Permits
How long it takes, and what decides that
The city built a genuinely faster path for fire rebuilds. Whether your project uses it depends on decisions you make before you ever file.
Reviewed July 27, 2026 · Verify with LADBS
The clock
Stage by stage
- 30 business days
- 6–14 weeks
Permit issuance, expedited like-for-like
What owners with complete, well-prepared submittals are actually seeing.
- 4–6 months
Coastal Development Permit, when required
Added on top of standard review for parcels that do not qualify for the Coastal Act disaster exemption.
- 10–18 months
Construction
From permit issuance to certificate of occupancy for a single-family home.
- 14–24 months
Total, submission to move-in
The realistic end-to-end window for most projects.
What we actually measured
The ranges above are published guidance. When we measured 1,153 real Palisades applications, the median from submission to permit was 96 days — about three and a half months, at the very top of the six-to-fourteen-week band. Only about one application in ten met the 30-business-day target.
Read the full analysisRanges reflect published guidance current as of July 1, 2026. Your project may fall outside them. Design and pre-construction happen before this clock starts.
Project your own move-in window from real permit recordsThe queue
Where the applications are sitting
Roughly two-thirds of every rebuild application filed in the Palisades has now cleared review. That is a meaningfully better throughput rate than the pre-fire baseline, and it is deliberate — the city eliminated more than 70% of the permit clearances normally required for single-family projects and put fire rebuilds on expedited initial review.
What that does not mean is that every project moves fast. The expedited track rewards a specific profile: a complete submittal, a like-for-like scope, and a lot without complicating slope or coastal conditions. Projects missing any of those three sit in a different queue.
Permit volume across ZIP 90272 has run at about 3.7 times its pre-fire annual rate since the fire, peaking at 688 permits in a single month against a pre-fire baseline near 186.
What you control
Four things that decide your timeline
Plan check duration is largely a function of choices made months earlier.
Completeness of the submittal
The most common reason a project that should clear in weeks takes months. A complete package with structural, Title 24 and Chapter 7A assemblies resolved goes through; a package assembled to hit a filing date comes back with corrections.
Like-for-like, or larger
Rebuilding approximately what stood before, at approximately the same location and size, keeps you on the expedited track. Meaningful additional square footage moves you into fuller review.
Whether your lot needs a Coastal Development Permit
In the coastal stretch — Castellammare, Sunset Mesa and the bluff-adjacent parcels — a CDP adds roughly four to six months. The Coastal Act disaster exemption generally covers rebuilds within about 10% of the original footprint.
Slope and soils
Hillside parcels in the Highlands, Riviera and Marquez Knolls need geotechnical investigation, and post-fire vegetation loss has made slope stability a substantive review item rather than a formality.
Where to file
Online — LADBS wildfire portal
How most owners file. Dedicated fire rebuild intake, launched 2025.
LADBS homeowner resources ↗In person — One-Stop Rebuilding Center
1828 Sawtelle Blvd, West Los Angeles, CA 90025
Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm
Permit fees are waived for fire-damaged properties owned before January 7, 2025 under Emergency Executive Order No. 7.
Common questions
How long does it take to get a Palisades rebuild permit?
LADBS targets 30 business days to review a complete application. In practice, owners on the expedited like-for-like track with well-prepared submittals have been seeing issuance in six to fourteen weeks. Projects requiring a Coastal Development Permit or multiple agency approvals can run nine to twelve months or longer.
Are Palisades rebuild permits faster than normal permits?
Yes. Rebuild permits in the fire areas are being approved substantially faster than typical pre-fire single-family projects, and more than 70% of the single-family permit clearances normally required have been eliminated for these rebuilds.
Do I pay permit fees to rebuild after the fire?
Building permit fees are waived for fire-damaged properties where the owner held the property before January 7, 2025, under Emergency Executive Order No. 7. Confirm eligibility with LADBS for your specific parcel.
What is the One-Stop Rebuilding Center?
An in-person permit center for property owners affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires, at 1828 Sawtelle Blvd, West Los Angeles, open Monday to Friday 9am–5pm. Most owners file online through the LADBS wildfire rebuilding portal instead.
Why is my permit taking longer than my neighbor’s?
Usually one of three reasons: your submittal was less complete, your lot needs geotechnical or slope review theirs did not, or your design exceeds the like-for-like threshold and moved into fuller review. In the coastal areas, a Coastal Development Permit alone adds four to six months.