The short answer: In Long Beach, a retail build-out follows the city’s own three-step path: confirm the space works with the Planning Bureau and Building and Safety before you sign, have a registered design professional prepare plans for plan review, then build with a licensed contractor, pass inspections, get approval to occupy, and apply for your business license. Small, simple store remodels may qualify for over-the-counter plan review. Larger, structural, or more complex work goes through submitted plan review, which has no published turnaround.
You found the storefront. The foot traffic looks good and the rent works on paper. Now the big question: “What does it take to build out a store in Long Beach, and how soon can I open?”
Many people assume retail is the easy build-out: no kitchen hood, just lighting, shelving, and paint. Sometimes that’s close to true. But even a simple store can touch planning, building, electrical, fire, and occasionally health review, and the order you handle them in matters.
Long Beach spells out its retail process in a published guide (the Community Development Department’s Retail Guidelines, dated November 2024). Let’s walk through each step, which review lane your project may land in, and where store openings tend to get stuck.
Step 1: Is this space actually ready for my store?
The city’s retail guide puts this step before the lease. It recommends that you confirm with the Planning Bureau that the site is zoned for your retail use, ask Building and Safety whether existing improvements were permitted, ask Planning whether a planning permit (such as an Administrative Use Permit) applies, check sign rules, and ask which other departments, such as Fire, will review your project.
“Retail” is not one use. Long Beach’s alcohol regulations page explains that certain uses need a Conditional Use Permit with a public hearing before the Planning Commission. A grocery store with accessory alcohol sales may qualify for a staff-level exemption (a CUPEx), but only in certain zones and only if at least 70% of the floor area is for food and no more than 30% is for alcohol.
The last tenant’s work becomes your problem. A wall, restroom, or wiring added without permits can surface when your plans go in. Asking about permit history before you sign gives you leverage to have the landlord deal with it.
Historic buildings add a step. If the property is a historic landmark or in a historic district, Long Beach requires Certificate of Appropriateness approval before you apply for a building permit, and the Cultural Heritage Commission reviews exterior changes. Check the city’s Zoning and Land Use Map or call Planning at 562.570.6194.
For the broader pre-lease homework (building systems, allowances, rent start), see our guide on what to check before you sign a lease for a space you’ll build out.
Step 2: Which plan review lane will my store go through?
Next, the city’s guide says to hire a registered design professional, such as an architect or engineer, to prepare plans. If a planning permit is needed, that goes to the Planning Bureau first. Then you submit construction documents, and Building and Safety routes them to every review that applies: building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire, and planning. Permits are issued once all approvals are in and fees are paid.
Long Beach has three review lanes:
| Lane | What it’s for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Express Permit | Simple projects. The city’s examples are mostly residential (window replacements, kitchen repairs, bathroom remodels). | Full list in Information Bulletin IB-058. Call 562.570.PMIT (7648) to ask if your work fits. |
| Over-the-counter (OTC) plan review | Minor tenant improvements or alterations in office or retail buildings, as determined by staff | In-person appointment with plans as digital PDF files on a USB drive; rechecks included |
| Submitted plan review | Everything that doesn’t qualify for Express or OTC | Reviewed in the order received; reviewers email comment checklists; no published turnaround |
Does my store remodel qualify for over-the-counter review?
Long Beach’s Information Bulletin IB-002 (revised July 3, 2025) lists minor work staff may accept for OTC review. For retail, examples include:
- A small retail area with minor tenant improvements that are not safety, seismic, or structural, and that don’t combine or subdivide tenant spaces
- Minor storefront alterations, including facade replacement, with minimal safety, seismic, or structural impact
- Minor accessibility improvements, awnings, and canopies
- Electrical work for a minor tenant improvement in a nonhazardous location, up to 5,000 square feet
- Plumbing with no more than one new restroom of up to three fixtures
- Relocating 50 or fewer existing fire sprinkler heads (with no new hydraulic calculations or bracing changes), or 30 or fewer fire alarm devices
Port of Long Beach projects and cannabis-related uses are not eligible, and staff make the final call at intake.
The practical takeaway: small scope choices can move you between lanes. Combining two suites, adding a second restroom, or touching the structure can push a project into submitted review. Talk through scope with your designer before plans are drawn.
What will the city look at on a retail plan?
The Long Beach Fire Department’s plan review checklist for retail (Group M) tenant improvements is a good preview. Reviewers look at exit paths and aisle widths, exit signs and emergency lighting, door hardware, fire extinguisher locations, interior finishes, and address signage. They also check whether the size of the space, the number of occupants, or high shelving and rack storage triggers sprinkler or fire alarm requirements. Sprinkler and alarm work is handled as separate, deferred permits.
Two more reviews catch store owners off guard. Under the California Building Code, alterations to a commercial space can require accessibility upgrades to the entrance, restrooms, and the route between them, not just inside your work area. And if you change lighting, the California Energy Code has rules for lighting alterations in existing commercial buildings.
Since January 1, 2026, Long Beach has required projects to comply with the 2025 California Building Standards Code plus the Long Beach Municipal Code. Also note that plan review applications are valid for 12 months. Extensions of up to 180 days each may be granted if you request one at least 30 days before expiration.
Selling food or drinks? Long Beach has its own health department
Unlike most cities in Los Angeles County, Long Beach runs its own health department. Its Bureau of Environmental Health says plan check covers markets, liquor and convenience stores, and bakeries, along with restaurants. Plan check may be required for new construction, a remodel or expansion, new or replacement equipment, and a new owner taking over a closed food facility.
If your store will sell food or drinks, ask the Bureau early whether your plans need its review.
Step 3: Construction, inspections, and opening day
With permits issued, the city’s retail guide lays out the final stretch:
- Hire a licensed contractor to build the project.
- Schedule inspections online at each stage. After each one, you get either a list of items to fix or a sign-off.
- Request approval to occupy. Once every inspection is signed off and fees are paid, you request approval for use and occupancy, such as a Certificate of Occupancy.
- Apply for your business license, get clearance from the reviewing bureaus, and pay the fee.
Long Beach’s Finance Department says a license is required before a business operates. Most reviews take about two weeks or less, but some businesses need inspections first, and some types take longer.
How long will my Long Beach retail build-out take?
It depends mostly on your review lane and how complete your plans are. For submitted plan review, Long Beach publishes no standard turnaround, and each correction round adds time. For a phase-by-phase look at what sets the pace, see our article on how long a commercial tenant improvement takes.
Where do Long Beach store build-outs get stuck?
- Signing the lease before Planning confirms your use is allowed
- Finding a past tenant’s unpermitted work after plans are submitted
- Combining or subdividing suites, which rules out OTC review
- Adding more restrooms or fixtures than OTC allows
- High shelving or rack storage that changes fire review
- Storefront or sign changes on a historic property without a Certificate of Appropriateness
- Selling food or drinks without lining up health plan check
- Starting the business license at the very end
What can I handle myself, and when do I need a pro?
The early homework is yours, and it saves real time: call Planning about your use, ask Building and Safety about the suite’s permit history, get the landlord’s work letter and plan approval process, and list your fixtures, shelving heights, lighting, and equipment.
Then bring in professionals. The city calls for a registered design professional to prepare plans, and the Fire Department’s checklist expects each sheet to carry a California-licensed design professional’s signature. A licensed contractor builds the work and coordinates inspections through sign-off.
That’s the kind of work our commercial tenant improvement team does. DCI is a Signal Hill general contractor (CSLB License #803545), in business since 2001, working frequently in Long Beach. We guide permitting, inspections, and code-compliance coordination, with step-by-step outlines and line-item costing.
FAQ
Do I need a permit to remodel a retail store in Long Beach? Most construction work does. Long Beach routes tenant improvement plans through building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire, and planning review as needed.
Can a small store remodel get an over-the-counter permit in Long Beach? Sometimes. OTC review is offered for minor office or retail tenant improvements that aren’t safety, seismic, or structural and don’t combine or subdivide suites. Staff decide at intake.
How long does plan check take in Long Beach? The city doesn’t publish a standard turnaround for submitted plan review. Projects are reviewed in the order received.
When do I apply for my Long Beach business license? The city’s retail guide lists it after the final building inspection or Certificate of Occupancy. You need the license before you operate.
Does my retail store need a Long Beach health department review? Only if you’ll sell food or drinks. Health plan check covers markets, liquor and convenience stores, and bakeries, among others.
Looking at a storefront in Long Beach? Let’s walk it before you sign
The best time to talk to a contractor is before the lease is final. We can walk the space with you, flag what’s likely to need review, and give you a line-item picture of the work so your lease and opening plan rest on real information.
Give us a call at 562-425-1050 or email us at info@desistogc.com (dcidirect.net)