Custom home planning resource · Los Angeles County and the South Bay
Planning a custom home in Long Beach
In Long Beach, a new house is checked twice: Planning confirms what the parcel allows, including whether a coastal review applies, and Building & Safety reviews the construction set against a published one- and two-family dwelling checklist. Knowing which questions belong to which bureau keeps the design from being redrawn late.
KB Remodeling takes new-home inquiries from owners planning here. Share the lot and the project; KB reviews scope, licensing and location for each inquiry before suggesting a next step.
Planning sequence
01
Ask Planning which application applies
The Planning applications page lists the City's entitlement forms. Ask which, if any, a replacement house on this parcel needs, and whether the parcel lies in the coastal zone.
Official resource: Long Beach · Planning applications and formsCity-wide guidance · Passage checked · supporting excerpt read through search results from the official page; confirm current instructions with the agency
02
Design to the dwelling plan-review checklist
Building & Safety publishes checklist PRC-001 for one- and two-family dwellings (revised September 24, 2024). Read it with the designer before the construction set, not after corrections arrive.
Official resource: Long Beach · PRC-001 plan review checklist, one- and two-family dwellingCity-wide guidance · Passage checked · supporting excerpt read through search results from the official page; confirm current instructions with the agency
03
Start from Community Development
Use the Community Development site for current submittal methods and contacts.
Official resource: Long Beach · Community DevelopmentCity-wide guidance · Passage checked · supporting excerpt read through search results from the official page; confirm current instructions with the agency
Each step links to the official page it comes from. Requirements differ by parcel; confirm with the agency.
Who reviews a new home here
Long Beach is an incorporated city in Los Angeles County.
City of Long Beach — Community Development: Planning Bureau and Building & Safety Bureau.
Local planning journey
Which planning question to resolve first here, and why it shapes the brief. Each answer comes from the cited City page or stays a question for staff.
Question 1
Is the parcel in the coastal zone?
Ask Planning before design; a coastal step changes the application, not just the drawings.
source: Long Beach · Planning applications and formsQuestion 2
Which Planning application, if any, applies?
The applications page lists the forms; staff decide which fits a replacement house.
source: Long Beach · Planning applications and formsQuestion 3
Have you read PRC-001 with the designer?
Building & Safety's one- and two-family dwelling checklist (rev. 09-24-2024) is what plan reviewers check against.
source: Long Beach · PRC-001 plan review checklist, one- and two-family dwelling
Finding the current official checklist
Download the current PRC-001 checklist and the Planning forms list before the first design meeting.
Owner evidence to gather first
- Planning's coastal-zone answer for the parcel
- Survey and existing site plan
- Current PRC-001 revision
Long Beach: which bureau answers which question
| Question | Bureau |
|---|---|
| What the parcel allows; coastal applicability | Planning Bureau |
| Whether the construction set meets code | Building & Safety (PRC-001) |
Local issues and the budget lines they touch
| Local issue | Budget line it affects |
|---|---|
| Coastal review (if applicable) | Application preparation and review time |
| PRC-001 corrections | Plan-check response rounds |
No dollar amounts or local premiums are implied.
Cost drivers to confirm before pricing
| Issue | Fact that confirms it | Who answers | What a proposal should list |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal zone | Planning's written answer | Planning staff | Coastal application work as its own line |
| Plan-check corrections | PRC-001 items not met | Architect and engineer | Number of correction rounds in the design fee |
Hypothetical: owners near the water assume their lot is coastal. Planning says it is not, so they drop the coastal line from the budget and design straight to PRC-001.
What shapes the budget here
- Coastal review preparation, only if Planning confirms the parcel is in the coastal zone
- Correction rounds against the PRC-001 checklist
- Survey and site plan for Planning review
These items affect cost; none is a price. See how to build a realistic budget: Custom home budget guide
Parcel questions to answer first
- Is the parcel inside the coastal zone, and which permit would that require?
- Which Planning application, if any, applies to a replacement house here?
- Is PRC-001 still the current revision?
Gather before a first conversation
- Address or APN and recent site photos
- Survey, title report and prior permits if available
- Architect drawings, or a written list of rooms and priorities
- Target timing and how you plan to finance construction
Related guides: Buying land to build · Lot utility due diligence · Choosing a custom-home builder · 2025 Energy Code for new homes
Official sources
Each source shows what it covers and whether its passage was checked in our review.
- Long Beach · PRC-001 plan review checklist, one- and two-family dwelling
Building & Safety checklist, revised 09-24-2024; confirm current revision.
City-wide guidance · Passage checked · supporting excerpt read through search results from the official page; confirm current instructions with the agency - Long Beach · Planning applications and forms
Entitlement forms; staff confirm which apply.
City-wide guidance · Passage checked · supporting excerpt read through search results from the official page; confirm current instructions with the agency - Long Beach · Community Development
Department starting point and contacts.
City-wide guidance · Passage checked · supporting excerpt read through search results from the official page; confirm current instructions with the agency
3 of 3 official source passages checked (latest October 13, 2026).
Page content last updated:
Nearby places worth comparing
- Custom home planning in Torrance — Neighboring large city with its own department