# NEMT in Long Beach, California: The City NEMT Permit for Wheelchair and Gurney Vans (2027)

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/states/california/long-beach/ · Updated 2026-10-02

Any company paid to pick up sick, disabled, or injured riders in Long Beach, California, including wheelchair and gurney vans, needs the city's Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) Permit under Municipal Code 5.80.035. As of October 2026, you apply at Business License with an $853 fee and wait about 4 to 6 weeks, then pay $414 a year, $164.05 per vehicle, and a $4 state fee.

- A wheelchair or gurney van that picks up riders in Long Beach needs the city NEMT Permit, separate from Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles.
- Plan on $853 to apply, then $414 a year plus $164.05 for each vehicle and a $4 state fee, as of October 2026.
- The city wants auto liability of at least $300,000 per person and $600,000 per accident, or $750,000 combined, plus workers compensation and its own endorsement.
- Permits end December 31 every year, and the renewal is due by November 1.
- Dropping a rider off in Long Beach needs no permit, but the ride home from a Long Beach clinic is a pickup in the city and does.

## Long Beach NEMT at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| City permit | Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) Permit, Long Beach Municipal Code 5.80.035, for any vehicle paid to carry sick, disabled, or injured riders on city streets |
| Who issues it | The City Manager, after Fire, Hazmat, Risk Management, and Planning review it. No City Council hearing. |
| Application fee | $853, paid by check with the application (as of October 2026) |
| Yearly fees | NEMT Permit Regulatory Fee $414.00, Business License Tax $164.05 per vehicle, and State ADA Fee $4.00 (as of October 2026) |
| Processing time | About 4 to 6 weeks, according to the city |
| Auto insurance | Under 16 passengers: $300,000 per person and $600,000 per accident, or $750,000 combined single limit (Administrative Regulation 8-27, revised March 2024) |
| Other insurance | Workers compensation with $1,000,000 employer's liability, a city vehicle-for-hire endorsement, and the City named as additional insured |
| Renewal | Permits expire December 31. File the renewal by November 1 with a report on the past year and a current financial statement. |
| County license | Not needed for Long Beach pickups, since the County ambulette license covers unincorporated areas. Ambulances also need the County ambulance license. |

## Who arranges rides here

- [City of Long Beach Business License](https://longbeach.gov/finance/business-info/business-licenses/ambulancegurney-vehicles/): Takes NEMT Permit applications and collects the yearly fees and taxes. (562) 570-6211
- City of Long Beach Fleet Services: Inspects ambulances and wheelchair and gurney vans for the permit. (562) 570-5422
- [Long Beach Transit Dial-A-Lift](https://ridelbt.com/dial-a-lift/): Runs shared-ride paratransit for Long Beach and three neighboring cities. (562) 591-8753
- [Call the Car](https://callthecar.com/subcontractors/): Arranges L.A. Care Medi-Cal rides and signs up subcontractors.
- [Modivcare California](https://www.modivcare.com/facilities/ca/): Arranges rides for Health Net Medi-Cal members.

Long Beach licenses medical transportation itself, apart from Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles. If your wheelchair van, gurney van, or ambulance picks up riders inside Long Beach city limits, you need the city's Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) Permit before the first ride, plus a city business license tax for every vehicle.

## Who needs the Long Beach NEMT Permit

Long Beach Municipal Code 5.80.010 defines an ambulance as any vehicle designed and used to carry sick, disabled, or injured people for pay on city streets, and says the term covers gurney vans and wheelchair vans. The city's permit page calls the permit for these vehicles the NEMT Permit, issued under Section 5.80.035. Vehicles run by the City or another public agency are exempt.

The permit follows the pickup, not your office address:

- **Pickups in Long Beach need it.** Section 5.80.020 bars any driver without a permit from accepting a passenger from within the city, for any destination.
- **Drop-offs do not.** The same section exempts a vehicle carrying a rider from outside the city to a Long Beach destination, or passing through. The return trip from a Long Beach clinic is a city pickup, so round trips need the permit.
- **The County ambulette license does not reach Long Beach.** County Code 7.17.010 applies it to pickups in unincorporated areas, so add it only if you also pick up there. The [Los Angeles County page](https://nemtguide.com/states/california/los-angeles-county/) covers that license and the City of Los Angeles permits.
- **Ambulances need the city permit and a County license.** Since July 28, 2011, the County EMS Agency has required its ambulance operator license for pickups anywhere in the county, cities included.

## How to apply for the permit

Section 5.80.035 sends ambulance and van applications to the City Manager instead of the City Council, so there is no public hearing on need. The city says the process usually takes 4 to 6 weeks:

1. **Call Business License** at 562-570-6211 and confirm you have the current packet and fee.
2. **File the packet and an $853 check** at Business License, City Hall, 411 W. Ocean Boulevard, 2nd Floor, or by mail. The city turns away incomplete applications.
3. **Wait for department review.** Business License checks the file, then routes it to Fire, Hazmat, Risk Management, and Planning. Planning reviews it only if your business is located in the city.
4. **Sign your permits.** The City Attorney prepares them, you sign and return them, and the City Attorney and City Manager sign.
5. **Pay the yearly fees and taxes.** The city mails your permits and vehicle decals once everything is paid.

### What the packet asks for

- A city business license application and the permit application, checking Wheelchair/Gurney Van or Ambulance.
- Every officer, director, partner, or managing member, with ownership shares, plus certified copies of your articles and Statement of Information.
- Your hours, the number of vehicles and the area of the city you will serve, where vehicles are stored, your dispatch address, and how you dispatch.
- Employee training and certification, each vehicle's record for the last three years, and how you monitor quality.
- A business plan for Long Beach with financial statements for the most recent fiscal year, and the city's financial statement form. The city may have a CPA review it.
- A list of every vehicle with plate, make, model, year, color, type, capacity, and condition, plus current registration, proof of inspection, and proof of no unpaid parking or registration violations.
- A promise to keep all required records at your business address.

## What the permit costs each year

As of October 2026, the city lists three yearly charges: a $414.00 NEMT Permit Regulatory Fee, a Business License Tax of $164.05 for each vehicle, and a $4.00 State ADA Fee. Section 3.80.253 sets the tax for ambulances, wheelchair vans, and gurney vans per vehicle, indexed to the consumer price index from a 2000 base. The $4.00 is the disability access fee that Government Code 4467 adds to every local business license in California.

A one-van company pays $582.05 a year, and a three-van company pays $910.15, on top of the $853 application in the first year.

## Insurance the city requires

Section 5.80.050 points to insurance rules set by the City Manager, and Administrative Regulation 8-27 (revised March 2024) lists vehicle-for-hire permits as needing auto liability and workers compensation:

- **Auto liability, under 16 passengers:** $300,000 per person and $600,000 per accident for bodily injury and death, or a $750,000 combined single limit.
- **Auto liability, 16 or more passengers:** $1,200,000 per accident or a $1,500,000 combined single limit.
- **Workers compensation:** statutory coverage with $1,000,000 employer's liability per accident.
- **Higher rules win.** If a state or federal minimum for your drivers is higher, that amount applies.

The packet adds a vehicle-for-hire endorsement your insurer signs. It names the City, its officers, employees, agents, contractors, and invitees as additional insured, makes your policy primary, and bars cancellation without 30 days' notice by registered mail to the City Manager. One agent must sign both the certificate and the endorsement, and the packet also asks for additional insured form ISO CG 20 26 11 85.

Before the permit issues and at each renewal, you sign the city's indemnity agreement and promise to report any claim to the city within 10 days. A lapse in coverage is grounds to suspend and revoke the permit. Risk Management is one of the offices that must approve your application, so have Business License confirm these amounts before you buy a policy. Brokers and plans set their own limits, as [NEMT insurance requirements](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-insurance-requirements/) explains.

## Vehicles, records, and renewal

- **Inspection.** The packet names City Fleet Services, 562-570-5422, for ambulance and wheelchair or gurney van inspections, and the California Highway Patrol for ambulances. Its vehicle checklist also asks for CHP inspection and certification, so ask Business License which proof your van needs.
- **City approval.** Section 5.80.270 has the city approve each vehicle before it enters service. The city can pull an unsafe or dirty one until it passes again.
- **Your look.** Section 5.80.280 bars a name or color scheme that imitates another permit holder's.
- **Your drivers.** Section 5.80.350 lets only you or your employees drive the permitted vehicles, and bars charging a driver a set fee to use one. The exception for outside drivers covers taxicab permits only.
- **Trip sheets.** Section 5.80.250 has drivers log each trip's time, pickup and drop-off places, riders, mileage, fare, and phone orders. You keep the sheets at least six months for city inspection.
- **Renewal.** Section 5.80.040 ends every permit on December 31. File the renewal by November 1 with a report on the past year's operations and a current financial statement.
- **Enforcement.** The City Manager can suspend or revoke a permit, and you have 10 days to appeal to the City Council. Running without one is a misdemeanor under Section 5.80.390.

## Who sends rides in Long Beach

Medi-Cal members in Long Beach get rides through their health plan: L.A. Care works with [Call the Car](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/call-the-car/), and Health Net uses [Modivcare](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/modivcare/) for members in its direct network and shared-risk medical groups. Every company that drives those rides enrolls in Medi-Cal with DHCS first, as the [California guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/california/) explains.

Long Beach Transit offers Dial-A-Lift, a curb-to-curb shared-ride service for adults with lasting mobility limits who cannot ride the bus and live in Long Beach or three neighboring cities, Lakewood and Signal Hill among them. Riders must already be active members of Access Services, and as of October 2026 they pay $2.00 each way and book from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. A contracted transit company drives those rides for Long Beach Transit. For riders outside these programs, see [private pay NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/private-pay-nemt/) for setting cash rates.

## What to do first

1. **Map your pickups.** Long Beach pickups need the city permit. Unincorporated pickups need the County license.
2. **Get insurance quotes** that meet the city limits and include its endorsement before you file.
3. **Book inspections** with Fleet Services, and collect registration and violation records for every van.
4. **File the packet** with the $853 check, then sign your permits and pay the yearly charges.
5. **Put November 1 on your calendar** for every renewal.
6. **Enroll in Medi-Cal** and apply to Call the Car and Modivcare, using the [NEMT license requirements](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-license-requirements/) guide for the rest of your paperwork.

For other Southern California local pages, see [San Diego County](https://nemtguide.com/states/california/san-diego-county/) and [Riverside County](https://nemtguide.com/states/california/riverside-county/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I need a city permit to run a wheelchair van in Long Beach, California?

Yes. Long Beach Municipal Code 5.80.010 counts wheelchair vans and gurney vans as ambulances when they carry sick, disabled, or injured people for pay on city streets, and the city requires its Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) Permit for each such business. Vehicles run by the City or another public agency are exempt. You apply through Business License at City Hall, 562-570-6211.

### How much does the Long Beach NEMT Permit cost?

As of October 2026, the city charges an $853 application fee, paid by check with the application. Each year after that you pay a $414.00 NEMT Permit Regulatory Fee, a Business License Tax of $164.05 for each vehicle, and a $4.00 State ADA Fee. A company with three vans pays $910.15 a year in these fees and taxes.

### How long does a Long Beach NEMT Permit take?

The city says about 4 to 6 weeks. Business License checks that the application is complete, then sends it to Fire, Hazmat, Risk Management, and Planning (Planning only if your business is in the city). The City Attorney prepares the permits, you sign them, the City Attorney and City Manager sign, and the city mails permits and decals once every fee and tax is paid.

### Do I need the Los Angeles County ambulette license to pick up in Long Beach?

No. County Code 7.17.010 ties the County ambulette operator license to pickups in the unincorporated areas of the county, and Long Beach is an incorporated city with its own permit. If you also pick up in unincorporated areas, you need the County license there too. Ambulance companies are different: since July 28, 2011, the County requires its ambulance operator license for pickups anywhere in the county, cities included.

### Can I drop off a rider in Long Beach without the city permit?

Yes, as long as you pick no one up there. Municipal Code 5.80.020 exempts a vehicle carrying a passenger from outside the city to a destination inside it, or passing through, but bars an unpermitted driver from accepting any passenger from within the city. The ride home from a Long Beach dialysis center or clinic starts in the city, so a company running round trips there needs the permit.

### What insurance does Long Beach require for a NEMT permit?

Administrative Regulation 8-27, revised March 2024, calls for auto liability and workers compensation on vehicle-for-hire permits. For a vehicle carrying fewer than 16 passengers, auto liability is $300,000 per person and $600,000 per accident, or $750,000 combined single limit. Workers compensation needs $1,000,000 employer's liability. The city also wants its vehicle-for-hire endorsement and an additional insured endorsement naming the City.

## Official resources

- [City of Long Beach: NEMT Permit application packet](https://longbeach.gov/globalassets/finance/media-library/documents/business-info/business-licenses/final_non-emergency-vehicle_ambulance-application)
- [City of Long Beach: Ambulance and gurney vehicle permit page](https://longbeach.gov/finance/business-info/business-licenses/ambulancegurney-vehicles/)
- [Long Beach Municipal Code: Chapter 5.80 Vehicles for Hire](https://library.municode.com/ca/long_beach/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT5REBUTRPR_CH5.80VEHI)
- [City of Long Beach Risk Management: Insurance requirements](https://www.longbeach.gov/hr/about-us/insurance-requirements/)
- [DHCS: Medi-Cal transportation services](https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal-resources/transportation-services/)