Long Beach | Three or More Homes

Three or More Homes in Long Beach: R-3 and R-4 Lots, Inclusionary Housing, Enhanced Density Bonus and SB 79

A triplex has three homes in one building and a fourplex four. Long Beach allows them by right in its R-3 and R-4 districts and in the Title 22 multi-family and mixed-use zones. Above that, three City programs shape a project: design review from five units, affordable housing rules from ten, and a City density bonus that trades affordable units for more homes. State law adds SB 79 near the A Line. This page covers each one, read in Supplement 52 of the Municipal Code.

The Routes Compared

Sources: Long Beach Municipal Code Tables 31-2A and 31-2B, 21.25.502, 22.40.010 and 21.68.050; City SB 79 Supplemental Application.

Triplexes and Fourplexes in R-3

Section 21.31.020 calls R-3-S "a three-family residential district" that "recognizes the constraints small lots place on multifamily developments," and R-3-4 "a four-family residential district." Table 31-2A then sets two numbers for each: a units-per-lot cap (3 in R-3-S, 4 in R-3-4) and a lot area per unit (2,100 square feet in R-3-S, 1,700 in R-3-4). Section 21.31.205 says the table gives "the maximum number of units permitted by each residential district and the required density (land area per unit)," so both limits apply at once.

That second number decides most projects. Worked examples by VanPlex, using the rule that "Fractional numbers of units shall not be counted":

• R-3-4, 6,800 square feet: 6,800 divided by 1,700 is 4, so a fourplex fits.
• R-3-4, 6,000 square feet: 3.53, so 3 homes.
• R-3-S, 6,300 square feet: 6,300 divided by 2,100 is 3, so a triplex fits.
• R-3-S, 5,000 square feet: 2.38, so 2 homes.

Lot area here is net lot area, "the existing lot area minus any dedications for public right-of-way (streets or alleys) to meet minimum City standards." If the City needs a strip of the lot to widen an alley, that strip comes off before you divide. ADUs sit outside this count, since state law treats them as accessory homes; see the ADU and SB 9 page for the apartment-lot ADU limits.

R-3 buildings also carry their own design rules. Table 31-2A sets 250 square feet of usable open space per unit in R-3-S and 200 in R-3-4, and Section 21.31.230 says that in R-3 and R-4 zones "each dwelling unit shall provide fifty percent (50%) of the open space as common open space and fifty percent (50%) as private open space." Garages for three or more units follow Table 31-7, which sets on-grade garages "30′ from street property line(s)," and "no vehicle shall be permitted to back into the street." The parking, setbacks and height page has the rest.

Apartments in R-4 and the Title 22 Zones

The four R-4 districts list "Multi-family dwelling" as a permitted use, with the count set by Table 31-2B. On most lots of 3,201 to 15,000 square feet, or 26 to 120 feet wide, every R-4 district allows one unit per 1,500 square feet. R-4-N, the "high density, multifamily residential district," moves to one unit per 1,200 square feet on sites of 15,001 to 22,500 square feet and one per 975 above that. The zoning districts page has the full table.

In the Title 22 MFR-L and MFR-M zones, Section 22.40.010 sets no density number: density "is calculated based on meeting the development standards." The use table limits multi-family housing "to attached configurations (rowhomes, townhomes) and detached courtyard style multifamily development such as bungalows," and allows ADUs. The Title 22 mixed-use zones (RMU3, RMU4, MU-1, MU-2, MU-M and MU-3) also list "Multi-Family" as a permitted use, with the same limit on configurations.

Site Plan Review From Five Units

Section 21.25.502 requires site plan review for "Five (5) or more units as one (1) project," and it counts "side by side projects by the same applicant where the total of new plus existing units equals five (5) or more." Site plan review is a design review. The Site Plan Review Committee "has the authority to approve, conditionally approve or deny a site plan application, provided that the authority to deny is not used to prohibit a permitted use on the property." Section 21.25.507 sets its clock: "Site plan review: Sixty (60) days" after a complete application.

Projects of 50 or more units first need a conceptual site plan review. In the Title 22 MFR zones the trigger is higher: "Site Plan Review shall be required for all projects with ten (10) or more units." A fourplex in R-3-4 or R-4 sits under every threshold and goes straight to plan check. The fee for staff site plan review of 5 to 12 units is $10,641.12 with the surcharge, under the Planning fee schedule in effect from October 1, 2026.

Inclusionary Housing From Ten Units

Inclusionary housing is a rule that makes a share of new homes affordable to lower income households. Section 21.67.050 applies it to "All residential developments proposing ten (10) or more dwelling units," and Section 21.67.040 exempts "Residential developments with nine (9) or fewer units." The City's Inclusionary Housing page says the Council adopted the current policy on April 1, 2025, and that it applies to projects with "a complete planning permit application submitted on or after May 3, 2025." The Council amended the chapter again with ORD-26-0014 to carry out changes the California Coastal Commission asked for.

For rental projects, Table 21.67-4 sets the share by submarket and year:

Source: Long Beach Municipal Code Table 21.67-4. Downtown and Midtown rows show one figure for all three years.

For ownership projects, Table 21.67-2 requires 10 percent of the units, sold to first-time homebuyers, at prices set first for households at 200 percent of area median income, stepping down as citywide milestones of 200 entitled ownership units are reached. Counting rules matter for small projects: the count excludes "any density bonus units," and in a project "of 20 units or less, fractions of an inclusionary unit shall either be: (i) rounded up, or (ii) provided by the payment of an in-lieu fee." The City's in-lieu fee schedule, effective May 20, 2026, sets rental fees per square foot of leasable area for 2026 applications: $45.40 Downtown, $35.40 Midtown, $43.70 in High Resource Areas, $27.60 in Moderate Resource Areas and $23.20 in Low Resource Areas.

The Enhanced Density Bonus

A density bonus lets a project build more homes than the zoning allows in return for affordable units. Chapter 21.68 is the City's own version, updated by ORD-26-0017, which the Council adopted on June 16, 2026. A site qualifies "where five (5) or more housing units could be built based on the allowable density applicable to the site." Table 68-1 scales the bonus with the share of affordable units. Some rows:

• 1 percent low income or 5 percent moderate income units: 5 percent bonus and 1 concession;
• 5 percent very low or 9 percent low income units: 45 percent bonus and 3 concessions;
• 16 percent extremely low, 18 percent very low, 20 percent low or 24 percent moderate income units: 100 percent bonus and 6 concessions.

A concession, also called an incentive, is a change to a zoning standard that cuts the cost of the affordable units, such as extra height. Height concessions are limited: "Each additional story granted through a concession shall not exceed twelve (12') of building height," the first extra story costs one concession and each later story two, and the total is capped at "three (3) stories and thirty-six feet (36')." A site next to R-1 or R-2 that gets more than one extra story must step the building back ten feet above the second story on that side.

Special bonuses add up to 20 percent each, with one concession, for large two- and three-bedroom units, an on-site daycare, a site within 1,000 feet of a City park, senior housing, active ground floor uses and other listed benefits. With special bonuses, the total "shall not exceed a cumulative total of one hundred twenty percent (120%) density bonus." Section 21.68.040.B adds the key limit: the chapter may be used "in lieu of, but not in addition to, the State density bonus laws (Cal. Gov't Code §65915) or the State transit-oriented development laws."

The older Chapter 21.63, adopted in 2006, still describes a local version of the state bonus and says bonuses "shall not exceed the percentage as permitted by the State of California." The state density bonus law in Government Code 65915 controls that path.

SB 79 Near the A Line

SB 79 is the 2025 state law that requires cities to allow taller, denser housing near qualifying rail and bus stops. HCD's advisory lists Los Angeles County among the seven counties where the upzoning took effect on July 1, 2026. The City's SB 79 Supplemental Application, revised August 2026, asks for the "Distance of multifamily housing project to nearest TOD Stop [LA Metro A-Line (Blue) Station," in three bands: within 200 feet, 200 feet to one quarter mile, and one quarter to one half mile. The form sets these eligibility tests:

• "The project includes five or more housing units."
• "The project achieves a residential density of at least 30 dwelling units per acre."
• No proposed unit may exceed 1,750 net habitable square feet.
• Projects over 85 feet use prevailing wage and a skilled and trained workforce.
• Projects with 11 or more units include affordable units on site: 7 percent extremely low, 10 percent very low or 13 percent lower income.
• Sites with existing homes follow "local and State tenant protections and replacement requirements."

The height and density the City must allow come from Government Code 65912.157 and depend on the tier of the stop and the distance from it. Within one quarter mile of a Tier 1 stop, for example, a city "shall not impose any height limit less than 75 feet" or "any maximum density of less than 120 dwelling units per acre." The City form does not say which tier each A Line station is; ask the Planning Bureau, and see the SB 79 page for the tiers.

Replacing Existing Rental Homes

Many Long Beach lots that allow three or more homes already have older rental units. Section 21.11.050 requires replacement of units that were, within five years, under a covenant restricting rents or "Occupied by lower, very low or extremely low income tenants," and units withdrawn from rent under the Ellis Act "within the ten (10) years prior to application submittal." The project must replace "At least the same total number of dwelling units and at least the same total number of bedrooms," on site in most cases, and the replacement units may count toward the inclusionary or density bonus set-aside.

In the Coastal Zone a second rule applies. Chapter 21.61 requires any applicant for a coastal development permit to replace "on a one-to-one basis all existing very low, low and moderate income housing removed," on site or through an in-lieu fee. The coastal zone and historic districts page has the fee table.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the Long Beach overview, SB 79 in California and the duplex to fourplex guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)