Fire Rebuild in Malibu

For Woolsey Fire rebuilds, the City's deadline page, as of October 2026, states that Planning Verification approvals expire eight years from the date of the fire, with November 8, 2026 as the date to obtain building permits. A time extension request must reach the City by that deadline and is heard by the Planning Commission, which must find that the deadline creates an undue hardship due to unusual circumstances.

The City's Woolsey fee waiver program runs on its own clock: the same page states that required building permits must be pulled by December 30, 2026, and that no fees are waived after that date. The City sets and changes these dates, so confirm yours with its rebuild staff and bring that answer to our first call.

Planning first. All proposed work must be permitted by the City through a two-step process, zoning first and building second. For rebuilds the City starts by establishing what was legally on the property, using whatever records exist: coastal development permits, building permits, approved plans, assessor records, and aerial photographs. Owners who lost their papers in the fire can get City staff help with that research.

Building Safety second. After Planning's green-stamp approval, plan check moves to the Building Safety Division through the City's online Development Portal. Outside agencies are the applicant's responsibility, and the City names the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Los Angeles County Water District 29 among them.

The site itself. Where the property runs on an onsite wastewater treatment system, the City's rebuild guidance asks owners to have it inspected early, and for Woolsey rebuilds the City reissues the system's operating permit after the certificate of occupancy, on conditions. The City also states that all of Malibu lies in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, which belongs in the design brief from the first meeting.

Where to get answers. The City opened its Rebuild Center in March 2025 for Palisades Fire rebuilds. For Woolsey rebuilds, the City lists a Rebuild Help Desk at City Hall with free appointments with a senior planner.

1. Which fire, which rules. I confirm the parcel is inside City limits, which fire affected it, and what the record shows was legally built.

2. Design and engineering. Your architect draws the rebuild within the path the City allows; your engineers design the foundation and structure for the lot's soils and slope. I review for buildability, sequencing, and access.

3. Planning, then Building Safety. I work corrections with your team and keep outside agency letters moving in parallel. I never promise approval dates, because the City sets them.

4. Written scope and agreement. You approve the scope and agreement before work starts, with each payment stage tied to a milestone you can verify on site.

5. Build and inspections. Foundation, frame, envelope, systems, and finishes, each with its City inspection. You get site photos as the work moves, and any condition that changes the scope reaches you in writing the day I find it.

6. Final and handover. After final inspection and the certificate of occupancy, we walk the house together, close the punch list, and I hand over the documents for everything we built.

A rebuild is priced by its drawings, its foundation, its access, and its finishes. I put the number in writing on a defined scope after the site walk and the plan review. Share the budget range you plan in the build request, and I will tell you early whether the design and the budget agree.