Palisades Rebuilding

Journal

Analysis of the rebuild

Where the numbers come from, what they mean, and the decisions they should inform. Written for owners, not for search engines.

Original analysis · Latest

Palisades Permits Actually Take 96 Days, Not Six Weeks

We measured 1,152 real Palisades permit applications. Only one in ten met the city’s 30-day review target, and the process has not been speeding up — despite what the recent numbers appear to show.

July 27, 2026

Status report
Palisades Fire Rebuild Status: July 2026
Eighteen months after the fire, more than a thousand permits are issued, close to a thousand homes are under construction, and the first families have moved back. Where the rebuild stands.
July 27, 2026
Timelines
How Long a Palisades Rebuild Actually Takes
Six to fourteen weeks for a permit. Ten to eighteen months to build. Fourteen to twenty-four months end to end — and the things that push a project past that.
July 22, 2026
Insurance
The Insurance Gap: Why Palisades Payouts Fall $1.45M Short
Carrier estimates in the Palisades averaged about $462 per square foot. Rebuilding costs $550 to $950. The difference has decided who rebuilt and who sold.
July 18, 2026
Building code
Chapter 7A and the New WUI Code: What Changed January 1, 2026
California’s updated Wildland-Urban Interface code now governs every Palisades rebuild. What it requires, what it adds to cost, and why detailing matters more than product choice.
July 14, 2026
Decisions
Like-for-Like or Build Bigger? Choosing Your Rebuild Path
Rebuilding what stood before keeps you on the fast track. Building larger can cost four to six months on the coast — and on some lots, a covenant fight. How to decide.
July 9, 2026