For more information or questions regarding the Mills Act, please e-mail MillsAct@longbeach.gov.
Community Development
The Community Development Department is pleased to announce that the Mills Act Program for historic properties will reopen for the 2025 application period.
The Mills Act provides a financial incentive, in the form of property tax relief, in exchange for property owners' commitment to undertaking restoration, rehabilitation or maintenance of a designated historic property pursuant to the terms of a Mills Act contract with the City.
If you are interested in applying for a Mills Act Contract, the Community Development Department will be hosting two mandatory public workshops.
The Mills Act Program Application Guide and application materials will be made available Jan. 3, 2025.
Pre-Application Workshop (Hybrid)
Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, 10 a.m. – noon
Jenny Oropeza Community Center
401 Golden Ave.
RSVP required
Application Workshop (Virtual)
Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, 10 a.m. – noon
RSVP required
Mills Act applications and a non-refundable processing fee of $545.00 must be submitted by 3 p.m., Friday, March 14, 2025, to be considered for the 2025 program.
Staff anticipates that these applications will be reviewed by the Cultural Heritage Commission by July 1, 2025, and transmitted to the City Council for action before Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. Final property tax contracts will be sent to the County Recorder on/or before Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025.
Helpful Resources
The City of Long Beach Community Development Department is pleased to announce that the Mills Act Property Tax Abatement Program (Mills Act) application process will be available in 2025. Please check back for updates.
- 2024 Mills Act Pre-Application Workshop Presentation February 10, 2024
- 2024 Mills Act Pre-Application Workshop Presentation January 20, 2024
- 2024 Mills Act Guide and Applications
- 2024 Mills Act 1-Page Overview
- 2024 Mills Act I-Page Overview – Spanish
- 2024 Mills Act I-Page Overview – Khmer
- Mills Act FAQ - Long Guide
- Mills Act FAQ – Short Guide – English
- Mills Act FAQ – Short Guide – Spanish
- Mills Act FAQ – Short Guide – Khmer
- Mills Act Examples of Work Plan Improvements
- Mills Act Schedule of Work
- Long Beach Historic District Design Guidelines
- Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation
Frequently Asked Questions
For the FAQ Short Guide and Full Guide, please see the Helpful Resources section.
The Mills Act provides a financial incentive, in the form of property tax relief, in exchange for property owners undertaking restoration, rehabilitation or maintenance of a designated historic property pursuant to the terms of a Mills Act contract with the City.
The Mills Act is especially beneficial for recent buyers of historic sites or owners who may have recently had a property transfer or tax reassessment and are planning on undertaking restoration, rehabilitation or maintenance of that property.
The program is generally less beneficial for property owners who have owned their property for more than 10 years.
In exchange for the property tax relief realized under Mills Act contracts, property owners must agree to maintain and preserve their properties for at least 10 years in accordance with specific historic preservation standards and conditions and terms of the mills act contract.
The property must be in Long Beach. The building must either be in a designated historic district, be a designated historic landmark building, or be eligible for historic landmark designation andhave the property bedesignated as a historic landmark.You can verify if your property is historic using the following links:
- https://longbeachca.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=17b68e7082ef4a4ea8ba6b0d04729758
- https://longbeach.gov/lbcd/planning/preservation/districts/
- https://longbeach.gov/globalassets/lbcd/media-library/documents/planning/historic-preservation/districts/historical-landmark-map_8_5by11_including-harding-st--002-
Possible reduction in property taxes —average between 30% to 50% for new property owners. Property owners who have recently purchased the property are most likely to see higher tax reduction. Owners who have owned their historic property for more than 10 years are less likely to see any tax reduction.
Mills Act contracts are for a minimum 10-year-term. A contract automatically renews each year on its anniversary date and a new 10-year agreement becomes effective, creating a "rolling" contract term that is always equal to the initial contract term. Mills Act contracts are transferred to the new owners if a property is sold.
If you are currently in a Mills Act Contract and you are submitting your annual Mills Act Schedule of Work, please send via email to MillsAct@longbeach.gov.
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