Cities | Long Beach
Long Beach Multiplex Rules 2026: ADUs, SB 9, R-3 and R-4 Districts, Title 22 and SB 79
Long Beach is the seventh largest city in California by the Census Bureau's 2025 estimate. Its rules for more than one home on a lot sit in three parts of the Long Beach Municipal Code: Title 21 (the Zoning Regulations), Title 22 (a newer zoning code for rezoned areas) and Title 20 (subdivisions). This page sums up the routes to two, three, four or more homes, what each allows, and where the City's documents and state law differ. Every code section was read in Supplement 52, which includes ordinances through August 18, 2026. The seven guide pages below go into each topic.
Long Beach in six facts
- The US Census Bureau estimates the population of the City of Long Beach at 450,469 on July 1, 2025. Source: US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025
- Long Beach reviews every ADU under state law alone, since the City says its own ADU section, 21.51.276, no longer applies. Source: City ADU and SB 9 page
- R-1 lots hold one home under the zoning tables, and SB 9 adds a second main home or an urban lot split decided by staff within 50 days. Source: LBMC Table 31-2A, 20.18.020
- The R-3-4 district allows 4 homes per lot at 1,700 sq ft of lot area each, and R-4 lots get one home per 1,500 sq ft on most sites. Source: LBMC Tables 31-2A, 31-2B
- Lots within or partly within the Parking Exempt Area near major transit have no minimum parking. Source: LBMC 21.41.175
- SB 79 transit upzoning took effect in Los Angeles County on July 1, 2026, and the City SB 79 form names the LA Metro A Line stations as the qualifying stops. Source: HCD SB 79 advisory; City SB 79 form
Long Beach Guide Pages
Start With State Law
Four state laws set the floor Long Beach must allow. SB 9 (2021) allows two main homes on a lot in a single-family zone, a split into two lots, or both, approved by staff with no hearing. ADU law sets the accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and junior ADUs a city must allow. An ADU is a second, smaller home on a lot; a junior ADU is a unit of 500 square feet or less inside a house. SB 684 and SB 1123 allow maps of up to 10 lots. SB 79 raises zoning near qualifying rail and bus stops, and HCD's advisory lists Los Angeles County among the seven counties where it took effect on July 1, 2026.
Long Beach is a charter city, a city that runs under its own charter. Charter Section 109 gives it "the power to make and enforce all laws and regulations with respect to municipal affairs, subject only to such restrictions and limitations as may be provided in this Charter and in the Constitution of the State of California." The City still applies all four state laws: it reviews ADUs under state law directly, codifies the SB 9 lot split in Chapter 20.18 with a citation to Government Code 66411.7, and publishes an SB 79 application form.
Long Beach in Numbers
The US Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 city file estimates 450,469 people in the City of Long Beach on July 1, 2025, down from a 2020 estimates base of 466,768. In that file Long Beach ranks after Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno and Sacramento (536,449), and ahead of Oakland (440,838). Los Angeles County, which contains Long Beach, has 9,694,934 people in the same file.
The code is detailed. Section 21.31.020 sets up 20 residential districts, from single-family districts on 2,400 square foot lots near the beach to high-rise districts downtown. The City counts 18 historic districts and over 150 landmarks, and its Coastal Zone covers over 3,100 acres. The City also says "Long Beach ranks as the highest per-capita producer of ADUs in California," by its own account.
The Routes to More Homes Compared
| Route | Districts | Homes | Permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADUs | House and apartment lots | House lot: converted ADU, 800 sq ft detached ADU, junior ADU | Building permit, state ADU law |
| SB 9 two units | R-1 districts | 2 main homes, plus an ADU and junior ADU without a split | Building permit with Form PZ007 |
| SB 9 lot split | R-1 districts outside historic districts | 2 lots of 1,200 sq ft or more, 2 homes each | Zoning Administrator, no hearing |
| Duplex | R-2 districts and up | 2 per lot | Building permit |
| Triplex or fourplex | R-3-S, R-3-4, R-4 | 3 or 4 per lot, by lot area | Building permit; site plan review at 5+ units |
| Title 22 multi-family | MFR-L, MFR-M and mixed-use zones | Set by the building standards | Site plan review at 10+ units in MFR |
| SB 79 | Half a mile of an A Line station | 5 or more at 30+ homes per acre | City SB 79 form |
Sources: Long Beach Municipal Code Tables 31-1, 31-2A and 31-2B, 20.18, 21.25.502 and 22.40.010; City Planning ADU Bulletin, SB 9 checklist and SB 79 form.
House Lots: ADUs Under State Law
The five R-1 districts allow one home per lot under Table 31-2A, so ADUs are the first way to add homes. The code still prints an ADU section, 21.51.276, with a 4,800 square foot minimum lot and an owner-occupancy rule, but the City's ADU and SB 9 page says "Long Beach Municipal Code 21.51.276 no longer applies, and the City is administering state ADU law directly until a new local ordinance is adopted." Government Code 66316 backs that up: a non-compliant ordinance "shall be null and void."
The City's Planning ADU Bulletin is the working rulebook. On a single-family lot, "one conversion ADU and one detached new construction ADU can be permitted, in addition to one JADU." A detached ADU may be 800 square feet and 16 feet tall, or 18 feet near major transit, with 4-foot side and rear setbacks. On a lot with an existing multi-family building, detached ADUs are capped at 8 or the number of existing units, whichever is less. The ADU and SB 9 page covers each rule.
SB 9 in Long Beach
The City limits SB 9 to R-1 lots. Its SB 9 Project Eligibility Checklist, revised September 22, 2026, allows "Two (2) principal dwelling units, plus one ADU and one JADU for projects not involving an urban lot split," with 4-foot side and rear setbacks and a waiver of coverage, open space and floor area limits that would block units of 800 square feet. The City says an SB 9 unit is a principal dwelling and pays the same fees as any new home, and that "an Urban Lot Split is not required to build an SB 9 unit."
The lot split itself sits in Chapter 20.18: two parcels of at least 1,200 square feet, neither under 40 percent of the original, decided by the Zoning Administrator "within fifty (50) calendar days." The chapter also requires each new lot to meet the district lot width and bars flag lots, rules that state law sets aside where they would block two homes of 800 square feet. The split is barred in City historic districts. See the lots and subdivisions page.
Three or More Homes
Long Beach allows triplexes and fourplexes by right in R-3-S and R-3-4, and apartments in the four R-4 districts. Each R-3 district has two limits: 3 or 4 units per lot, and 2,100 or 1,700 square feet of lot area per unit. A fourplex in R-3-4 therefore needs 6,800 square feet by VanPlex arithmetic. The R-4 districts use Table 31-2B, which gives one unit per 1,500 square feet on most lots. The Title 22 MFR zones, created for rezoned corridors by ORD-24-0015 in 2024, set no density number at all; density comes from the height, setback, parking and open space rules.
Above four homes, three City programs apply: site plan review from five units (ten in the MFR zones), inclusionary housing from ten units, and the Enhanced Density Bonus in Chapter 21.68, which grants up to 100 percent more homes for affordable units and was updated by ORD-26-0017 on June 16, 2026. The City form for SB 79 projects names the LA Metro A Line stations as the qualifying stops. The three or more homes page covers each.
Parking, Height and Lot Size
Table 41-1A requires 1.5 spaces for a one-bedroom home and 2 for two or more bedrooms, plus one guest space per four units, and Section 21.41.213 requires required spaces "within an enclosed garage" in residential districts. Near major transit, Section 21.41.175 removes parking minimums for any lot within or partly within the Parking Exempt Area, carrying out Government Code 65863.2. Most R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts cap height at 25 feet and two stories. Minimum lot sizes, from 2,400 square feet in R-1-S to 12,000 in R-1-L, apply only to new subdivisions. See the parking, setbacks and height page.
Coastal Zone and Historic Districts
Two overlays of review cover large parts of the city. In the Coastal Zone, every project needs a coastal permit or a Coastal Permit Categorical Exclusion, ADUs get an administrative coastal permit with no hearing, and Chapter 21.61 requires one-for-one replacement of very low, low and moderate income homes removed. In the 18 historic districts, every exterior change needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, and SB 9 is limited to lots whose house does not contribute to the district. The coastal zone and historic districts page explains both.
Fees
New fee schedules took effect on October 1, 2026. The Development Impact Fees schedule charges, per single-family home, a park fee of $4,613.04, a transportation fee of $1,125.00, a police fee of $703 and a fire fee of $496; a multi-family home pays $3,562.78, $1,125.00, $537 and $378. Planning fees carry a 12.0 percent surcharge. State law in Government Code 66311.5 bars impact fees on an ADU of 750 square feet or less, a limit the City schedule does not print. The Council has scheduled a November 10, 2026 hearing on a new impact fee study. See the permits and fees page.
Recent Changes, 2023 to 2026
The Supplement History Table and the Council minutes show these changes:
- ORD-23-0051 (December 19, 2023). The new Subdivision Ordinance, including the urban lot split chapter. The City says it took effect outside the Coastal Zone and was sent to the Coastal Commission for coastal lots.
- ORD-24-0015 (October 1, 2024). Created Title 22, the Transitional Zoning Code for rezoned areas.
- ORD-24-0033 (December 17, 2024). Added the Parking Exempt Area rules in Sections 21.41.175 and 21.41.180.
- ORD-25-0004 (April 1, 2025). Expanded inclusionary housing to all projects of ten or more units.
- ORD-26-0014 (June 9, 2026). Amended inclusionary housing to carry out changes the Coastal Commission asked for.
- ORD-26-0017, ORD-26-0018 and ORD-26-0019 (June 16, 2026). Updated the Enhanced Density Bonus, added the MU-M and C-M zones to Title 22, and rezoned corridors in the Greater Bixby Knolls Area.
The City's documents are also moving. Its SB 9 checklist was revised September 22, 2026, its ADU bulletin will lapse once the Council adopts a new ADU ordinance, and its web page says "The City is currently updating the Urban Lot Split Ordinance to align with state law."
Best For
- ✓ House lots with room for a converted ADU, an 800 sq ft detached ADU and a junior ADU.
- ✓ R-3-4 lots of 6,800 sq ft or more, where a fourplex needs no planning hearing.
- ✓ Lots in the Parking Exempt Area, where no minimum parking applies.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ The plan follows the old Section 21.51.276 ADU rules.
- ✕ An SB 9 lot split is planned inside a historic district.
- ✕ A Coastal Zone project removes moderate or lower income homes without a replacement plan.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → The lot's district on the City Zoning and Land Use Map, and whether Title 21 or Title 22 applies.
- → Whether the lot is in the Coastal Zone, a historic district or the Parking Exempt Area.
- → The current dates of the ADU bulletin and the SB 9 checklist.
Where to Go Next
Related on VanPlex: the California impact fees page, the California ADU law page and the duplex to fourplex guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people live in Long Beach?
What is the easiest way to add homes to a Long Beach house lot?
Which Long Beach code sections govern multiplex projects?
Which version of the Long Beach Municipal Code does this guide use?
Which Long Beach districts allow a duplex?
What changed in Long Beach housing rules in 2026?
Does Long Beach charge impact fees on a duplex?
Do the old Long Beach ADU rules still apply?
Where in Long Beach is building three or more homes allowed by right?
Does the Long Beach Coastal Zone affect small projects?
Official sources (checked October 2026)
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