Just 13% of homes destroyed in LA fires have permit to rebuild as lawsuit claims 'endangered plants' hindered firefighting efforts
"Heck no that area is full of endangered plants. I would be a real idiot to ever put a dozer in that area."
Washington DC
Jan 1, 2026
As the one-year anniversary approaches of the Palisades and Eaton fires, which destroyed over 16,000 structures, just a small percentage of homes destroyed have received permits to rebuild. This comes as a lawsuit filed by victims of the fires has claimed that endangered plants hindered firefighting efforts during the blazes, which raged on for weeks.
According to the Los Angeles Times, as of December. 14, about 13 percent of homes destroyed have permits to rebuild overall. The Times found that the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works had issued rebuilding permits for around 16 percent of homes that were destroyed in Altadena, while the Los Angeles City Department of Building and Safety had issued under 14 percent of permits. The county has around 3,000 pending applications for homes, or around 52 percent of homes destroyed. With the city, over 1,400 applications are on file, or around 32 percent of homes are destroyed.
A number of circumstances factor into why some people take more time than others to apply for a rebuilding permit, including being underinsured and low on cash to rebuild, deciding whether to rebuild or sell, and making remodeling choices to their homes that extend design and permitting phases.
This comes as evidence included in a lawsuit filed on behalf of the victims has revealed that California state policies may have led to the New Year’s Eve fire in Topanga State Park re-igniting as the massive Palisades fire, per the City Journal.
https://thepostmillennial.com/just-13-of-homes-destroyed-in-la-fires-have-permit-to-rebuild-as-lawsuit-claims-endangered-plants-hindered-firefighting-efforts
