Pacific Palisades Fire Rebuild Contractor

Rebuilding Pacific Palisades After the Palisades Fire

The January 2025 Palisades Fire destroyed more than 6,800 structures across Pacific Palisades and Malibu, leveling entire neighborhoods in the Alphabet Streets, Palisades Highlands, Huntington Palisades, and Marquez Knolls. Amerbuild has been rebuilding Los Angeles homes since 1992, with prior experience on the Thomas and Woolsey fire rebuilds — and we're now focused on helping Palisades homeowners come home.

Pacific Palisades rebuilds are uniquely complex. Most of the 90272 ZIP sits within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone requiring California Building Code Chapter 7A compliance. Hillside lots across the Highlands and Riviera demand caissons, retaining walls, and extensive geotechnical coordination. Properties near Pacific Coast Highway may fall inside the California Coastal Zone, triggering Coastal Development Permit review. And every rebuild runs through the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) — not LA County — with its own plan-check patterns and correction cycles.

Our in-house architecture and engineering team designs plans that anticipate LADBS corrections, pairs them with the right structural engineer for hillside conditions, and manages every permit ourselves. You sign as the property owner; we do the rest.

The Pacific Palisades Rebuild Process: What's Different

1. LADBS, Not LA County

Unlike Altadena rebuilds (which go through LA County), Pacific Palisades permits are issued by the City of LA Department of Building and Safety. LADBS has its own Post-Disaster Rebuild Program with a dedicated plan-check team for Palisades Fire properties. Permit intake is streamlined through the Pacific Palisades Rebuild Center on Sunset Boulevard.

2. Executive Order ED-1

Mayor Karen Bass's Executive Order ED-1 waives certain discretionary zoning review, reduces parking requirements, and expedites LADBS permit review for like-for-like rebuilds inside the Palisades Fire burn scar. Qualifying homes — those rebuilt within 110% of the prior footprint and height — can skip most Planning Commission hearings. ED-1 has meaningfully shortened pre-construction timelines for homeowners who aren't substantially expanding.

3. Hillside Ordinance & Baseline Hillside Ordinance (BHO)

Most Palisades Highlands and Riviera lots fall under LA's Baseline Hillside Ordinance, which limits residential floor area ratio (RFA), encroachment plane, height, and grading quantity based on slope. We run BHO calculations before drafting plans so your design stays inside the envelope.

4. Coastal Zone Considerations

Properties west of Pacific Coast Highway, on the bluffs, or in the Dual Permit Jurisdiction require California Coastal Commission review — or written confirmation of exemption. Missing this step is one of the most common reasons permit applications get rejected outright.

5. Chapter 7A & Class A Roofing

The entire Pacific Palisades community is a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Every rebuild must meet Chapter 7A: Class A roofing, ember-resistant eave and soffit venting, non-combustible or ignition-resistant siding, dual-pane tempered windows, and non-combustible decking within 10 feet of the structure. We build to these specs as the default — not an upgrade.

6. Utilities & Infrastructure Coordination

LADWP, SoCalGas, and Spectrum all require new service applications (not reconnections) after a total loss. We submit these concurrently with permit applications so you're not waiting on utilities at certificate-of-occupancy.