Palisades Fire rebuilds will not have to pay plan check and permit fees.
In April 2025, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass signed an executive order to waive plan check and permit fees associated with the reconstruction of residences that burned during the January 7 Palisades Fire.
Residents soon learned that it would take a full City Council vote to pass the executive order.
Many Palisades resident journeyed downtown three times to speak on the need to waive fees: twice before the City’s budget and finance committee and a third time in front of the full council.
Most residents have a large gap between what insurance will pay and the cost of construction in Los Angeles. Building permit fees could range between $40,000 to more than $80,000 and could make the difference between rebuilding and coming back to the community or selling a lot.
Today, February 3, about 40 residents once again went to City Hall to urge the Council to pass this legislation. All who wanted to were able to make public comment.
The fee waivers passed 15-0.
Afterwards resident Allison Holdorff Polhill said, “This is a BIG deal for fire victims. Together with our collective voices we have been heard. The City included fees for condos, apartments and mobile homes, too.”
She said the one exception was those who had fees waived and then sold the property prior to receiving a Certificate of Occupancy, would have to repay the fees.
In his presentation to the Council, Matt Szabo the City Administrative Officer wrote,” Waiving of plan check and permit fees for rebuilding properties that were damaged or destroyed as a result of the January 2025 Wildfires represents a clear public benefit inasmuch as the wavier would remove barrier to reconstruction and benefit the economy of the City of Los Angeles.”
In Szabo’s report he noted that “the Council approve the waiver of fees for all structures, regardless of rebuild/repair scale, only up to the amount attributable to 110 percent of the original footprint.”
If someone builds larger than 110 percent, those property owners would be liable for fees in excess of 110 percent.
Since Bass’ order, Szabo said about $10 million has been suspended, while waiting to see if the Council passed the waiver legislation.
Szabo wrote, “This will have a General Fund impact of $98.3 million.” This was far less then the office’s initial October 2025 estimate of $280 million which was given to the City Council in December.