Permitted Districts for Professional Offices and Medical Clinics in Long Beach

Professional offices and medical clinics are permitted by right in all City of Long Beach commercial districts except for the Commercial Storage (CS) district. Within industrial areas, the City of Long Beach allows these uses by right in the Light Industrial (IL) district, while they require an Administrative Use Permit in the Medium Industrial (IM) and General Industrial (IG) districts. The Institutional (I) district specifically permits government offices and medical office complexes to serve the public welfare.

Definitions and Scope

Under the City of Long Beach Zoning Regulations, specific distinctions are made between various office and medical uses:

• Office: A place where business is transacted or a service is provided, emphasizing recordkeeping and administrative activities [Section 21.15.1890].
• Medical Office: A commercial land use for the practice of medicine (excluding psychiatric or psychology services) that does not include overnight patient care [Section 21.15.1740].
• Medical Clinic: An organization providing physical or mental health services or surgical care without inpatient or overnight accommodations [Section 21.15.520].
• Administrative Service: Research, analysis, communication, and management center related to a site's principal use [Section 21.15.100].

Commercial District Permissions

The City of Long Beach authorizes professional and medical offices across various neighborhood, community, and regional commercial zones.

Neighborhood Commercial Districts

Professional and medical offices are permitted (Y) in the following districts [Table 32-1]:

• CNP: Neighborhood Pedestrian-Oriented Commercial
• CNA: Neighborhood Automobile-Oriented Commercial
• CNR: Neighborhood Commercial and Residential

Community and Regional Commercial Districts

The following districts allow these uses by right [Table 32-1]:

• CCA: Community Commercial Automobile-Oriented
• CCP: Community Commercial Pedestrian-Oriented
• CCR: Community R-4-R Commercial
• CCN: Community R-4-N Commercial
• CHW: Regional Highway Commercial

Note that these uses are strictly prohibited (N) in the CS (Commercial Storage) district [Table 32-1].

Industrial and Institutional District Permissions

Industrial zones in the City of Long Beach provide for professional services but often require discretionary review to ensure they serve nearby industries and employees [Section 21.33.080].

Industrial Districts

• IL (Light Industrial): Permitted by right (Y) [Table 33-2].
• IM (Medium Industrial): Requires an Administrative Use Permit (AP) [Table 33-2].
• IG (General Industrial): Requires an Administrative Use Permit (AP) [Table 33-2].
• IP (Port-related Industrial): Prohibited (N) [Table 33-2].

Institutional District

The I (Institutional) district in the City of Long Beach permits the following by right [Table 34-1]:

• Government offices.
• Hospitals, medical centers, and medical office complexes.
• Social service offices of nonprofit organizations.

Off-Street Parking Standards

The City of Long Beach mandates specific parking ratios for office and medical uses to prevent traffic congestion and ensure adequate site access.

Use Type	Required Parking Spaces
Medical or Dental Office, Clinic, or Urgent Care	4 per 1,000 sq. ft. of GFA
Professional or Unspecified Office (if < 10% of building area)	4 per 1,000 GFA up to 20,000 GFA; 2 per 1,000 GFA thereafter; or 1 space per company vehicle exceeding 5 (whichever is greater)
Tutoring Center (up to 2,500 sq. ft.)	20 per 1,000 GFA or 1 per 3.3 fixed seats (whichever is greater)

[Table 41-1C]

Use Restrictions in Industrial Districts

In the City of Long Beach industrial districts (IL, IM, and IG), office space is often treated as an accessory use. If a developer proposes office space in an industrial building, the following limitations apply:

1. Maximum Area: Office space is generally limited to 25% of the gross floor area for tenant spaces 5,000 square feet or larger. For smaller spaces (under 5,000 square feet), the office area may increase to 45% of the GFA [Table 33-3].
2. Primary Use Reclassification: If the office space exceeds these maximum allowable percentages, the City of Long Beach considers the office to be the principal use of the site, subjecting it to all standard office use regulations and development standards [Section 21.33.170].

Sections Cited

• Section 21.15.100 - Administrative service
• Section 21.15.520 - Clinic, medical
• Section 21.15.1740 - Medical office
• Section 21.15.1890 - Office
• Section 21.33.080 - Meaning of the Y/AP and Y/C designations
• Section 21.33.170 - Accessory office space in industrial buildings
• Table 32-1 - Uses In All Other Commercial Zoning Districts
• Table 33-2 - Uses In Industrial Districts
• Table 33-3 - General Development Standards (Industrial)
• Table 34-1 - Uses in the Institutional District
• Table 41-1C - Required Number of Parking Spaces for Commercial, Industrial/Manufacturing and All Other Uses