Deck Builderin Long Beach, CA
A deck builder in Long Beach can skip a building permit only on an unroofed deck no more than 30 inches above grade. Taller decks and patio covers need one, and Coastal Zone or historic addresses add review. A standard wood deck on a flat lot runs about $45 to $75 per square foot.
Most Long Beach decks go onto older houses and modest lots. About 40.1 percent of the city's homes are single-family detached and 51.0 percent were built before 1960. The neighborhoods run from Belmont Shore and Naples, laid out by the Alamitos Land Company, to the 1916 subdivisions of Rancho Los Cerritos such as Bixby Knolls and California Heights, so a new deck usually meets an old wall, an old foundation or both.
MDG Builders, CSLB #1040337, designs, prices and permits the job as a general contractor in Tarzana, and a framing subcontractor builds it. You may ask for that firm's license number and certificate of insurance. Our deck builder guide covers materials in general, and the Long Beach overview lists the other trades we manage here.
What Long Beach's exempt list, Coastal Zone rules and bulletins say about decks
Where decks permits come from in Long Beach: City of Long Beach Community Development Department.
- The City lists unroofed platforms, walks, driveways and decks not more than 30 inches above grade as exempt from a building permit if they are not over a basement or story below and are not part of a required accessible route. Patio covers and gazebos still require permits.
- Residential decks and patios are among the project types the OTC Plan Review Service may handle at the counter, as determined by Permit Center staff.
Sources for these rules
Is my Long Beach deck in the Coastal Zone, and does it need a coastal permit?
The City says development in the Coastal Zone needs a Local Coastal Development Permit or a Coastal Permit Categorical Exclusion issued before work starts. Either can be appealed to the California Coastal Commission, and Express and over-the-counter review are not available there. Under the City's form, work under an exclusion may not begin until the appeal period ends, which is 15 days when no appeal is filed.
We could not confirm from the City's pages whether a deck qualifies for an exclusion. The exclusion text we read covers minor additions of under 10 percent of floor area, with no added story or loft, on existing single-family homes on the first lot by the beach, bay, ocean or tidelands, and that is not a deck rule. We also did not open the Coastal Zone map, so we do not name neighborhoods inside it. Send Planning a site plan and the address through the current planning page.
- Is the lot on the first row by the water, or farther inland?
- Does the deck add roofing, a loft or a second level?
Which decks can skip a building permit in Long Beach?
The City's Do I Need A Permit page lists decks up to 30 inches above adjacent ground as exempt, and its permit FAQ adds the conditions: unroofed, not over a basement or story below, and not part of a required accessible route. The page states no size limit. Model codes elsewhere add a 200 square foot test, but we found no statement that Long Beach uses it, so we go by the City's list and ask the counter.
A patio cover or gazebo does need a permit, which matters for any deck with a pergola. Residential decks and patios are among the projects that the Over-the-Counter Plan Review Service (bulletin IB-002) may handle at the counter, as Permit Center staff decide at intake. Express permits cannot be used in a Coastal Zone or historic district.
The Permit Center is at 411 W. Ocean Boulevard. A permit is valid for two years and expires 180 days after issuance if work has not started.
Call 562.570.PMIT (7648) with the deck's height, size and distance from the house before you order lumber.
How much does a deck cost in Long Beach, wood or composite?
We found no Long Beach deck price study with a stated method, so these are Los Angeles figures. Remodeling magazine's 2025 Cost vs. Value report prices a defined 16 by 20 foot deck, with a built-in bench and planter, three steps and full railing, at $18,419 in treated wood. It returned $18,341 at resale, or 99.6 percent. The composite version costs $26,872 and returns $19,845, or 73.9 percent, which is about $58 and $84 per square foot of the 320 square foot deck.
Our working ranges for a standard, flat-lot, attached deck are $45 to $75 per square foot in pressure-treated wood and $65 to $110 in composite. A 16 by 20 comes to roughly $14,500 to $24,000 in wood and $21,000 to $35,000 in composite, with permits and engineering extra. Angi's Los Angeles average is $13,570, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a mean carpenter wage of $37.79 an hour for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area in May 2025.
A plain platform without the bench and planter would come in under those per square foot figures. Raised, second-story and ipe decks are priced after a site visit, because we found no independent pricing for them.
Does deck repair on an older Long Beach house need a permit, and what do termites change?
The City says most construction in dwellings, including alterations, replacements and repair work, needs permits and inspections, and that the Building Official may exempt minor work. Swapping a few worn boards is one scope. Replacing joists, posts, footings or the ledger that ties a deck to the house is structural, and we ask the Permit Center before pricing it.
The ledger is where attached decks tend to fail. Section R507.9 of the 2022 California Residential Code requires a pressure-treated ledger of at least 2x8, no concentrated loads from beams bearing on it, no attachment to stone or masonry veneer, hot-dipped galvanized or stainless fasteners, flashing, and lateral hold-down devices. The City says the 2025 edition has applied since January 1, 2026, so we confirm the current section before drawing.
Termites are part of the diagnosis. UC Integrated Pest Management says drywood termites are most prevalent in southern California and infest decks and fences, so repair begins by finding the moisture or insect damage rather than replacing boards alone.
- Does the job stop at the boards, or does it reach framing, posts or the ledger?
- Was the original deck permitted, and can the record be found?
How high must a Long Beach deck guard be, and what loads does the shoreline add?
In the 2022 residential code, section R312.1.1 requires a guard where the walking surface is more than 30 inches above grade within 36 inches of the edge, R312.1.2 sets the minimum height at 42 inches, and R312.1.3 requires openings that stop a 4 inch sphere. Those numbers answer the common 36 versus 42 question: 42. The City's 2025 edition may renumber them, so ask.
Wind is the shoreline's addition. The City's bulletin IB-021 says Long Beach has no special wind regions, sets a basic wind speed of 95 mph, and applies Exposure D to sites near the shoreline, defined as south of Ocean Boulevard with exceptions and east of 54th Place on both sides of Ocean Boulevard. Most other sites use Exposure B.
Flood adds a third check. The City's flood page says that if additions or improvements equal or exceed 50 percent of a building's market value, the building must meet new-building flood requirements, and it tells owners to check with Development Services before building on or altering a flood-hazard area.
Can you add or rebuild a deck or porch in a Long Beach historic district, and do fire zone boards apply?
The City's preservation page says exterior changes to a landmark or a property in one of its 18 historic districts need a Certificate of Appropriateness, even where no building permit is required. The list includes Belmont Heights, Bluff Park, California Heights, Rose Park and Hellman Street Craftsman. It sets minor and major review thresholds for additions, at 250 square feet, but we found no deck-specific line, so send Historic Preservation, at (562) 570-6194, a sketch.
Wildfire is a smaller issue here than in the foothill cities. In the County's copy of CAL FIRE's local hazard map, revised August 21, 2025, all 92 sample points across Long Beach that returned a zone came back Non-Wildland. That was a sample, not a parcel map, so check the address on the CAL FIRE viewer. Where the ember-resistant decking list in R337.9.3 does apply, we confirm each board against the State Fire Marshal listing.
Deck photos from Long Beach and nearby neighborhoods
Six photos of decks and porches around Long Beach and its neighbors, from posts and framing to finished boards and railings. Tap a photo to enlarge it.
What decks costs around Long Beach
The ranges above are the Los Angeles figures on our decks page, rated medium for wood and medium to low for composite, so they are not a Long Beach quote. Engineering, coastal or historic review and permit fees are separate lines, and a hillside or raised deck gets a site visit before any figure is given. Choosing between wood and composite is also a question of upkeep and fire listing, not only of price, so ask each bidder to price both. See how work is divided in the guide to how general contractors use subcontractors and how to vet a bidder in the license check guide. Neighbors to compare: decks in Los Angeles, decks in Glendale, decks in Pasadena and roofing in Los Angeles.
| What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Pressure-treated wood deck | $45 to $75 per square foot |
| Composite deck | $65 to $110 per square foot |
| 16 by 20 foot wood deck (320 sq ft) | About $14,500 to $24,000 |
| 16 by 20 foot composite deck | About $21,000 to $35,000 |
| Hillside, second-story, rooftop and ipe decks | Priced by site visit |
| Permits and engineering | Quoted as separate lines |
Other work we manage in Long Beach
Long Beach deck questions, answered
What is the largest deck without a permit in Long Beach?
The City's list sets no size limit; the test is height. An unroofed deck not more than 30 inches above grade, not over a basement or story below and not part of an accessible route is exempt. Model codes elsewhere cap exempt decks at 200 square feet, and we found no sign that Long Beach does, so confirm with the counter before building.
How do I choose a deck builder in Long Beach?
Check the license and the paperwork. CSLB's C-5 class covers framing and rough carpentry, and a general building contractor may take a framing job under Business and Professions Code 7057. Ask for the license number and a certificate of insurance, confirm the contract meets section 7159 if it is over $500, and compare itemized proposals.
How much should a 16x20 deck cost in Long Beach?
Use Los Angeles figures: about $14,500 to $24,000 in pressure-treated wood and $21,000 to $35,000 in composite for a standard, flat-lot, attached deck, with permits and engineering extra. Remodeling magazine's 2025 benchmark for a defined 16 by 20 foot wood deck is $18,419. A site visit sets the real price.
How much would a 20x20 deck cost in Long Beach?
About $18,000 to $30,000 in pressure-treated wood and $26,000 to $44,000 in composite, found by applying our $45 to $75 and $65 to $110 per square foot ranges to 400 square feet. Those are Los Angeles ranges, not a Long Beach study. Height, stairs, railing type, footings and access move the total.
Is it cheaper to build a wood deck or a composite deck?
Wood costs less to build. In Remodeling magazine's 2025 Los Angeles report, the wood deck costs $18,419 and the composite $26,872, but wood returns 99.6 percent at resale against 73.9 percent for composite. The main downside of composite is the higher price, plus the product listing check where fire rules apply.
Is deck railing height 36 or 42 inches?
Forty-two inches in the 2022 California Residential Code, section R312.1.2. A guard is required where the walking surface is more than 30 inches above grade within 36 inches of the edge, and openings must stop a 4 inch sphere. Long Beach says the 2025 edition applies from January 1, 2026, so we confirm the current section.
How high can a deck be without a railing in California?
Thirty inches. Under the 2022 residential code, section R312.1.1, a guard is required where the walking surface is more than 30 inches above grade within 36 inches of the edge. Long Beach's permit exemption also stops at 30 inches, so a deck at or below that height needs neither a railing nor, usually, a permit.
Does deck repair need a permit in Long Beach?
It can. The City says most dwelling work, including repair, needs permits, with minor work exempt at the Building Official's discretion. Replacing a few boards is one scope; replacing joists, posts, footings or the ledger is structural. Call the Permit Center on 562.570.PMIT (7648) with the scope, and ask for the answer by email.
Do decks in the Long Beach Coastal Zone need a coastal permit?
Possibly. The City says development in the Coastal Zone needs a Local Coastal Development Permit or a Categorical Exclusion first, and Express review is unavailable. We could not confirm whether a deck qualifies for an exclusion or which addresses are inside the zone, so send Planning the address and a site plan before design starts.
Can I build a deck in a Long Beach historic district?
Yes, with review. Exterior changes in one of the City's 18 historic districts need a Certificate of Appropriateness even without a building permit. We found no deck-specific rule, so Historic Preservation, at (562) 570-6194, should see a sketch first. The Express Permit service cannot be used in a district.
Send the address, the deck size and its height
Tell us the street, the size, the height above grade and whether the house is near the water or in a historic district. We check the permit path before we call.