Three things decide how a Long Beach building is received: where it sits relative to the fault, the liquefaction zone and the water; whether it is one of the pre-1978 tuck-under buildings on the city’s inventory; and what its inspection file and loss history say about upkeep. Send me the paper on those and I can place property, loss of rents, liability and earthquake with markets that write older coastal buildings.
What underwriters ask about a Long Beach building
- Newport-Inglewood faultThe fault that broke in 1933 runs under the city. The California Geological Survey says it is thought capable of an earthquake as large as magnitude 7.4.
- Liquefaction zoneThe state’s seismic hazard report for the Long Beach quadrangle calls the liquefaction zone widespread, because of shallow ground water and young alluvium.
- Tsunami and floodThe state’s tsunami hazard map shows sizeable areas of Long Beach flooding in a large event, and the city takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program.
- Soft-story inventoryAbout 3,100 wood-frame buildings have been flagged as having a potential soft, weak or open-front condition. The program is voluntary today.
- Rental inspectionsThe Proactive Rental Housing Inspection Program covers properties with four or more units, and the fire department inspects apartment buildings every year.
- Just cause, no local rent boardEvictions fall under Long Beach Municipal Code Chapter 8.99, which works alongside the state Tenant Protection Act and its rent cap.
The coverage parts are the same ones any apartment owner buys (how an apartment program is built). What follows is the local detail behind each question.
The soft-story inventory: flagged, but not ordered
Long Beach has no mandatory soft-story retrofit ordinance as of November 2026. What it has is the Building Seismic Resiliency Program, which identifies multistory, wood-framed buildings built before 1978 with three or more units that may have a soft, weak or open-front wall line, usually tuck-under parking with apartments above. The city’s consultant finished a draft inventory in December 2022, about 3,100 buildings were identified, and notices went to owners on August 9, 2024 and again on April 9, 2025, with a mapped list to follow.
The city’s program page says the program is voluntary and that there is currently no timeline for required compliance. A May 2025 memo to the City Council said staff may bring an ordinance forward and that future mandates may be considered, so check the status before you buy or refinance.
- Did you receive a notice? If the city’s determination is wrong, the Owner Screening Form is how you correct it. Send me the form and the city’s reply.
- Has the building been strengthened? Permits and an engineer’s letter for voluntary work are the documents earthquake underwriters ask for first.
- Is work planned? A retrofit under construction may need builder’s risk and the contractor’s certificates on file.
A voluntary program still matters to insurers. They rate the open ground floor, whether or not the city has ordered anything.
Earthquake, the fault and the ground under the building
The 1933 earthquake was a magnitude 6.4. The Geological Survey counts 120 deaths, with damage heaviest in poorly designed and unreinforced brick buildings; 120 schools were damaged and 70 destroyed. The Field Act that followed governs public school construction, not apartments, but the event is why underwriters ask whether an older Long Beach building is brick or wood and what has been done to it since.
Ground matters as much as framing. The state’s liquefaction zone covers the lowlands next to the hills along the Newport-Inglewood uplift, the beaches, and the artificial fill tied to the harbor. Fill was also placed along the margins of Alamitos Bay, and the report rates artificial fill as highly susceptible. The mapped quadrangle takes in Belmont Shore, Naples, Los Altos, Bixby Knolls and North Long Beach, so look up the parcel on the state’s map before assuming a building is outside the zone.
Earthquake damage is typically excluded from a commercial property policy, and the California Earthquake Authority’s policies are for homeowners, condo unit owners, mobilehome owners and renters, not apartment building owners. Coverage for the building is placed on its own, with its own deductible, and soil, year built and the ground-floor condition drive the answer. How earthquake coverage works in California.
Tsunami and flood near the port and the bay
When the Geological Survey released its Los Angeles County tsunami hazard map in March 2021, it said a large tsunami could flood sizeable areas of Long Beach to an elevation of 15 feet, and that levels at the Port of Long Beach could reach 12 to 15 feet. The map is searchable by address.
Flood, including tsunami and storm surge, is typically excluded from the property policy on an apartment building. It is bought separately, through the National Flood Insurance Program, in which Long Beach participates, or from a private flood market, and the limits available for a larger building often call for both. The city points owners to FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center to see whether a parcel is in a special flood hazard area. How flood insurance works.
Loss of rents, the state rent cap and relocation
Loss of rents coverage replaces the rent you were collecting while units are repaired after a covered loss. Two local rules shape how much to carry and what else a fire can cost you:
- The cap is the state’s. Civil Code 1947.12 limits increases over any 12 months to 5 percent plus the change in the cost of living, or 10 percent, whichever is lower. Housing with a certificate of occupancy issued within the previous 15 years is among the exemptions.
- A vacate order is a no-fault termination. Under Civil Code 1946.2, ending a tenancy to comply with a government order to vacate is a no-fault just cause, and the owner owes relocation assistance equal to one month’s rent or a waiver of the final month’s rent, unless an agency or court finds the tenant at fault for the condition.
- Planned work costs more. Under Chapter 8.99, a tenant of 12 months or more who is displaced for demolition or a substantial remodel is owed two months’ rent or a fixed minimum set by the ordinance, whichever is greater. Permits must be in hand before notice is served, and the city must be told which tenants are being displaced.
Size the rents limit to the real rent roll and an honest rebuild time for an older building, and ask how the policy treats relocation payments before you need the answer. How income coverage works.
Inspections, balconies and liability
Liability underwriters read the inspection record as a measure of upkeep. In Long Beach that record has three parts.
- PRHIPAdopted by the City Council in June 2015 and codified in Municipal Code Chapter 18.30. Owners register each year, with renewals due November 1, and Code Enforcement inspects for building, housing and sanitation code compliance.
- Fire inspectionsThe Long Beach Fire Department’s residential inspection program covers apartments and condominiums, with inspections conducted annually.
- Balconies and stairsHealth and Safety Code 17973 requires inspection of wood-supported balconies, decks, stairways and walkways more than six feet above ground at buildings with three or more units. The first inspection was due by January 1, 2026, and it repeats every six years.
Open violations and an overdue balcony report are the two items that most often stall a quote. Clear them, keep the sign-offs, and put a commercial umbrella over the primary liability limit. Rebuilding an older building to current code is its own cost; ordinance or law coverage pays for it, up to a separate limit.
What to send me
- Address, year built, stories, unit count and construction type: wood frame, brick or concrete.
- Ground floor: tuck-under or open parking, any city soft-story notice, the Owner Screening Form, and retrofit permits or an engineer’s letter.
- The current rent roll and a recent operating statement.
- Current declarations pages for property, earthquake, flood, liability and umbrella.
- Five years of loss runs, with what was repaired.
- System updates with years: roof, plumbing, electrical panels and wiring, water heaters.
- Inspection file: PRHIP registration and latest results, the fire inspection, and the balcony inspection report.
Common questions
Does Long Beach require soft-story retrofits on apartment buildings?
Not as of November 2026. The city has inventoried about 3,100 potential soft, weak or open-front buildings and notified owners, but its program page says the program is voluntary with no timeline for required compliance.
Do I need earthquake insurance on an apartment building in Long Beach?
No law requires it, though a lender may. Earthquake is typically excluded from the property policy, the Newport-Inglewood fault runs under the city, and much of the lowland is in the state’s liquefaction zone, so most owners at least get it quoted.
Who insures older apartment buildings in Long Beach?
Standard and surplus lines insurers both write them. Which ones want yours depends on year built, the ground-floor condition, updates to plumbing, wiring and roof, and the loss runs. I shop the building once those documents are in.
Why did my apartment building insurance go up in Long Beach?
Usually a mix of higher rebuilding costs, the building’s age and original systems, water or fire claims, and a tuck-under ground floor that has not been strengthened. Documented updates are the lever you control.
Does the property policy cover a tsunami or flood in Belmont Shore or Naples?
Typically not. Flood, including tsunami and storm surge, is bought separately through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood market. Look up the address on the state tsunami map and FEMA’s flood map.
Do I owe relocation money if a fire forces my Long Beach tenants out?
If you end a tenancy to comply with a government order to vacate, state law treats it as a no-fault termination with relocation assistance equal to one month’s rent, unless the tenant is found at fault. Confirm your case with counsel.
General information about insuring apartment buildings in the City of Long Beach as of November 2026, not legal advice. The seismic program, inspection programs, and tenant rules are set by city ordinance and state law and change; confirm your building’s status with Long Beach Community Development, and your relocation obligations with counsel. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.