is a “promotional activity sign”. It may not exceed one square foot per linear foot of building street frontage or 100 square feet, whichever is less, with an aspect ratio no greater than 3.0; one per street frontage, or per business in a multi-tenant building; on a building wall only, never overhanging or obscuring windows14. A permit “shall be valid for only ninety (90) days and shall not be renewable in the same calendar year”, and the 90 days can be split into two 45-day or three 30-day periods if the banner comes down at the end of each1. A grand opening gets one 90-day banner in a calendar year in addition to one other banner14.
The banner application is emailed to [email protected] with plans and a photo of the location; it requires the approval of both the business owner and the property owner or manager4. A banner put up without a permit pays double fees, and the days it was up are subtracted from the 90; if it was up 90 days or more, it comes down and no permit is issued for that location that calendar year4. Banners across public streets are a City Manager matter, outside the chapter4.
Awnings
The code regulates the sign on an awning, not the awning itself. Any “encroachment over public property shall require approval from the Department of Public Works”, and a sign may not project into a public right-of-way “unless an encroachment permit has been issued by the City Engineer”1. Public Works has a counter at the Permit Center that issues permits for “construction within the public right-of-way”3. The Planning and Building fee schedules read for this page have no awning structure line and no encroachment fee line; whether an awning needs a building permit, and what it costs, is a question for the Permit Center at 562.570.PMIT (7648)3.
What it costs
| Item | Base fee | With 12 percent surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| Sign Permit, first sign | $107.00 | $119.84 |
| Sign Permit, each additional sign | $51.00 | $57.12 |
| Banner Permit, first sign | $34.00 | $38.08 |
| Banner Permit, each additional sign | $17.00 | $19.04 |
| Creative Sign Permit (review by the Site Plan Review Committee; excludes sign permit fees) | $3,179.00 | $3,560.48 |
| Sign Program, 5 to 12 signs (excludes sign permit fees) | $3,421.00 | $3,831.52 |
| Sign Standards Waiver | $1,772.00 | $1,984.64 |
| CoA Signs and other Minor Exterior Features (historic districts) | $396.00 | $443.52 |
Source:2, as of October 2026. In the fee year that ended September 30, 2026, the first sign was $115.36 and the first banner $36.967.
Building’s schedule adds its own lines, as of October 2026: “Sign Plan Review $180 plus 100% of Zoning Sign Permit fee”; “Combination Sign Plan Review 85% of Sign Permit fees, but not less than $152 plus 100% of Zoning Sign Permit fee”; “Monument / Pole Sign Plan Review $360 / Plan Review”; “Sign Permit 100% of Building Permit fee”; and a processing fee of “$119 / application”3. The schedules do not combine these into one price, and the city says its fees “are not official until staff sends a fee invoice”2; the Permit Center quotes the total.
Official pages disagree Planning’s October 2026 fee schedule still lists a Sign Standards Waiver at $1,984.64, while the sign chapter’s subsection for it reads “Sign standards waiver. Repealed.”21. The routes the code describes for a sign that departs from the standards are the Creative Sign Permit, a standards variance and, within a Sign Program, a waiver (21.44.035.C.6), and it says prohibited signs cannot be approved except by variance1. Ask Planning before budgeting for a waiver.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a sign in Long Beach?
Yes, to display, enlarge, modify, relocate or change an on-premises sign in any way other than maintenance, repair or removal, unless the code exempts it1.
How much is a sign permit in Long Beach?
Do window signs need a permit?
Not if all the signs in a window cover no more than 10 percent of it, at one sign per 3 linear feet of window1.
How big can my wall sign be?
One square foot per linear foot of building wall, no more than 100 square feet facing a residential, local or collector street and 250 facing an arterial1.
How long can a banner stay up?
Do I need a permit for an awning?
Can I put prices on my sign?
Not on most signs. Changeable copy signs, banners, electronic message signs and gas price signs are exempt from the rule1.
Related Articles
Sources
- Long Beach Municipal Code, Chapter 21.44 On-Premises Signs — Municode. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Planning Bureau Fee Schedule, revised October 1, 2026 (FY27 fees version) — City of Long Beach, Community Development. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Building Plan Review & Permit Fees, effective October 1, 2026 — City of Long Beach, Building and Safety Bureau; and Permit Center — Community Development. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Banner (Promotional Activity Sign) Permit Application, revised 4-21-26 — City of Long Beach, Planning Bureau. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Planning Applications & Forms — City of Long Beach, Planning Bureau. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Retail Permitting Guidelines (brochure, November 2024) — City of Long Beach, Community Development. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Planning Bureau Fee Schedule, revised July 30, 2026 (FY26 fees version) — City of Long Beach, Community Development. Accessed 2026-10-01.