One Year After the LA Fires, Just 13% of Damaged Homes Have a Rebuilding Permit

The rebuilding of homed destroyed in the January LA wildfires has had a slow start, but permitting rates picked up in December, according to reporting by Doug Smith, Jack Flemming and Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times.

Around 12 to 13 percent of homes in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades have received rebuild permits, a rate roughly half that of Santa Rosa, another community significantly impacted by fire in recent years.

“Fire victims face significant obstacles: understaffing at city agencies, supply chain delays, insurance gaps, and a strained labor market slowing construction timelines,” the article explains. LA City is processing applications in 79 days on average, while LA County lags behind at 131 days. However, the authors note the county had applications for around 3,000 homes, while the city received applications for just over 1,400. “In total, the county had issued permits for 931 residences by Dec. 14 and the city 604.”

The city issued the first certificate of occupancy for a home in Pacific Palisades in early December, and an Altadena home received the first certificate in that area later that month.