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Palisades Rebuilding

The record

Where the Palisades rebuild stands

Every figure on this page carries the date it was accurate and a link to its source. Nothing here is estimated or rounded for effect.

Permit data as of July 28, 2026 · All figures, including costs and insurance, last reviewed July 27, 2026

The permit funnel

From application to keys in hand

Permits submitted1,723
Applications filed with LADBS to rebuild a home destroyed by the fire.25.2% of homes lost
Permits issued1,158
Plans approved and permits pulled. The owner is cleared to build.16.9% of homes lost
Homes under construction985
Ground broken — grading, foundation or framing underway.14.4% of homes lost
Homes finished30
Certificates of occupancy issued. Legally habitable, keys in hand.0.4% of homes lost

Funnel figures as of July 28, 2026, derived by us from the parcel-level permit records compiled by the Pali Rebuild Map / Palisadian-Post — an independent tracker built by Palisades resident Kevin Pazirandeh from public Los Angeles County records. We count distinct rebuild parcels that have reached each stage; any discrepancy with their published totals is ours, not theirs. Bars are scaled against 6,837 structures destroyed by the Palisades Fire (Shovels permit analysis); not every destroyed structure was a single-family home, so these percentages describe scale rather than an exact completion rate.

Reading this

The funnel narrows at every stage, and that is expected. An application is not a permit, a permit is not a groundbreaking, and a groundbreaking is not a home someone can live in.

Permits issued is the number to watch. Certificates of occupancy describe where the rebuild was a year and a half ago. Permits issued describes where it will be next year — and at 1,158, roughly two-thirds of all applications have now cleared review.

The ratio of construction starts to permits issued is unusually tight. Owners who get a permit here are overwhelmingly building rather than pausing.

What was lost

The scale of January 2025

6,837Structures destroyedBuildings lost to the Palisades Fire across the Palisades and Malibu.As of March 17, 2026 · Shovels permit analysis
12Lives lostAs of March 17, 2026 · Shovels permit analysis
4,448Permits filed in 90272All permit types in the 14 months after the fire, against a pre-fire baseline of 186 per month.As of March 17, 2026 · Shovels permit analysis

By neighborhood

The rebuild is uneven, and the pattern is not random

Flat neighborhoods are permitting fast. Hillside and coastal neighborhoods are selling lots instead. Terrain, engineering cost and permit complexity explain most of the gap.

Permits issued

One month of issuance — a sample of 93 permits, not a cumulative total.

As of February 28, 2026 · Westside Current, reporting a Pali Builds review of LADBS data. The Alphabet Streets, Via and El Medio together accounted for roughly two-thirds of permits issued in this sample.

Vacant lots sold

A leading indicator of owners choosing to sell rather than rebuild.

As of March 31, 2026 · Westside Current. The Highlands leads lot sales while trailing on permits — the inverse of the Alphabet Streets.

Compare all eight neighborhoods

Sources

We compile rather than collect. Every figure traces to a published source, and where sources disagree we say so rather than picking the more flattering number.

Common questions

How many Palisades homes have been rebuilt?

As of July 28, 2026, 30 rebuilt homes had received certificates of occupancy. A further 985 were under construction and 1,158 held issued building permits.

How many rebuild permits have been issued in Pacific Palisades?

1,158 permits had been issued against 1,723 applications submitted, as of July 28, 2026. The difference represents applications still in plan check.

Where does this data come from?

The funnel figures are derived by us from parcel-level permit records compiled by the Pali Rebuild Map — an interactive tracker built by Palisades resident Kevin Pazirandeh from public Los Angeles County parcel, damage and debris-removal data, published by the Palisadian-Post. We count distinct rebuild parcels that have reached each permit stage. Destruction figures and permit-volume analysis come from Shovels, and neighborhood breakdowns from Westside Current reporting on LADBS data.

Why is the number of finished homes so low?

Construction of a single-family home runs 10 to 18 months from permit issuance, and most owners spent much of the first year on debris clearance, insurance settlement and design before they could file. Homes permitted in early 2026 are still being framed. Permits issued is a better forward indicator than certificates of occupancy.

How often is this page updated?

Figures are reviewed against their published sources and updated as new data appears. This page was last reviewed on July 27, 2026, and every number carries its own "as of" date.