Updated October 2026
Phase 2 debris removal after the January 2025 fires is finished. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started in early February 2025 at two Pasadena Unified school sites and completed residential cleanup in August 2025.
The short version
- Phase 1: the EPA removed household hazardous materials.
- Phase 2: the Army Corps removed ash, debris and damaged structures at no cost to owners who opted in.
- Right of Entry forms were due April 15, 2025 (extended from March 31). That window is closed.
- Nearly 10,000 residential properties were cleared. The last Palisades property finished August 26, 2025. Altadena’s final sign-off, at Eliot Arts Magnet School, was announced in September 2025.
What it means for your rebuild
A building permit needs debris clearance on your parcel. If the Corps cleared your lot, confirm the sign-off is on file. If you opted out, you needed a private contractor and your own clearance. Then move on to permits: see our like-for-like rules guide.
How we use it
Mariposa Complex at 385 Mariposa St in Altadena is our post-fire rebuild after the Eaton Fire. Built on SB 1123, it places three homes along a shared driveway, each with an attached ground-floor ADU. It won the 2026 AIA Pasadena & Foothill Rebuild Design Award for The Most Collaborative Process.
Sources: U.S. Army, Palisades News, August 2025.
A home and a second household, stacked on one lot.
Planning a rebuild?
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