Fire Rebuild in Pacific Palisades

Like-for-like under Executive Order No. 1. The fastest path for a home rebuilt close to what stood before. LADBS describes it as covering like-for-like projects within 110% of the original home's footprint and height, with City departments required to review complete applications within 30 days and issue permit clearances within 5 days.

A new design under Executive Order No. 8. Issued July 23, 2025, it extends expedited review to zoning-compliant single-family rebuilds in the Coastal Zone that are not like-for-like. The City's guidelines list the conditions: same unit count, no lot changes, required bluff setbacks, compliance with the order's environmental protection measures, building permits within seven years of the order, and work completed within three years of the permit, unless a later order or Council resolution extends those deadlines.

The standard path. A rebuild that fits neither order follows ordinary LADBS plan check and any planning approval the lot needs. It takes longer, and sometimes it is still the right call for the house you want.

The choice is made once, early, with your architect, because it fixes the design limits for the whole project. I put the trade-offs on the table at the first meeting.

Two support centers. The City of Los Angeles One-Stop Rebuilding Center at 1828 Sawtelle Blvd. and the Palisades Inspections and Permitting Support Center at 16925 Marquez Avenue are both open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., staffed by LADBS, the Bureau of Engineering, the Fire Department, City Planning, and the Department of Water and Power.

Self-certification. Executive Order No. 6 created a pilot that lets a qualified California-licensed architect certify that rebuild plans meet the City's residential and energy codes in place of LADBS code review. Reviews by other City departments still apply. That path belongs to your architect; I build from the certified set the same way I build from a plan-checked one.

Prevailing setbacks. Where a prevailing front yard setback existed before the fire, the guidelines let a rebuild use it to establish the front yard setback.

Permit life. Once a rebuild permit is issued, the City expects the work to be completed within three years, subject to extension by a later order or Council resolution. I schedule against that clock from day one.

1. The lot and the record. I walk the lot with you and pull what stood there: permits, certificates of occupancy, and the footprint the orders measure against.

2. Path and design. Your architect draws the house on the path you choose; your engineers design the foundation and structure. I review for constructability and schedule while the drawings are still drawings.

3. Plan check. Complete packages go to LADBS through ePlanLA. I work corrections with your team and keep the file complete. 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, finishes, each with its City inspection. Truck deliveries are scheduled inside the City's recommended Palisades window, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.

6. Final and handover. After final inspection 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, and its finishes, and by what your coverage and your plans ask of it. 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.