The Long Beach General Plan is a policy document that establishes the goals, policies, and directions the City will take to achieve the vision of the community and guide the future development of the City. California law requires each local government to adopt a local General Plan, which must contain at least seven elements: Land Use, Transportation (know as the Mobility Element), Housing, Conservation, Noise, Open Space, and Safety.

The City's General Plan also includes a number of optional elements which include: Air Quality, Historic Preservation, Seismic Safety and Urban Design. Among the City's optional General Plan elements is the City's Local Coastal Program (LCP). The California Coastal Act of 1976 requires that cities with coastal areas have a certified Local Coastal Program.

The City recently adopted an updated Land Use Element and a new companion element known as Urban Design. Please visit the following web page for more information on the General Plan 2040 update.

The General Plan elements listed below contain adopted policies that pertain to each topic. Per state law, the policies in each of the elements must be consistent with each other.

Development proposals are examined by staff to determine consistency with the City's General Plan. If a proposal is inconsistent with the General Plan elements or zoning ordinances, this conflict must be reconciled. This occurs at public hearings where the applicant's proposal may be denied or modified to comply with the General Plan, or the General Plan may be amended.