Malibu Rebuild Approvals Slow to a Crawl

The city has issued just three new rebuild permits since late July, after nearly doubling its total over the spring.

August 26, 2026

Malibu has approved 91 permits to rebuild homes destroyed in last year’s Palisades Fire, city staff told the City Council last night — only three more than the 88 reported [a month ago](https://www.stringermalibu.com/article/malibu-rebuild-permits-double).

The number marks a sharp slowdown. Between April and late July, approvals nearly doubled, from 45 to 88, after months of criticism that Malibu was lagging far behind the Palisades and Altadena.

According to staff, 234 rebuild applications have now cleared the planning division. Of those, 156 have been submitted to building safety for construction plan review, 91 have been approved and 55 remain under review.

That leaves roughly 80 homeowners who have cleared planning but have yet to submit construction plans at all.

Council member Haylynn Conrad pressed staff on what happens to properties where nothing has moved in the 18 months since the fire, and whether the city would eventually compel owners to act. Staff said the city has not required owners to move forward, but that inspectors are now monitoring fire-damaged properties more closely.