Palisades and Franklin Fires, Malibu
Rebuilding in Malibu after the 2025 fires
Malibu rebuilds are permitted by the City of Malibu under its Local Coastal Program. A like-for-like rebuild may grow up to 10% in square footage, height, and bulk without a Coastal Development Permit, but every project needs a geotechnical report and an existing septic system must pass inspection before it is reused. LyteMods builds non-combustible steel homes suited to Malibu's coastal and hillside lots.
Updated . Rules change; we confirm current requirements for your parcel at your free assessment.
Malibu at a glance
What governs a rebuild here.
- Who issues permits
- The City of Malibu Planning Division and Building Safety, with LA County Fire and Caltrans review where they apply. Some Malibu ZIP code addresses are outside City limits.
- Where to file
- Malibu Rebuild Center, 23805 Stuart Ranch Rd, Suite 240, (310) 456-2489 ext. 400, or the City's Development Portal under Expedited Rebuilds.
- Like-for-like
- Up to 110% of the prior square footage, height, and bulk (cubic volume). New basement area counts, and the extra 10% must meet current zoning.
- Coastal permits
- All of Malibu is in the coastal zone. Like-for-like plus 10% is exempt; going beyond it or to a substantially new location needs a Coastal Development Permit.
- Wildfire code
- The City designated all of Malibu a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code applies.
- Permit fees
- City planning and building fees waived for primary-residence like-for-like or plus 10% rebuilds. Apply by June 30, 2028; repay within 90 days if sold before occupancy.
How Malibu defines like-for-like
Malibu measures a rebuild three ways at once: square footage, height, and bulk, meaning cubic volume, each capped at 110% of what legally stood before, with any new basement area counted in the total. A home within 50% of its old footprint counts as the same location, the added 10% has to meet current zoning, and going above 18 feet requires Site Plan Review. The City's own term for this path is Planning Verification for the Palisades Fire.
That is a stricter measure than the City of Los Angeles, which counts footprint and height only, and the state's non-like-for-like coastal exemption that applies in the Palisades does not apply in Malibu.
Septic, geology, and the coast
- Septic: roughly 700 destroyed or substantially damaged Malibu homes were on septic or cesspools. Every system must be inspected by a City-registered inspector and approved before reuse, a new system is required if all components failed, beachfront and some other properties need advanced treatment, and beachfront systems need a wave uprush report.
- Geology: every project needs a geotechnical report. A limited report is allowed only for single-family like-for-like rebuilds on shallow foundations; deep foundations and beach lots need a comprehensive report. On Big Rock Mesa, where the landslide safety factor is below the code minimum, additional building code provisions apply.
- Power: Southern California Edison plans about 90 circuit miles of underground lines in Malibu's high fire risk areas and nearby.
ADUs in a Malibu rebuild
An ADU of up to 1,000 square feet may be added beyond the additional 10%, on a separate permit that can run at the same time as the house. A junior ADU of up to 500 square feet must sit inside the home's envelope and counts within the 10%. The City offers fee waivers for fire-rebuild ADUs, a pre-approved ADU program is expected in December 2026, and SB 9 applications are not accepted in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone within the Palisades areas.
Where Malibu's rebuild stands
The Palisades Fire destroyed 683 units and damaged 132 on Malibu properties, a month after the Franklin Fire. As of September 26, 2026, the City reports 101 building permits issued for single-family rebuilds and one certificate of occupancy, a Big Rock home announced September 14, 2026. The Woolsey Fire rebuild shows the pace to plan for: of 364 single-family planning approvals since 2018, the City counts 230 certificates of occupancy.
What will it cost to rebuild in Malibu?
Based on full-scope rebuild estimates TESH Group companies prepared in Malibu through September 2026, construction typically runs $525 to $625 per square foot with standard finishes, $625 to $750 with upgraded finishes, and $750 to $950 for a custom home. Design, engineering, and permits add about 8 to 12 percent. A hillside foundation adds roughly $150,000 to $450,000, and a basement adds $250 to $400 per square foot. A 2,000 square foot home with upgraded finishes on a flat lot comes to about $1.35 million to $1.68 million all in. Your lot, plans, and finishes set the real number.
| Standard | Upgraded | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| $525 to $625 | $625 to $750 | $750 to $950 |
Likely cost to rebuild
$1.35M to $1.68M
About $675 to $840 per SF of living area, all in
- Home, 2,000 SF at $625 to $750/SF
- $1.25M to $1.5M
- Design, engineering, and permits
- $100K to $180K
A planning estimate built from full-scope rebuild estimates TESH Group companies prepared for homes in Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and Malibu (September 2026). It includes current wildfire code construction. It is not a bid, an appraisal, or insurance advice, and it leaves out demolition, utilities, landscaping, pools, and financing costs. Your real number depends on your lot, your plans, and your finishes.
Our closest work
No Malibu rebuild yet. Here is the nearest one.
We have not completed a Malibu rebuild. Our closest work is 777 Ocampo Drive in Pacific Palisades: a steep, ocean-view lot with a deep shored basement, where we supplied structural steel and light-gauge framing. Those are the same conditions many Malibu canyon and bluff lots present.
Why steel for Malibu
- A non-combustible frame takes the structure out of the fuel load in a city that is entirely a very high fire hazard zone.
- Steel does not rot or feed termites, and coastal exposure gets corrosion-resistant detailing specified per site.
- Factory production of the panels runs while geology, septic, and planning reviews move, which is where Malibu schedules are usually decided.
Steel framing takes the structure out of the fuel load. It does not make a house fireproof, which is why the roof, vents, windows, and siding still follow the wildfire code on every home we build.
How we would build your lot
Canyon and bluff lots favor panelized steel: panels arrive flat and are set in stages on constrained sites. Beach and bluff lots often need deep foundations, and the steel frame above is engineered with them as one system.
We can build to your architect's design or one of our own plans, and we coordinate with the geotechnical engineer and septic designer your parcel requires.
Common questions
Rebuilding in Malibu: questions we hear.
- How much does it cost to rebuild a house in Malibu after the January 2025 fires?
- Based on full-scope rebuild estimates TESH Group companies prepared in Malibu through September 2026, construction typically runs $525 to $625 per square foot with standard finishes, $625 to $750 with upgraded finishes, and $750 to $950 for a custom home. Design, engineering, and permits add about 8 to 12 percent. A hillside foundation adds roughly $150,000 to $450,000, and a basement adds $250 to $400 per square foot. A 2,000 square foot home with upgraded finishes on a flat lot comes to about $1.35 million to $1.68 million all in. Your lot, plans, and finishes set the real number.
- Is Malibu's like-for-like rule the same as the City of Los Angeles?
- No. Malibu caps square footage, height, and bulk (cubic volume) at 110%, and counts new basement area. The City of Los Angeles measures footprint and height only.
- Do I need a Coastal Development Permit to rebuild in Malibu?
- Not for a like-for-like rebuild within 10% of the prior square footage, height, and bulk in substantially the same location; the City decides eligibility, and that decision cannot be appealed to the Coastal Commission. Going beyond 10% or to a substantially new location requires a Coastal Development Permit.
- Can I reuse my septic system?
- Only after a City-registered inspector inspects it and the City approves reuse. A damaged tank can be replaced, and a new system is required if all components failed. Beachfront systems need a wave uprush report.
- Do I need a geology report?
- Yes, every Malibu rebuild needs a geotechnical report. A limited report is allowed only for single-family like-for-like rebuilds on shallow foundations; deep foundations and beach lots need a comprehensive report.
- Are City fees waived?
- City planning and building fees are waived for like-for-like or plus 10% rebuilds of a primary residence lost in the Broad, Franklin, or Palisades fires. Applications are due by June 30, 2028 and building permits by December 30, 2030, and waived fees must be repaid within 90 days if the home is sold before its certificate of occupancy.
- Can I add an ADU?
- Yes. An ADU of up to 1,000 square feet may be added beyond the extra 10%, on a separate permit that can run concurrently, and a junior ADU of up to 500 square feet can go inside the home's envelope.
Official resources
The agencies that govern a Malibu rebuild. Their pages are the final word.
More rebuild guides
- Rebuilding in Altadena after the Eaton Fire →
- Rebuilding in Pacific Palisades after the Palisades Fire →
- The LyteMods fire rebuild program →
- Adding an ADU? ADU Concepts →
- Need design and permits only? NAXA fire rebuild design →
Free site and insurance-scope assessment in Malibu.
Send your address and what you lost. We review your lot, the rules that apply to your parcel, your insurance scope, and the home designs that fit, at no charge for fire-affected homeowners.