LA County Officials Push For Property Tax Relief For Wildfire Survivors

Los Angeles County officials are advocating for state legislation that would protect wildfire survivors from facing higher property tax assessments when rebuilding homes with mandated safety features. The effort follows concerns raised by residents in Altadena affected by the Eaton wildfire who fear being financially penalized when rebuilding their homes to meet current safety standards.

“It’s not the Assessor that makes that determination. It’s a state [process] and I’m very grateful to Assemblyman Harabedian as well as Senator Pérez who have bills pending that are going to address some of the issues that we’re finding up in Altadena and actually the Palisades,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger during the March 24 Altadena Community Meeting.

The issue centers around how property tax assessments affect work when rebuilding after a disaster. Currently, the County permitting office allows homeowners to rebuild with plus or minus 10% or up to 200 square feet of their pre-fire home size.

However, residents expressed concern that the Assessor appears to interpret “substantial equivalence” rules to mean no more than 100% of the pre-fire size, with anything over being assessed at new rates.

Barger said that the County is working with state legislators to address this discrepancy. The concern is especially significant because homeowners are required to comply with updated building codes that include home hardening and resiliency features, which adds to rebuilding costs.

A representative from the Assessor’s office confirmed they are collaborating with state lawmakers on potential solutions.

“We have been working with state legislature on the 110% or something similar that assessors can rely on. So we are working currently with the state legislature on that piece,” he said.

The County’s push comes as Altadena residents continue recovery efforts from the Eaton wildfire.

During the Monday meeting, officials reminded property owners that the deadline to submit Right of Entry forms for debris removal is March 31, 2025.

Colonel Sonny Avichal from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported that nearly 1,000 properties have been substantially cleared of fire ash debris, with cleanup crews expected to increase to between 100-120 in the coming weeks.

The meeting also addressed other recovery concerns, including traffic signal repairs, mosquito control in damaged swimming pools, and the release of updated California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Local Responsibility Area hazard maps that classify areas as moderate, high, or very high fire hazard severity zones. Chief Nick Duvally from the Los Angeles County Fire Department explained that these maps, which haven’t been updated in over 10 years, are designed to inform land use decisions, building standards, and wildfire mitigation strategies.