In brief
Long Beach issues a construction permit to a licensed contractor, to a contractor’s authorized agent, or to an owner who signs one of three declarations: no improvement is intended or offered for sale and the owner or the owner’s wage employees do the work; the owner directly hires licensed contractors for each trade; or the owner is a homeowner working on a principal residence before sale, with 12 months of residence and no more than two uses in three years. The city also verifies workers’ compensation coverage or a signed exemption before it issues any permit.
- Owner declaration 1: none of the improvements “intended or offered for sale”, and work done by the owner or by “the owner’s employees with wages as their sole compensation”1.
- Owner declaration 2: the owner contracts directly with licensed contractors for the trades; for single-family construction, no more than four structures offered for sale in a calendar year, a limit that does not apply if a general contractor builds1.
- Homeowner declaration: principal residence or its accessory structures, work “prior to sale”, 12 months of residence before completion, criteria “used … only twice in three years”1.
- Contractors need a state license and “an active City of Long Beach Business License”; an agent needs a notarized letter dated within the last year1.
- State law bars unlicensed contracting on any project that needs a permit, uses employees or is valued at $1,000 or more2.
An owner who wants to take out a permit personally, instead of hiring a contractor to do it, is dealing with two sets of rules: the city’s list of who is eligible to pull a permit and the state’s contractor licensing law. The city sets out the first in an information bulletin, IB-029, last revised in July 2026. This page lays out its tests, what the city checks at the counter, and where the state’s limits sit alongside. The rest of the permit process is in How a Long Beach Building Permit Runs, and the whole subject is in Permits in Long Beach.
This page describes the city’s published criteria as of October 2026. It is not legal advice, and the declarations are signed under the city’s forms, not on this page.
The short answer
| If you are… | What IB-029 provides |
|---|---|
| A licensed contractor | A signed declaration of your state license number and an active City of Long Beach business license, plus photo ID and your pocket card1 |
| A contractor’s employee or agent | The above, plus a notarized letter of authorization on company letterhead dated within the last year1 |
| An owner doing the work yourself on property not for sale | Item 3 of the bulletin: no improvements intended or offered for sale; work by you or your wage employees1 |
| An owner hiring licensed trades | Item 4: you contract directly with the licensed contractors1 |
| A homeowner fixing your own home before selling | Item 5: principal residence, 12 months lived there, used only twice in three years1 |
| An agent acting for an owner | The Notice to Property Owner form with the owner’s signature and ID, and your own ID1 |
Who the city will issue a permit to
IB-029 says the requirements and responsibilities of an applicant “are detailed in the Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC) §18.04.070” and summarizes who may obtain a permit. It lists seven categories of eligible permittee; three of them are about owners1.
Owner declaration 1 (owner does the work). The owner declares that “None of the improvements are intended or offered for sale” and that “All of the work will be performed by the owner or any work not performed by the owner will be performed by the owner’s employees with wages as their sole compensation”1.
Owner declaration 2 (owner hires licensed trades). The owner declares that he or she “will directly contract with contractors who are licensed for the respective trades involved”. For projects involving single-family residential structures, “no more than four of these structures are intended or offered for sale in a calendar year”, and that limit “shall not apply if the owner contracts with a general contractor for the construction”1.
Homeowner declaration. The homeowner declares that the improvements are on his or her “principal place of residence or accessory structures”, that the work “is being performed prior to sale”, that he or she “has resided in the residence for the twelve (12)-months prior to completion of work”, and that “the homeowner has used the above criteria only twice in three years”1.
The bulletin’s seventh category is a responsible person who gives a signed declaration of the basis for an exemption from state contractor licensing and holds an active city business license1.
What the city checks
Identity and authority. A contractor’s declaration is accompanied by photo identification and proof of the state license and classification. An agent for a property owner completes the “Authorization of Agent to Act on Property Owner’s Behalf” at the bottom of the Notice to Property Owner form with a copy of the owner’s ID1.
Who owns the property. If a trust owns it, the city asks for trust paperwork showing the trustee or executor as an authorized signatory. For a corporation, LLC or partnership, it asks for the operating agreement or corporate paperwork showing who may sign. For work in the common area or exterior of a condominium building, it asks for a letter signed by the HOA president, with minutes verifying the president’s position, or authorization from all the condominium owners1.
Workers’ compensation. City staff are “required by the California Labor Code (§3800(a)) to verify workers’ compensation insurance prior to issuing a permit”, and the permittee signs a declaration under penalty of perjury verifying coverage or exemption from coverage1.
Responsibility after the permit. The permittee and the permittee’s agents, employees, contractors and subcontractors carry out the work “in accordance with the approved construction documents”, and no approval “shall relieve or exonerate any person from the responsibility of complying” with the code1. What happens after the permit issues, from plan check to final inspection, is in How a Long Beach Building Permit Runs.
Good to know For online permits, which the city issues automatically for qualifying residential solar, water heater, panel and similar work, owners or agents “attach a letter of authorization or a completed FORM-006”2. An owner who is pulling a permit at the Permit Center, 411 West Ocean Boulevard, 2nd floor, can reach staff at 562.570.PMIT (7648)3.
Where state contractor law sits alongside
The city’s declarations assume the state’s licensing law is satisfied or exempted. The Contractors State License Board states: “It is illegal for an unlicensed person to perform contracting work on any project which requires a building permit, or employee labor is used or the project is valued at $1,000, or more”4. The board’s guidance on the $1,000 minor-work exemption says it applies only if “the work cannot require a permit” and no one is employed5.
If you hire a contractor rather than pull the permit yourself, the board says to check the license “online or call (800) 321-CSLB (2752)” and to ask for “their pocket license, along with a picture I.D.”6. The steps are in Checking a Contractor Before You Hire in Long Beach.
The sale tests
Two of the three owner declarations turn on a sale. Declaration 1 requires that none of the improvements be intended or offered for sale. The homeowner declaration covers only a principal residence or its accessory structures, requires 12 months of residence before the work is complete and may be used only twice in three years1. The bulletin does not explain how the city treats a project that fits none of the three; the Permit Center is the place to ask3.
Work already done without a permit follows a different path; see Unpermitted Work in Long Beach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a homeowner pull their own building permit in Long Beach?
Yes, by signing one of the owner declarations in the city’s bulletin IB-029: no improvements for sale with the owner or wage employees doing the work, direct contracts with licensed trades, or the principal-residence homeowner declaration1.
How many times can I use the homeowner exemption?
The bulletin says the homeowner “has used the above criteria only twice in three years”1.
Do I need to have lived in the house before pulling an owner permit?
For the homeowner declaration, yes: 12 months of residence “prior to completion of work”1.
Does the city check workers' compensation insurance?
Yes. Staff must verify coverage before issuing a permit, and the permittee signs a declaration under penalty of perjury verifying coverage or an exemption1.
Can a contractor send an employee to pull the permit?
An agent of a contractor needs a notarized letter of authorization on company letterhead, dated within the last year, plus ID and a copy of the license pocket card1.
Does a contractor need a Long Beach business license to pull a permit?
Yes. The bulletin requires a declaration that the contractor holds a state license and “an active City of Long Beach Business License”1.
Can an unlicensed person do work that needs a permit?
The Contractors State License Board says it is illegal for an unlicensed person to do contracting work on any project that requires a permit, uses employee labor or is valued at $1,000 or more4.
Related Articles
Sources
- Information Bulletin IB-029: Eligibility to Obtain a Construction Permit (rev. 07-27-2026) — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Online Permits — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Permit Center — City of Long Beach, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- What Is Illegal Contractor Activity? — Contractors State License Board. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- AB 2622 Implementation (Industry Bulletin, 2024) — Contractors State License Board. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Finding the Right Contractor — Contractors State License Board. Accessed 2026-10-01.