Opening up a new business can be exciting, but there are also a lot of details that you’ll need to take care of before you can officially get started—especially if you are planning on occupying a commercial space within the City of Long Beach.
In Long Beach, obtaining the proper business license from the City requires you to submit quite a bit of paperwork, including a site plan and a floor plan for the commercial space in which your business will be operating. While this might not sound like a big deal—and something a draftsperson could complete on your behalf—it can turn into a big deal once you find out what the City is really looking for when they ask for these documents.
Long Beach officials don’t just want documentation of your space for their records—they want to make sure that the space is completely up to code. Most commercial spaces, unfortunately, are not. The building code changes every three years, so even a building that’s less than a decade old could be out of compliance in one area or another. When this is the case (and it almost always is), the business owner will then need to make the needed changes to bring the space up to code before they will be issued a business license by the City of Long Beach.
When a business owner knows this information going in, he or she can take a proactive approach, thereby expediting the approval process and getting their new business up and running in the City of Long Beach that much faster! The first thing they should do is contact a Long Beach commercial architect for help.
A Long Beach architect can not only draw up the site plan and floor plan that City officials are requesting, but he or she can also include other sets of plans that show what improvements or changes will be made to bring the space up to code. This may include submitting new ADA, electrical, plumbing, or structural plans. An experienced Long Beach architect will know what types of improvements and updates City officials will be looking for and include them in their plans. Common issues in older commercial spaces tend to be things related to handicap accessibility, adequate parking, energy efficiency, and proper exiting.
As they say, knowledge is power. Knowing ahead of time that these documents will be required by the City, and what needs to be included in them, can help alleviate some of the frustrations involved with getting your business license in Long Beach. Bringing in a knowledgeable architect in Long Beach early on in the process can also help you successfully get through what can otherwise be a very long and involved process. Yes, you’ll pay for their services, but if doing so can help you open your business weeks, if not months, earlier, it will be well worth the cost!
