Updated October 2026
A like-for-like permit after the 2025 fires comes down to six steps: clear the lot, prove what was there, confirm you qualify, submit, build and close out. Most delays come from the first two.
The short version
- Get debris clearance first. The Army Corps program finished in 2025, so if you opted out you need your own clearance.
- Prove the old home’s size and location with permits, assessor records, plans or photos.
- In unincorporated LA County, file within two years of the emergency declaration (early 2027), or ask for one of up to three one-year extensions.
- County review targets 10 business days for a first check and 5 for a recheck. County building permits expire if construction does not start within 12 months.
The steps
- Clear the lot. Confirm the debris-removal sign-off for your parcel. No clearance, no building permit.
- Document the old home. Pull past permits, the assessor’s record, any plans, a survey and photos. You are proving square footage, height, footprint and use. Gaps here cause most rechecks.
- Confirm you qualify. The limits differ by jurisdiction: up to 110% of height and footprint in the City of LA, and up to 10% or 200 sf (whichever is greater) in the County’s Eaton area. Details are in our like-for-like rules guide.
- Design and submit. You need architectural plans, structural, a soils report where required, and Title 24 energy calcs. In the County you can also use a pre-approved standard plan to cut design time.
- Pull the permit and build. Get your contractor bid on permit-ready drawings, not sketches. Start within 12 months or the County permit lapses.
- Inspect and close out. Book inspections as each stage finishes. The certificate of occupancy is the finish line for lenders and insurers.
What to watch out for
- Fees. County fees are waived only for owners who owned and lived in the home before January 7, 2025. Designer, survey, utility and school fees are not waived.
- Current codes still apply. Like-for-like skips current zoning, not the Building or Fire Code. Budget for fire-hardened construction and sprinklers.
- Adding homes changes the path. More units or a lot split moves you off like-for-like and into current zoning or a state law such as SB 1123.
How we use it
Mariposa Complex at 385 Mariposa St in Altadena is our post-fire rebuild after the Eaton Fire. It went beyond like-for-like: built on SB 1123, it places three homes along a shared driveway, each with an attached ground-floor ADU, three stories with roof gardens. It won the 2026 AIA Pasadena & Foothill Rebuild Design Award for The Most Collaborative Process. On any burned lot we compare both paths before drawing.
Sources: LA County Recovery FAQ, LA City Planning, Palisades Rebuild FAQs.
A post-fire rebuild for more than one household, and winner of a 2026 AIA Pasadena & Foothill Rebuild Design Award.
Planning a rebuild?
Send us the address and we’ll tell you what it can hold. Book a free consultation → · Follow @ydsarch on Instagram
