After 8 Years, Woolsey Victims Face a Deadline

Malibu's fire rebuild program lets Woolsey victims rebuild those homes as they were. That right is expiring in November.

Holly Bieler · August 7, 2026

Eight years after the Woolsey Fire, a deadline is looming for rebuilders. Property owners have until November 9 to obtain a building permit for non-conforming rebuild projects, or ask for more time.

The deadline applies to "non-conforming" rebuilds: homes that were legal when built but don't meet today's zoning rules. This could be too close to a property line, over the current height limit, or larger than the code now allows. The city's fire rebuild program lets Woolsey victims rebuild those homes as they were. That right is what expires.

Owners with planning approval who haven't yet pulled a building permit can request an extension, Planning Director Tyler Eaton told the Planning Commission Monday night. But requests must be submitted by November 9 and approved by the Planning Commission. No requests will be accepted after that date.

The stakes are concrete: a project that misses the deadline without an extension would lose its grandfathered status, which could mean redesigning to current code, potentially a smaller or differently sited house than the one that burned.

The commission granted two such extensions at Monday's meeting, and staff said they expect more as the deadline approaches.

Under the city's rebuild rules, fire victims had six years to submit a planning application and eight years to obtain a building permit. November 9 marks eight years since the fire burnt nearly 500 homes across west Malibu.