Historic property owners in Long Beach can explore property tax relief through the 2025 application cycle for the Mills Act Property Tax Abatement Program (Mills Act). This economic incentive program through the Long Beach Community Development Department applies to properties in the city’s designated historic districts and historic landmark buildings.
“We endure in our commitment to preserve Long Beach’s rich heritage and maintain the unique buildings that reflect the character and diversity of our city,” said Mayor Rex Richardson in a public statement. “We are not only helping protect historic homes, our Mills Act program also provides qualified property owners with valuable tax savings each year.”
Information about Mills Act eligibility for historic district property owners, owners of designated historic landmark properties and those who believe their property could be designated as a landmark, can be found on the Community Development Department’s Mills Act webpage. The application period for the 2025 Mills Act begins Jan. 3.
Those interested in submitting an application for the 2025 Mills Act incentive program must attend two mandatory public workshops to learn more:
- Pre-Application Workshop (Hybrid) on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Jenny Oropeza Community Center at Cesar E. Chavez Park (401 Golden Ave.)
RSVP required. - Application Workshop (Virtual) on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 from 10 a.m. to noon. RSVP required.
Potential applicants, or their representatives, are required to attend the Jan. 25 workshop to garner their eligibility and receive necessary information about preparing an application and calculating individual property tax savings. Those who are eligible and wish to continue with the application process must go to the Feb. 22 workshop for their applications to be considered.
Interpretation services as well as translated materials will be available upon request in Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog at both workshops. The Long Beach Community Development Department will also share promotional videos in each language on its webpage and social media accounts.
The 2025 Mills Act application, along with a non-refundable processing fee of $545, must be turned in by 3 p.m. on Friday, March 14 to be considered.
The applications are expected to be reviewed by the Cultural Heritage commission by July 1 and passed to the Long Beach City Council for action before Oct. 1. Final property tax contracts will be dispatched to the County Recorder on/or before Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025.
In January 2015, the City Council approved alterations to the Mills Act to create more chances for eligible Long Beach historic property owners. The Mills Act was originally established by the state of California in 1993 and offers property tax relief for owners pursuing restoration, rehabilitation, or maintenance of a designated historic property.
To learn more about the Mills Act, residents are advised to contact the Historic Preservation Division by phone at 562-570-6194 or by emailing millsact@longbeach.gov.
