Effective Tuesday, March 24, 2020, the Development Permit Center will begin providing limited services for the pick up of plans by appointment only, as follows:

WHERE: Long Beach Civic Center Plaza, 411 W. Ocean Blvd. Tables and signs will be posted.

WHEN: Tuesdays & Thursdays, between 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Appointments must be scheduled 24 hours in advance.

WHO: For applicants to pick up corrected plans or for applicants to pick up approved plans after they pay all applicable permit fees.

HOW: As soon as plans are reviewed or approved, staff will contact applicants with instructions via email/phone on pickup procedures. Applicants will need to schedule an appointment to pick up plans.  City staff will be available at the tables to coordinate the pickups, and will be adhering to social distancing guidelines. Hand sanitizers will be made available.  Plans from other Departments will not get bundled together for pickup unless requested by the applicant.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 562.570.7648 (PMIT) during business hours.

• Effective Wednesday, March 18, 2020, the Development Permit Center will begin accepting construction documents for minor or small scale projects in PDF format (less than 75 MB). A completed permit application along with the construction documents can be emailed to DV-BuildingSafety@longbeach.gov. For relevant details and instructions regarding submittals, visit the Minor Project Plan Check Service page.
  
  
• Effective Monday, April 27, 2020, the Development Permit Center will begin accepting electronic construction documents for moderate to medium size projects in flattened PDF format (less than 5 GB). A completed permit application along with the electronic construction documents in flattened PDF format can be forwarded to City staff for uploading to the City’s Electronic Plan Check (EPC) system.  For instruction on how to upload projects, please contact staff at 562.570.6499 or DV-EPlan-Submit@longbeach.gov.  For relevant details and instructions regarding submittals, visit the Electronic Plan Check Service page.

• Contractors registered on the City’s Online Permitting System can continue with project submittals as before.
  
  
• Express permits (no plan check required), can be issued by emailing applications and other documents to DV-BuildingSafety@longbeach.gov. Subject Line: Express Permit. For express service, some or all of the following materials are needed:
  
  
• Development Permit Application
• California License Contractor’s Declaration and Owner-Builder’s Declaration
• Owner/Builder/Contractor Permit Proxy Form (Used by owner or agent/representative in the absence of the Owner/Builder/Contractor)
  
  
• To obtain information or questions about building permit records or status, please visit the Permit Records/Status page.

The City building inspection team will continue to provide services for residential and commercial projects requested within 24 hours. However, extra degrees of precaution will be taken to protect the public as well as inspectors, such as:

• Avoiding handshaking
• Asking if there is anyone sick on the property or project prior to starting the inspection
• Exercising proper social distancing during the inspection

More information on constructing or installing fences and walls.

A grading permit shall be obtained from the City’s Building Official for any grading work, except as specified in the following cases:

• Grading in an isolated, self-contained area, provided there is no danger to the public, and that such grading will not adversely affect adjoining properties.
• An excavation below finished grade for basements and footings of a building, retaining wall, or other structure authorized by a valid building permit.
• Cemetery graves.
• Refuse disposal sites controlled by other regulations.
• Excavation for wells or tunnels or utilities which do not provide vertical or lateral support for buildings, or adversely impact the safety or stability of private or public properties.
• Mining, quarrying, excavating, processing or stockpiling rock, sand, gravel, aggregate or clay controlled by other regulations, provided such operations do not affect the lateral support of, or significantly increase stresses in, soil on adjoining properties.
• Exploratory excavations performed under the direction of a registered design professional.
• An excavation which is less than two feet in depth, or does not create a cut slope greater than five feet in height and steeper than a 50% slope. This exception shall not apply to cut which exceeds 50 cubic yards or which changes the existing drainage pattern.
• A fill less than one foot in depth and placed on natural terrain with a slope flatter than 10%. This exception shall not apply when the fill exceeds 50 cubic yards or when the fill changes the existing drainage pattern.
• Excavation for caissons or piles under buildings or structures, swimming pools, or underground structures that are authorized by valid building permits.

A permit is valid for two years from the date issued, provided that any permit shall expire after 180 days from the the date of issuance if the work has not commenced, or when the City’s Building Official determines the work authorized by any permit has been suspended, discontinued or abandoned for a continuous period of 180 days.