Fire Rebuilds · Malibu
Fire Rebuilds in Malibu, CA
Patient, organized help for Malibu owners rebuilding after the Palisades Fire, from documenting what stood on the lot to septic, coastal and wildfire requirements and final City sign-off.
- Licensed California general contractor
- Permits with the City of Malibu
- Written, line-item estimates
- Design, engineering & construction
Malibu, CA
Fire Rebuilds for Malibu Homeowners
We handle fire rebuilds in Malibu for owners who lost homes along the coast and in the canyons in January 2025, and for anyone still finishing a rebuild from an earlier fire. Malibu has been through this before, and the City's rebuild rules reflect that experience. We help you understand those rules in plain terms, document what existed on your lot, and then carry the project through permitting and construction with one team accountable for the work.
Local Knowledge
The Rebuild Path in Malibu
Under Public Resources Code section 30610(g), replacing a structure destroyed by disaster is exempt from a coastal development permit when the new structure serves the same use, sits in substantially the same location and does not exceed the prior floor area, height or bulk by more than 10 percent. That streamlined treatment reaches replacement homes as well as seawalls, driveways and onsite wastewater systems.
The City has said that Palisades Fire rebuilds within 110 percent of the prior structure are relieved of CEQA and Coastal Act review, while rebuilds after the Franklin and Broad fires need a Planning Verification. For Palisades Fire properties, structures that existed immediately before the fire can qualify even where older permit records are incomplete, which matters for homes built or altered decades ago.
The heaviest losses fell on the eastern beaches and canyons, and local reporting has described rebuilding there as complex and slow. Beachfront owners face federal flood-zone rules that can leave little room for a required septic system, while canyon owners contend with slopes, narrow roads and drainage.
What's Included
What a Malibu Fire Rebuild With Us Covers
- Documentation of the prior home's floor area, height and location from permits, surveys, photos and assessor records
- A path review covering the 110 percent exemption, fee waiver eligibility and any larger redesign
- Coordination of the OWTS inspection by a City-registered practitioner and any system repair or replacement
- Structural, geotechnical and flood-zone engineering coordination for beach, bluff and canyon lots
- City of Malibu submittals and correction responses through planning, building and environmental health review
- Fire-rated exterior construction under Chapter 7A, with roofing, vents, cladding and windows chosen to handle salt air too
For the full scope, process and options, see our main fire rebuilds page, or browse everything we build on our Malibu service area page.
Planning Considerations
Decisions That Shape a Malibu Rebuild
Qualifying for the fee waiver
Malibu waives planning and building fees for like-for-like and like-for-like plus 10 percent rebuilds of single-family homes and duplexes when the owner shows the property was their primary residence. Because of that residency test, second homes do not qualify, and commercial buildings are excluded outright. If you qualify, City staff prepare the affidavit, and we build the waiver, or its absence, into the construction budget.
Beach lots and septic placement
On the beach, elevated construction in coastal high-hazard zones must keep the space under the house clear, which makes placing a septic system beneath the home impossible without a variance. For lots with no other location, that becomes the central design problem. We involve the OWTS designer and a coastal engineer early and work toward a layout the City can approve.
Canyon and hillside rebuilds
Rebuilds in Las Flores Canyon, Rambla Pacifico and Carbon Canyon involve slopes, access roads and drainage that the fire and later storms may have changed. A current soils or geology report is often needed before foundation design. We schedule that work first and plan deliveries, staging and crane access around narrow canyon roads so neighbors can still get in and out.
Why Choose Us
Why Malibu Homeowners Choose Simply Construction
Licensed, Bonded and Easy to Verify
Simply Construction inc. is a licensed California general contractor, CSLB [CSLB LICENSE # PLACEHOLDER]. State law requires a license for any job of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, and anyone can check a contractor's license, bond and workers' compensation status on the CSLB website in about a minute. We encourage every Malibu homeowner to do exactly that before signing with anyone, including us.
One Team From Plans to Final Inspection
Design, engineering, permitting and construction sit under one contract and one project lead, so nobody points fingers between the designer, the engineer and the builder when a detail changes. You get one schedule, one point of contact and regular progress updates from the first site visit through the final inspection and sign-off on your Malibu project.
Care for Your Street and Your Neighbors
Large projects happen next door to people who live there. We plan staging, dumpster placement, deliveries and working hours around Malibu rules, keep the site secured at the end of each day, and give you notice before loud or disruptive phases such as demolition, concrete pours or crane lifts, so you can give your neighbors a heads-up too.
FAQ
Fire Rebuilds in Malibu: Common Questions
How does Malibu define a like-for-like rebuild?
A replacement that serves the same use as the destroyed structure, sits in substantially the same location, and does not exceed the prior floor area, height or bulk by more than 10 percent. For Palisades Fire properties within that limit, the City has said CEQA and Coastal Act review do not apply. Larger projects follow the City's regular process.
Our old permits are incomplete. Can we still rebuild like-for-like?
Often, yes. For Palisades Fire properties, special provisions allow a structure that existed immediately before the fire to qualify even where older permit records are incomplete. We help gather evidence of what stood on the lot, such as surveys, photographs, assessor data and past plans, and organize it for City review.
Can we live in a trailer on the lot while we rebuild?
Temporary housing on a fire lot depends on City approval, and if the trailer will connect to an existing septic system, a City-registered OWTS practitioner has to inspect the system and verify it works first. We can coordinate that inspection alongside planning for the permanent home so the same findings serve both.
Start Your Project
Planning a Fire Rebuild in Malibu?
Tell us about your property and goals. We will walk the site, flag anything the City of Malibu will care about, and give you a written, line-item estimate.
Licensed California General Contractor · CSLB [CSLB LICENSE # PLACEHOLDER]