How a Long Beach Building Permit Runs: Express, Online, Plan Check, Inspections and Expiry

The city’s building permit process is a set of counters and queues, not a single line, and which one a project joins depends on how much plan review it needs. This page follows the process in order: which route applies, what the Permit Center asks for, how plan check runs and what the city does and does not publish about timing, what the fees are, how inspections are booked, and when a permit lapses. Whether a project needs a permit at all is in What Needs a Building Permit in Long Beach; the overview of the whole subject is Permits in Long Beach.

This page describes the city’s published process as of October 2026. It is not legal advice.

The short answer

Step 1: pick the route

The Permit Center describes the three in-person routes this way: Express (“Plan submission not required: window replacements, bathroom repairs, kitchen remodels and more”), over-the-counter plan review (“accessory dwelling units, residential patios, minor storefront alterations and more”) and submitted plan review (“new constructions, additions and alterations to buildings”)¹. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and health plan reviews, and Port projects, are not eligible for over-the-counter review³.

Express permits are written for simple work, such as same-size window replacement, a service upgrade to a maximum of 200 amps, up to two EV chargers or a same-type water heater, and they do not apply to projects “located within a Coastal Zone or a Historic District or on a qualified historical building”².

Step 2: online, if the project qualifies

The city’s Customer Portal at permitslicenses.longbeach.gov issues some residential permits automatically: “applicants can apply for and be automatically issued a permit in one step. Please note that this process is also available outside of regular business hours”⁶. The limits are specific:

Source:⁶ for every row.

Owners or agents attach a letter or FORM-006, pay by card or e-check, and the permit is emailed. For PIN-route contractors, invoices arrive “within 1-3 business days”⁶. Post-entitlement housing projects are submitted by email to [email protected]⁶.

Step 3: the Permit Center counter

The Permit Center is at 411 West Ocean Boulevard, 2nd floor, 562.570.PMIT (7648)¹. As of October 2026 the city lists these hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed daily for lunch from noon to 1 p.m., and walk-ins “are not accepted from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or after 3:30 p.m.”¹.

Appointments are limited to one per customer per day, and a visit covers two express projects or one over-the-counter plan review¹⁰¹¹. The city asks customers to arrive “no earlier than 15 minutes before” the slot, and more than 10 minutes late loses it¹². Files go in as digital PDFs on a USB device¹. The Permit Center’s virtual meeting service answers code questions but “is NOT intended to be used for plan check submittals, express and other permit needs”¹³.

Step 4: plan check

For submitted plan review, the flow is submittal, screening, reviewers’ comments, resubmittal by email (subject line “RESUBMITTAL” plus the address and project number) and, on approval, an in-person appointment to pay and receive the permit³¹⁴. Plans must be at least 18 by 24 inches at a scale of no less than 1/4 inch per foot. Homeowners may draw plans for a one-story single-family remodel that follows the wood-frame prescriptive bulletin; otherwise a registered design professional prepares them³.

No turnaround is published. The city’s page says only: “Project reviews will be assigned in the order they are received. Processing times will vary depending on the number of projects currently ahead”⁴. A project-status page shows the stages Submittal, Screening, Review, Permit Issued and Completed, with Hold, Locked, Expired, Void and Abandoned as other states⁴. An application is valid for “one year (12 months)”; extensions “not exceeding one hundred eighty (180) days each” must be requested “at least 30 days prior”, and “Financial hardship, contracting issues … or seasonal weather conditions alone are typically not adequate reasons”³.

Step 5: fees

The city adopted its updated fee schedule on September 8, 2026, effective October 1, 2026¹⁵. The building permit fee is a table by project valuation; as of October 2026 it reads⁷:

Source:⁷ for every row. The schedule’s $1,001 to $2,000 line is printed as “$116 for the first $500 plus $3 / addt’l $100”, which looks like a typo; confirm it at the counter.

A $20,000 job comes to $149 plus 18 times $16, or $437 (this page’s arithmetic from the table), before the extras. Those include a standard plan review fee of “85% of Building Permit fee per Plan Review, but not less than $154”, a combination permit at “150% of Building Permit fee per permit, but not less than $170”, a records fee of “5% of the permit fee but not less than $35”, the state strong-motion fee of “$0.13 per each $1,000” and CalGreen at “$1 per each $25,000”⁷. The city’s fee-schedules page says “A processing fee of $119.00 will be added to each Plan Check and Permit application” and “A 6% Technology Surcharge and 6% General Plan Surcharge have been added to all applicable fees”¹⁵; the building permit schedule itself does not make clear whether the listed amounts already include them⁷. The city’s own guidance: for most construction projects, “you could expect to spend about 2% of your building costs on plan checks, permits, inspections and other agency fees”¹⁵.

Plan revisions cost “50% of the Building Permit fee, but not less than $297”; a change of contractor $53⁷. Residential projects can also owe development impact fees (fire, parks, police, transportation, sewer) listed on a separate schedule¹⁶; those are covered with ADUs in ADUs in Long Beach.

Step 6: inspections

“We do not accept phone requests for building inspections. They must be scheduled online”⁸. The day’s schedule posts by 8 a.m., 8 to 10 a.m. slots get a confirming call, and a cancellation goes by email to [email protected] by 8 a.m.⁸. Owners must provide “working ladders in good condition, adequate lighting and a clean area” or the visit is rescheduled⁸.

Inspectors check items such as “foundation excavations, concrete work, wood framing, ventilation equipment, plumbing, electrical, shear wall nailing, roof nailing”, always “before the work is concealed”, and the process ends with a final inspection⁹. Construction hours are “Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.”⁹. The inspection itself costs nothing beyond the permit; a failed or premature visit does.

Official pages disagree The October 1, 2026 building fee schedule lists “Re-inspection Fee $145 / re-inspection to be paid before any additional inspection will occur”⁷. The city’s inspection FAQ still says “$113.00”⁹.

Step 7: expiry and extensions

The municipal code (section 18.04.060, in the city’s 2023 compilation) gives a permit two years, but “every permit issued shall expire on the ninetieth (90th) day after its issuance if the work … has not commenced or has not been inspected”, or after “a continuous period of ninety (90) days” without an inspection⁵. An extension is requested on FORM-003 and “shall not exceed 90 days”; hardship, weather and market conditions “are typically by themselves not sufficient”, and “Most requests are processed in 4 to 6 weeks”¹⁷.

If work stopped, section 18.04.060.B makes the one-half fee a notice-triggered obligation, not an option. Where the Building Official determines by inspection that work has been suspended, discontinued or abandoned for 90 days or more, or the permit expired after its two years, the owner, “upon receipt of notice in writing from the Building Official”, “shall”, within 30 days of the notice (or the time the notice states), obtain a new permit to complete the work and pay one-half the fee for a new permit, “provided no changes have been made or will be made in the original approved construction documents”, diligently pursue the work to completion, and provided the stoppage “has not exceeded one hundred eighty (180) days”; otherwise the owner “shall remove or demolish the building or structure within ninety (90) days” of the notice. Section C adds that expired permits “shall have the site, building or project restored to the condition that existed immediately prior to the commencement of work”⁵. The schedule prices an expired permit at “50% of a new Permit Fee, but not less than $105”⁷. The city’s permit FAQ (Q11) describes a 180-day start rule that conflicts with the code’s 90-day text¹⁸; plan from the code.

Where to check The city’s status page for an open application is the project review status page, and the Permit Center’s counters (Planning, Fire, Health, Business License, Public Works) are on site⁴¹. For permits already issued at an address, see How to Look Up a Long Beach Property’s Permit History.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a building permit take in Long Beach?

The city publishes no processing times. It says reviews are assigned in the order received and times “will vary depending on the number of projects currently ahead”⁴.

Can I get a Long Beach permit online?

Yes, for qualifying residential solar, storage, EV charging, water heater, panel changeout, re-roof and minor repair work on one- and two-family homes, which can be issued in one step⁶.

What is an express permit in Long Beach?

A permit for simple work such as same-size windows or in-place fixture replacement where no plans are submitted; it is not available in the coastal zone or historic districts¹².

How do I schedule a building inspection in Long Beach?

Online only; the city does not accept phone requests⁸.

How much is the building permit fee in Long Beach?

As of October 2026, $116 up to $1,000 of valuation and $149 plus $16 per $1,000 from $2,001 to $20,000, plus plan review, a $119 processing fee and surcharges⁷.

How long is a Long Beach building permit valid?

Two years under the code, but it expires on the 90th day if work has not started or been inspected, and after 90 days without an inspection⁵.

What happens if my permit expires?

Under the code, on written notice from the Building Official the owner must, within 30 days, obtain a new permit at one-half the fee, provided no changes are made to the original approved construction documents, the work is diligently pursued and the stoppage has not exceeded 180 days; otherwise the owner must remove or demolish the work within 90 days. Expired permits must have the site restored to its prior condition⁵.

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