More than a year and a half after the January 2025 fires, thousands of families in Altadena and Pacific Palisades are somewhere between a cleared lot and a finished home. The rules for rebuilding have been rewritten several times since then, mostly to make the process faster, and the practical questions have not changed: what can I rebuild, what does the process look like, what does the house have to be made of now, and how do I do this without being taken advantage of.
This guide answers those questions as plainly as we can, using the current orders and codes rather than rumor. It is written by a design-build contractor, and we will say clearly where our role begins and ends. We design and build homes. We are not an insurance adjuster, a lawyer or a debris contractor, and where those matter we say so.
Where things stand in 2026
The picture is different in the two areas, because they sit in different jurisdictions.
Pacific Palisades is in the City of Los Angeles. Rebuilding there runs through the City's emergency executive orders and the Department of Building and Safety. The City reports that its first rebuild permit was issued 57 days after the fires began, that it has eliminated about 70 percent of the clearances normally required for a single-family permit, and that it now reviews complete like-for-like applications within 30 days. (City of Los Angeles, Rebuilding)
Altadena is unincorporated Los Angeles County. Rebuilding there runs through the County's recovery program, its Building and Safety division and its Regional Planning department, with one-stop permit centers set up for fire survivors. The County's like-for-like path mirrors the City's in principle: a structure of the same size, in the same location, for the same purpose, within roughly 110 percent of what stood before, gets expedited plan check. Verify the current terms at recovery.lacounty.gov, because the County has updated them more than once.
Debris removal on residential lots is largely complete in both areas, and permits have been issued in the thousands. If your lot has its final debris sign-off, you are at the starting line of the part of this guide that follows.
What "like-for-like" means, and why it matters
Both jurisdictions built their fast lane around one idea: if you rebuild what you had, the review is short. The City's Emergency Executive Order 1 defines an eligible like-for-like project as one within 110 percent of the original home's footprint and height, in substantially the same location, and it extends that eligibility to primary residences, accessory structures and ADUs. Eligible projects get a 30-day review of complete applications, permit clearances within five days, waived environmental and hearing requirements, and permission for temporary housing on the lot during construction.
If you want to build larger or differently, you are not locked out. The City's Emergency Executive Order 8, issued in July 2025 to align with the Governor's order N-29-25, extends streamlined review to single-family rebuilds that go beyond like-for-like as long as they comply with the underlying zoning, and it waives local Coastal Act review for those projects in the Coastal Zone with streamlined environmental protections in place. (Mayor of Los Angeles, Executive Order 8)
The design decision this creates is real. Staying within 110 percent keeps the shortest path. Going beyond it is allowed and still streamlined, but it brings the zoning code fully back into play: height districts, hillside rules, bluff setbacks, and in the Palisades the Coastal Zone. We walk clients through both versions of their house on paper before anyone commits, because the difference in schedule can be months and the difference in the house can be permanent.
The sequence, step by step
A rebuild is a ground-up home with three extra layers: the emergency orders, the fire code, and the insurance claim running alongside. The order of operations below is the one that keeps those layers from tripping over each other.
- Documentation before design. Photos of the lot as it is, your pre-fire records of the house, and a written inventory. Your insurer's scope of loss and your builder's rebuild estimate will be compared line by line; the more you have documented, the fewer arguments.
- Debris sign-off and utilities. Confirm the final debris clearance for the parcel. Then start the utility conversations early: the City publishes an LADWP checklist for the panel and infrastructure requirements that will support future undergrounding, SoCalGas has a request-for-service process for reconnecting gas, and there are separate paths for reconnecting to sewer or reusing a septic system. These take longer than people expect, and they belong in the design phase.
- Soils, geology and the foundation. The Department of Building and Safety lists geology and soils reports and compaction reports among the clearances that remain for single-family rebuilds, with grading permits and grading inspections for hillside lots. A structural engineer evaluates whether the existing foundation can be reused; after a complete burn it often cannot, and a new foundation is designed to the soils report. Do not let anyone skip this step to save time.
- Design. The like-for-like decision, the floor plan, and the exterior assembly designed to Chapter 7A from the first sketch, not added later. Materials, windows, roof and vents are chosen for the fire code and then for the look, in that order.
- Permits. The City's one-stop rebuilding centers at 1828 Sawtelle Boulevard and, for Palisades residents, at 16925 Marquez Avenue bring LADBS, the Bureau of Engineering, the Fire Department, City Planning and LADWP into one place. The City also offers an AI pre-plan check pilot to catch code issues before submission, a library of pre-approved standard plans with fees suspended under Executive Order 7, and a self-certification pilot for qualified California-licensed architects. The County runs its own one-stop permit centers for Altadena.
- Construction. In our experience a ground-up custom home runs 12 to 20 months of construction, with design and permitting before that. A simpler like-for-like home on a flat lot can be faster; a hillside lot in the Palisades can be longer. Truck deliveries in the Palisades are limited to specific hours to manage congestion, and every rebuild shares the road with hundreds of others.
- Final inspection and occupancy. For a home in a fire hazard zone, the final inspection report documents compliance with the fire-code construction requirements, and the property must meet vegetation management requirements before final approval. The certificate of occupancy is the document that lets you move in and closes the loop with your insurer and lender.
Fire-resistant construction: what Chapter 7A requires
Both Altadena and the Palisades sit in designated fire hazard severity zones, and new buildings in those zones must comply with Chapter 7A of the California Building Code, "Materials and Construction Methods for Exterior Wildfire Exposure." Its purpose, in the code's own words, is to increase a building's ability "to resist the intrusion of flames or burning embers." The chapter is organized around the parts of a house that embers attack. (California Building Code, Chapter 7A)
| Element | What the code addresses | What it means for your rebuild |
|---|---|---|
| Roofing | Roof assemblies rated to resist fire exposure | Class A roof assemblies; the roof-to-wall details matter as much as the material |
| Vents | Attic, eave and foundation vents that resist ember intrusion | Ember-resistant vents or fine metal mesh; no open soffit vents |
| Exterior walls and eaves | Ignition-resistant or noncombustible wall assemblies and enclosed or protected eaves | Stucco, fiber cement, metal or other listed assemblies instead of untreated wood |
| Windows, skylights and doors | Glazing and doors that survive radiant heat | Multi-pane windows with tempered glass, rated exterior doors |
| Decks and porches | Decking and supports built from ignition-resistant materials | Composite, metal or rated wood decking; enclosed undersides |
| Accessory structures | Sheds and structures near the home | Same standards when close to the house |
Two things follow from this. First, a rebuilt house will be built to a higher standard than the house that burned, and these assemblies cost more than the ones they replace. That is a design fact, and it belongs in the insurance conversation early, because "building ordinance or law" coverage is what typically pays for code-required upgrades beyond replacement of what existed. Read your policy, or ask your adjuster in writing, before you design.
Second, the landscape counts. Chapter 7A ties final approval to vegetation management compliance, and California is finalizing statewide "Zone 0" rules for the first five feet around a home, an ember-resistant zone without combustible materials. As of September 2026 the State Board of Forestry has adopted emergency regulations but withdrawn its filing for review, so no statewide rule is yet in force, and some cities have adopted their own. Design your first five feet as if the rule applies: hardscape, noncombustible mulch, no wood fencing touching the house, no plants against the wall. It is cheaper to plan now than to tear out later.
Insurance, money and timing
We are careful here, because this is where families are most exposed and where we are least qualified to advise. What we can offer is how the construction side interacts with the claim.
- Your builder's estimate should be itemized. A line-item proposal with quantities lets an adjuster compare it to the scope of loss and lets you see where the differences are. A single lump sum invites a dispute.
- Code upgrades are a separate conversation. Chapter 7A assemblies, current energy code, current seismic requirements and utility infrastructure requirements are costs the old house did not carry. Identify them as a category in the estimate.
- Timing the design to the claim. Design work that produces drawings and an itemized budget is what turns a claim into a number. Starting design before the claim is settled is normal; starting construction before the funding is clear is not.
- Financing gaps. Where the settlement does not cover the rebuild, families use construction loans, home equity where the land still carries it, and SBA disaster loans where eligible. That is a conversation with a lender, and we are glad to be in the room to answer questions about the construction schedule and draws.
Protecting yourself from the people who follow disasters
Every large fire brings unlicensed contractors, upfront-deposit schemes and "we can start tomorrow" promises. The state and the City both publish guidance, and the basics are simple.
- Verify the license on the Contractors State License Board site before you sign anything, and confirm the license is active, in the right classification, and bonded and insured. (CSLB) The City's Bureau of Contract Administration maintains a list of verified contractors and architects with active licenses.
- Be wary of large upfront payments. For home improvement contracts in California the down payment is capped by law at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Ask how your contract is structured and why.
- Insist on permits. Anyone proposing to rebuild without them is proposing a house you cannot insure, finance or sell.
- Get everything in writing, including the schedule, the payment milestones tied to progress, and how change orders are priced.
- Do not sign under pressure. A contractor who cannot wait for you to read the contract is not the one you want building your house.
What a design-build team does on a rebuild
A rebuild has more moving parts than a normal new home, and most of the delays we see come from the parts being handled by different people who do not talk to each other: an architect who did not know the soils report was pending, a builder who priced a roof the fire code will not allow, an owner who learned about the LADWP panel requirement at rough electrical.
Design-build means one accountable team carries architecture, structural and civil engineering, energy and fire-code compliance, permits and construction. Our ground-up work has been custom homes on the Westside, from Amoroso in Venice to new construction in El Segundo, and the discipline is the same on a rebuild with the emergency orders and Chapter 7A added on top: every decision made in design, a photoreal 3D model before construction, an itemized budget that an adjuster and a lender can both read, and a schedule with inspections on it. You can see how we run a ground-up project on our new home construction page and in our custom home projects.
We will also say what we would say to a friend: interview more than one builder, ask each of them how they handle the soils report, the utility checklist and Chapter 7A, and choose the one whose answers are specific.
A realistic next step
If you are rebuilding in Altadena or the Palisades and want a clear, unhurried conversation about what your lot allows, what the house will need to be built from, and what the sequence looks like from where you are now, request a consultation. We will walk the lot with you, answer what we can answer, and tell you plainly where you need an adjuster, a lawyer or a lender instead of a builder.