Reconstruction Begins in Malibu as First Post-Fire Permit Is Granted
Malibu has issued its first rebuild permit since January’s wildfires, a milestone that marks the start of home construction within city limits as the effort at post-fire recovery continues across Los Angeles County, as reported by The Real Deal.
Community Development Director Yolanda Bundy announced the approval last week, according to the Malibu Times.
Debris removal is well advanced: 480 residential sites have been cleared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, while owners of 185 properties completed private cleanups, according to Bundy’s update.
The city is also offering rebuilding fee waivers to residents affected not only by January’s Palisades fire but by two earlier events that impacted Malibu, including November’s Broad fire and December’s Franklin fire.
To qualify, the damaged structure must have been a primary residence in a single-family home or duplex. Applications for waivers are due by June 30, 2028, and the waivers apply only to permits pulled by the end of 2030. Countywide, 238 rebuild permits have been issued across the Palisades and Eaton burn zones, 221 in Eaton and 17 in Palisades, according to the county’s permitting dashboard.
Inside Malibu’s boundaries, the planning department has approved 45 rebuilding applications to date, the city’s permit tracker shows. Only one of those projects has advanced to a building-plan approval, the permit Bundy highlighted, which shows progress.
