How Long Beach Approves ADUs.
Long Beach does not currently have an adopted local ADU ordinance. Instead, the city's Information Bulletin IB-PZ-001 states that every ADU and JADU application is reviewed strictly under state ADU law (California Government Code Sections 66310 to 66342). That is good news for homeowners: state law requires ADU permits to be considered ministerially, with no discretionary review and no public hearing, and Government Code Section 66317 gives the city 60 days from a complete application to approve or deny it, with the application deemed approved if the deadline passes.
Long Beach also runs a Pre-Approved ADU (PAADU) Program where projects using pre-approved designs can be approved over the counter at the Permit Center, with a building permit issued the same day. The city is drafting a standalone ADU ordinance that will fold in state law changes, formalize how unpermitted units get legalized, and set out coastal zone administration, so standards may be refined over time. Not sure what your lot allows today? Check your lot and we will map the rules to your address.
Size, Height, and Setback Basics.
On a single-family lot, Long Beach permits one detached new-construction ADU up to 800 Sq Ft, an attached ADU addition up to 50 percent of the primary home's size or 800 Sq Ft, whichever is more, and conversions of existing space with no size limit. A JADU carved out of the house or attached garage can be up to 500 Sq Ft, and every unit must be at least 150 Sq Ft. Better still, the city allows combinations: one conversion ADU, one detached new-construction ADU, and one JADU can all be permitted on the same single-family lot.
New detached ADUs can be 16 feet tall in most locations, rising to 18 feet within a half mile walking distance of major transit or where a multi-story multifamily building already sits on the lot, plus up to 2 feet more to match a sloped roof on the primary home. Setbacks are 4 feet at the side and rear (rear measured to the centerline of an adjacent alley where one exists), with the front setback per the zoning district, though an ADU up to 800 Sq Ft may encroach into the front yard if there is no other way to fit it. Long Beach applies no lot coverage, open space, or floor area ratio standards to these ADU projects, which keeps small urban lots in play.
ADUs on Multifamily Lots.
Long Beach's rental stock is full of duplexes, fourplexes, and courtyard buildings, and the standards the city applies are generous to them. A lot with an existing multifamily building can add up to 8 detached ADUs, or one per existing permitted unit, whichever is less, built new or converted from detached accessory buildings, with additions to those accessory buildings allowed and no size limit. On top of that, owners can convert existing attached non-habitable space such as storage rooms and garages into at least 1 ADU, or up to 25 percent of the existing unit count, whichever is more. A lot with a proposed multifamily building can include 2 detached ADUs. The one restriction: no JADUs on any lot with a multifamily dwelling.
For owners and operators, that math turns underused parking courts and rear yards into new rent rolls without touching the existing building. Abodu delivers factory-built units at multifamily scale with one contract and one installation team; see how we work with multifamily owners.
Coastal Zone, Historic Districts, and Parking.
A large slice of Long Beach sits in the Coastal Zone, and any ADU or JADU there must obtain an Administrative Local Coastal Development Permit (LCDP). The process stays administrative: no public hearing is required, and the LCDP is filed concurrently with the building permit application. Similarly, projects in a historic district or at a designated landmark property need a Certificate of Appropriateness, also with no hearing. Properties in the Coastal Zone or a historic district get extra Planning Bureau review before using the pre-approved plan track, so budget schedule accordingly; the Planning Bureau answers zoning questions at 562.570.6194.
Parking is rarely a blocker. No parking is required for an ADU within a half mile walking distance of a transit stop, in a historic district, converted from existing space, within the city's mapped Parking Exempt Area, or for any JADU. One more owner-friendly detail from the city's bulletin: ADU floor area is measured to the interior walls, so wall thickness does not eat into your allowed living space. Curious how this plays out step by step? See how the process works.
What It Actually Costs.
Custom site-built ADUs in California routinely exceed $250,000 before change orders, and the final number usually is not known until the project is nearly done. Abodu works differently: transparent published pricing: homes from $234,800 plus a published installation price, an expected all-in from $298,800 that covers design, permits, factory build, delivery, and installation, with no surprise invoices along the way.
Because Long Beach reviews ADUs ministerially on a 60-day state clock, a permit-ready package moves fast, and our team has the drawings and approvals process down to a science. See how the process works, browse what homeowners say.