No Rebuild Permits Issued Yet for Destroyed Altadena Homes, Officials Say

Los Angeles County has not issued any full rebuild permits for homes destroyed in recent wildfires in Altadena, though officials report approximately 80-100 applications are currently under review, according to statements made at Wednesday’s LA County Recovers press conference.

Mark Pestrella, Director of Public Works for Los Angeles County, told reporters that the County has established an ambitious timeline for processing applications.

“Our goal is to issue a permit once permit applications have been submitted, within 30 days. This is an incredibly high goal for us in which we intend to meet,” Pestrella said.

The County has a target of completing initial reviews within two weeks.

It has been more than two months since the Eaton Fire, and the recovery effort faces continuing challenges. With rain forecasted in the coming days, officials warned of mudflow and landslide risks in fire-impacted communities.

An important March 31 deadline is approaching for property owners to decide whether they will use government assistance for debris removal or handle it privately.

“All properties that have been impacted must be cleared,” Past emphasized during the press conference.

The press conference also highlighted that one-stop permitting centers have been established throughout Los Angeles County to help streamline the rebuilding process. Officials encouraged residents not to wait for debris removal to begin preparing their rebuilding applications.

In phase one of debris removal operations, more than 300 tons of household hazardous waste was removed. For phase two, officials estimate that 4.5 million tons of debris will be removed. The County has received more than 9,000 right of entry forms of the more than 13,500 eligible properties, with nearly 4,000 validated and submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers.

The wildfire recovery effort has reached several milestones, with officials noting that $86 million in FEMA individual assistance and $1.5 billion in SBA loans have been approved for fire victims. More than 4,000 residents have visited disaster recovery centers and more than 25,000 survivors have been connected to the County for information and support.

Officials announced that this would be their final weekly press conference, but weekly community meetings will continue every Monday at 4:00 p.m. to address residents’ concerns and questions. The recovery.lacounty.gov website will also continue to provide updates.