"In April, all that remained of Sue Kohl's Pacific Palisades home was a dirt lot and her children's handprints stamped into the sidewalk out front. Eight months later, her property was a busy construction site. "Every time I come up here I get excited," says Kohl, whose new two-story home already has exterior walls. The far more typical experience with permitting involves a longer wait."
"In May, Denise and Adonis Jones applied for LA County permits to rebuild their Altadena home. Seven months later, they were still waiting. Adonis Jones, a former high school football coach, likens the anticipation to "hanging on the tip of a diving board" preparing to dive into a pool. Eventually he got tired of the metaphorical bouncing. "So we just sat down at the tip of [the diving board] and just looked at the water," he says."
"Everyone trying to rebuild after the fires needs a permit to start construction - and having one can determine whether a family is still in limbo waiting, or framing up a new house. After a slow start, data from Los Angeles and show that about 12% of properties destroyed in the Palisades have permits to rebuild, as do about 16% of properties in Altadena."
Sue Kohl's Pacific Palisades property was reduced to a dirt lot with her children's handprints; eight months later construction had progressed to exterior walls on a new two-story home. Denise and Adonis Jones in Altadena applied for LA County rebuild permits in May and remained without permits seven months later. Permit issuance determines whether families stay in limbo or can begin framing new houses. Rebuilding after the fires requires permits to start construction. After a slow start, available data show roughly 12% of destroyed properties in the Palisades and about 16% in Altadena have permits to rebuild, indicating wide variability in timelines.
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