If you’re evaluating a new home, an accessory dwelling unit or another development project in Long Beach, the city is considering a major update to the fees charged on new development. The proposed residential total is $14.48 per square foot, but the amount would be phased in and the timing would depend on the project’s area.
As of 4 Nov 2026 this is on the City Council agenda for 10 Nov 2026; it has not been voted on. This is general information and not legal advice.
What is the City Council considering?
The Long Beach City Council is considering a new nexus study, an accompanying capital improvement plan and revised development impact fee schedules.
The proposal appears as hearing item 30, file 26-56573, on the City Council agenda for 10 November 2026. The City Council meeting that day begins at 5:00 PM in the Civic Chambers at 411 W. Ocean Boulevard, and item 30 is a hearing on that agenda.
The recommendation covers impact fees for parks and recreation facilities, police facilities, fire facilities and transportation improvements. It calls for findings under Assembly Bill 602 and Government Code 66016.5, as well as action under the Mitigation Fee Act.
City staff also recommends asking the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance changing Long Beach Municipal Code Chapters 18.15 through 18.19. Those chapters address police, fire, transportation, parks and recreation, and the Sensitive Coastal Resource Impact Fee. No ordinance has been drafted yet; the report only asks the City Attorney to prepare one.
The city describes its existing program as outdated. The new Nexus Study was completed in September 2026 by Economic & Planning Systems, Inc., with support from Fehr & Peers. The Council received a presentation on October 6, 2026.
How much would the residential fee be?
The proposed fee for all dwelling units is $14.48 per square foot.
That total has four parts:
- Parks and recreation: $6.73 per square foot
- Police: $3.08 per square foot
- Fire: $2.16 per square foot
- Transportation: $2.51 per square foot
The study’s maximum allowable total is $17.16 per square foot. Its component amounts are $8.18 for parks, $3.08 for police, $2.16 for fire and $3.74 for transportation.
The proposed parks and transportation amounts are below the study maximum. The proposed police and fire amounts equal the maximum, although the phase-in starts lower and steps up. The staff report recommends that increases be phased in, with “a maximum rate that is generally at the midpoint between the maximum allowable and current fees.” The report does not provide the current fee amounts, so it cannot be used to calculate the change from today’s total.
Residential fees would be assessed by square foot, in proportion to unit size. That approach is listed as an Assembly Bill 602 requirement in the report. The proposal does not provide per-home totals, and it does not estimate effects on home prices, rents or property taxes.
Why is Long Beach proposing the update?
Long Beach is proposing the update to connect expected growth with identified infrastructure costs.
The study assumes combined adjusted service population growth of 44,144 residents and workers through 2040. It identifies an existing parkland service level of 3.04 acres per 1,000 service population.
Costs attributed to growth include about $162.1 million for parks and recreation and $110.4 million for police and fire together. Transportation projects total $1.53 billion, with $122.7 million attributed to new growth. Each category includes an administrative charge.
The city also recognizes a tradeoff. Staff says higher fees can dampen investment and conflict with other priorities, especially those related to housing development. That concern helps explain the recommendation to phase in the increases, with the parks and transportation amounts proposed below their study maximums.
For context on another California development fee structure, see how Cypress Park impact fees apply to new homes. The Long Beach figures and schedule are specific to this proposal.
How would the phase-in work?
The phase-in would begin with four residential components on January 1, 2027, if the proposal is adopted and effective by then. Added together, the four starting components come to $8.13 per square foot.
That starting amount combines $4.07 for parks, $0.61 for police, $2.16 for fire and $1.29 for transportation. Fire would begin at its full proposed amount. The other components would rise in scheduled steps.
Area 1 includes high-growth areas such as downtown, the Southeast Area Specific Plan area and Douglas Park/Globemaster. It would reach the full proposed amounts by October 1, 2031. The parks component, for instance, would move from $4.07 on January 1, 2027, to $4.60 on October 1, 2027, then $5.13, $5.66 and $6.19 before reaching $6.73.
Area 2 would begin with the same component amounts but use smaller yearly steps. It would reach the full proposed amounts on October 1, 2036. Attachment A contains the subarea map, which should be checked to confirm which schedule applies to a particular site.
Beginning October 1, 2027, all values would be adjusted upward using the California Construction Cost Index. Annual increases would not exceed the maximum allowable amount determined by the Nexus Study.
What does this mean for an ADU?
An accessory dwelling unit under 750 square feet would not be charged the proposed impact fee.
For an ADU larger than 750 square feet, the fee would be proportional to the primary unit. That rule appears in the footnotes to both the maximum allowable and proposed fee tables.
That distinction matters when reviewing an ADU project under California and local rules. The fee treatment does not answer every planning or construction question, but it identifies whether this particular proposed charge would apply based on the ADU’s size.
When would the fees take effect and get paid?
The proposed fees would take effect 60 days after approval, but no sooner than January 10, 2027.
City staff requested Council action on November 10, 2026, to allow enough notice for the necessary changes to be adopted and implemented by January 10. The first phase-in would occur at the start of Fiscal Year 2028.
The report says impact fees are paid at the end of the project. It does not say who ultimately absorbs the expense, and it does not support a claim that a buyer, renter or property owner would necessarily bear it.
Using five years of data, the city estimates the proposed fees may generate between $1.2 million and $5 million in additional annual revenue to offset infrastructure needs through Fiscal Year 2033. Fee balances would remain in segregated funds specific to each fee and would be reported to the City Council annually in March.
What other details should buyers and investors track?
Buyers and investors should track the final Council action, the applicable phase-in area and the city’s published fee schedule.
The Community Development Department’s development impact fee page is the city page named in the report. The Council agenda provides item 30, the staff report and attachments, including the proposed phase-in table.
The Sensitive Coastal Resource Impact Fee in Chapter 18.19 was excluded from the comprehensive nexus study because its specialized study was adopted in 2022. Even so, Chapter 18.19 is included in the requested municipal code cleanup.
The city published notices in the Long Beach Press-Telegram on October 10, October 30 and November 4, 2026. The department also mailed letters to customers with approved but not yet constructed projects that may be affected.
A separate citywide hearing concerning an Omnibus Housing Ordinance zoning code amendment and Local Coastal Program amendment is scheduled for December 1, 2026. It is a later hearing, and the agenda reminder does not describe the ordinance’s contents.
For a separate Long Beach property topic, see Long Beach methane zones and oil wells.
We were helping someone budget a Long Beach development when he heard that new impact fees were being considered. He wanted to include the proposed amounts immediately, even though the city had not completed the action. We kept the possible fees in his contingency calculations while using the currently effective schedule for the actual application budget.
The short version
Long Beach has proposed a $14.48-per-square-foot residential development impact fee, with different phase-in timelines for two areas.
Area 1 would reach the full proposed amount on October 1, 2031. Area 2 would reach it on October 1, 2036. ADUs under 750 square feet would be exempt, while larger ADUs would be treated proportionally to the primary unit.
The Council had not voted as of November 4, 2026. Check item 30 and its attachments after the November 10 hearing, then confirm any adopted amount on the city’s fee page before using it in a project estimate.
For an estimate of an existing property’s value, use the home value tool.
Common questions
Has Long Beach approved the proposed development impact fees?
No. As of 4 Nov 2026, the proposal is on the City Council agenda for 10 Nov 2026 and has not been voted on.
What is the proposed impact fee for a dwelling unit?
The proposed total is $14.48 per square foot, made up of fees for parks, police, fire and transportation.
Would the proposed fee apply to accessory dwelling units?
The fee would not apply to ADUs under 750 square feet. For larger ADUs, it would be proportional to the primary unit.
When could the proposed fees take effect?
The proposed fees would take effect 60 days after approval, but no sooner than January 10, 2027.
Would every part of Long Beach reach the full proposed fee at the same time?
No. Area 1 would reach the recommended fee by October 1, 2031, while Area 2 would reach it by October 1, 2036.
