The Long Beach Municipal Code is the body of local law adopted by the City Council that sets the everyday rules for living, renting, driving, and doing business in the city. It covers noise limits, tenant protections, parking, building standards, pet licensing, business permits, and property upkeep, and it is enforced through a tiered administrative citation system with a 30-day appeal window. The full text lives on the city’s Municode portal, which was last updated in April 2026.1Municode Library. Municipal Code, Long Beach, CA
How the Code Is Organized
The code is arranged into numbered Titles by subject. Title 1 handles general provisions and administrative procedures. Title 5 covers business regulations. Title 6 addresses animals. Title 8 is health and safety, which houses noise and property maintenance. Title 10 covers vehicles and traffic. Title 18 sets building standards. Title 21 lays out zoning, and a newer Title 22, the Transitional Zoning Code, supplements Title 21 with updated development standards for certain districts.2City of Long Beach. Zoning Regulations and Design Guidelines Each Title breaks into Chapters, and each Chapter into individually numbered Sections that carry the actual rules.
Because the Council amends the code throughout the year, the online version reflects changes that older printed copies won’t show. Treat the digital text as authoritative when checking a specific requirement.
Noise Limits and Quiet Hours
Title 8, Chapter 8.80 sets measurable decibel limits instead of relying on vague language about “unreasonable” noise. In residential areas, the limit is 50 dBA between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., and 45 dBA from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.3California Public Utilities Commission. Section 4.10 Noise The measurement is taken at the property line of the receiving residence, meaning a sound source can be legal where it originates but still violate the code by the time it reaches the neighbor.
Specific activities carry their own time windows:
- Construction: Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; no construction on Sundays.
- Leaf blowers: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sunday and holidays, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Domestic power tools and truck deliveries: 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Refuse collection: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Which department to call depends on the type of noise. The Police Department non-emergency line (562-435-6711) takes disturbing-the-peace complaints. Animal Control (562-570-7387) handles barking dogs. The Noise Control Program (562-570-4126) handles amplified music, mechanical equipment, leaf blowers, and exotic birds.4City of Long Beach. Code Enforcement
Just Cause Eviction and Rental Rules
Chapter 8.99 sets a just cause eviction ordinance that covers most rental properties in the city. A landlord cannot end a tenancy without citing a specific reason that falls into one of two categories.5City of Long Beach. Tenant and Landlord Resources
At-fault reasons include failure to pay rent within three days of receiving notice, breach of a material lease term, criminal activity on the property, unauthorized subletting, and refusing the landlord reasonable access for repairs. No-fault reasons include the landlord or an immediate family member moving into the unit, permanently withdrawing the property from the rental market, or demolishing or substantially remodeling the unit.
Several property types are exempt from the local ordinance: owner-occupied duplexes, single-family homes owned by a natural person rather than a corporation or LLC, housing built within the previous 15 years, and units where the tenant shares a bathroom or kitchen with the owner. Even where the local ordinance is exempt, the California Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) may still apply, capping annual rent increases at 5% plus the local rate of inflation and imposing its own just cause requirements.
Smoking in Multi-Unit Housing
Title 9, Chapter 9.25 prohibits smoking in common areas and inside individual units of multi-unit housing, including balconies and patios. Property owners must post no-smoking signage and include the prohibition in leases. In subsidized housing, a federal HUD rule adopted in 2016 layers on top of the local ordinance: it bans smoking inside living units, indoor common areas, and administrative buildings, plus all outdoor areas within 25 feet of those buildings.6President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children. HUD Smoke-Free Public Housing Rule
Short-Term Rentals
Stays of 30 consecutive days or fewer are short-term rentals and require a separate STR registration. Primary-residence registrations are unlimited; non-primary-residence registrations are capped at 800 citywide. An un-hosted primary-residence rental is limited to 90 days per registration period, while a hosted primary-residence rental has no day cap.7City of Long Beach. Short-Term Rentals
Occupancy is capped at two persons per bedroom plus two additional, with an absolute maximum of eight. A studio counts as zero bedrooms and is limited to two occupants. The operator or a designated emergency contact must be reachable 24 hours a day and able to respond to complaints within one hour. The annual registration fee is $400. Hosts must collect and remit a 13% Transient Occupancy Tax on all room charges, with late TOT payments triggering a 25% penalty in the second month and 50% in the third.
Street Parking and the 72-Hour Rule
Title 10, Chapter 10.22 governs on-street parking. The most-cited provision is the 72-hour rule: the same vehicle cannot stay parked on any street or alley for more than 72 consecutive hours. This applies citywide, including blocks without any posted time-limit signs.8Municode Library. Long Beach Municipal Code Title 10 – Chapter 10.22 Parking Regulations
Street sweeping enforcement generates a lot of tickets. Signs on each block designate the day and hours parking is prohibited for sweeping. When temporary signs are used, they must be in place at least 24 hours before a vehicle can be towed for violating them. In designated parking-impacted areas, the city issues calendar-year driveway parking permits that let you park across your own driveway, which is otherwise prohibited under the California Vehicle Code. Those permits expire at midnight on December 31.
Property Maintenance and Fences
Chapter 8.76 defines what counts as a public nuisance on private property. Overgrown vegetation likely to harbor rats or vermin, dead or hazardous trees, broken windows, and abandoned or partially destroyed buildings all qualify. The chapter also prohibits storing items in a residential yard that are visible from the street unless shielded by a six-foot solid fence, keeping trash cans permanently in visible parts of the front or side yards, and leaving packing boxes or debris in yards for unreasonable periods.9Municode Library. Long Beach Municipal Code Title 8 – Chapter 8.76 Property Maintenance
Any unfinished building that has been under construction for three years or more and detracts from the neighborhood’s appearance is presumed abandoned, which triggers enforcement.
Fence height is one of the more common homeowner questions. Under Title 18, residential front yard fences are capped at three feet. In other yard areas, wood, chain link, or wrought iron can go up to six feet six inches without a building permit; concrete, masonry, or brick walls need a permit once they exceed four feet. Outside required yard setback areas, fences can reach 10 feet. In designated high-crime areas, homeowners can apply for an administrative use permit to exceed the three-foot front-yard limit.10City of Long Beach. Information Bulletin BU-041 Fence and Garden Wall Any construction, alteration, or demolition otherwise requires a permit and plan review before work begins.11Municode Library. Long Beach Municipal Code Title 18 – Chapter 18.01 General Provisions
Pets and Animals
Title 6 requires every dog over four months old inside the city to wear a collar or harness with a valid Long Beach license tag at all times. Animal Care Services issues tags on a 12-month basis, and you can obtain one at any point during the calendar year.12City of Long Beach. Pet Licensing Leashes in public must be a reasonable length, and owners must immediately clean up waste from public or private property.
One boundary worth flagging: the Americans with Disabilities Act governs access for service animals in city buildings and programs. A service dog individually trained to perform tasks for a person with a disability must be allowed, and the city cannot require special tags or identification for a service animal. Emotional support animals do not qualify for ADA public-access protections.
Business Licensing
Every business operating in Long Beach needs a business license from the Financial Management department before opening, including home-based operations and sidewalk vendors. Food-selling sidewalk vendors also need a health permit.13City of Long Beach. Sidewalk Vending Businesses classified as regulated industrial operations must provide their Stormwater Permit Number (WDID) as a condition of licensing under Senate Bill 205.14City of Long Beach. Business License
Cannabis businesses carry the most layered rules. Chapter 5.90 of Title 5 requires all applicable state licenses and a city business license before operating. Every cannabis business must carry at least $1,000,000 in liability insurance, and any operator with two or more employees must enter a labor peace agreement. No cannabis business may operate in a residential zone. Dispensaries must sit at least 600 feet from any school, day care center, playground, community center, or library, and at least 1,000 feet from another dispensary.15Municode Library. Long Beach Municipal Code Title 5 – Chapter 5.90
Enforcement, Fines, and Appeals
The Code Enforcement Division investigates violations reported through the city’s online referral portal or by phone. When an officer confirms a violation, the owner or responsible party receives a notice specifying what to correct and by when. If it isn’t fixed by the deadline, administrative citations under Title 1, Chapter 1.56 follow a tiered schedule:
- First violation: $100
- Second violation of the same code section within one year: $200
- Each subsequent violation of the same section within one year: $500
Each day a violation continues is a separate offense, so unresolved issues can rack up fines quickly.16City of Long Beach. Administrative Citations
You have 30 calendar days from the date a citation is served to file a written appeal. The appeal must include a deposit equal to the total outstanding fines and any late charges. If you cannot afford the deposit, you can request a hardship waiver from the Director of Financial Management, who issues a written decision. If the waiver is denied, you have 10 calendar days from that decision, or 30 days from the citation date, whichever is later, to submit the full deposit.
At the hearing, the questions are whether the violation existed on the date cited, whether you are the responsible party, and whether any abatement costs were reasonably calculated. If the appeal is upheld, the full deposit is refunded within 30 business days. If denied, the deposit is retained as payment in full. Missing the 30-day filing window waives both the administrative appeal and any later judicial review.