LA Mayor Issues Three Executive Actions on Fire Rebuilding. Here's What They Mean For You
This article was originally published April 25, 2025 on laist.com.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a trio of executive actions this week intended to speed up the rebuilding process and ease some of the financial pressures Angelenos are facing after January’s wildfires.
Two orders focus on rebuilding fees and the permitting process. Another action explores using artificial intelligence to review project plans, potentially saving time for residents and city staff. The executive actions aim to assist city of L.A. residents with losses from the Palisades Fire — destruction from the Eaton Fire fell outside of L.A. city limits.
Bass said in a statement that these actions are cutting more red tape to get people back home as quickly and safely as possible.
“These initiatives will help reduce timelines and further streamline the rebuilding process to keep our recovery effort on track to be the fastest in modern California history,” she said.
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Rebuilding fees
Friday’s executive order directs city departments to refrain from collecting some fees for residents repairing or rebuilding after the wildfires.
The permit and plan check fees are applied through a city ordinance, so the L.A. City Council will still need to adopt an amendment to waive them completely.
City departments will suspend fee collection in the meantime.
Permitting process
An executive order released Tuesday introduces a “self-certification” pilot program focused on rebuilding in the Palisades.
It allows a licensed architect to self-certify that construction plans are compliant with California code. That would get rid of the plan check process through the L.A. Department of Building and Safety.
However, projects that use the self-certified process will still have to pass inspection, code enforcement and regulatory requirements from other city departments.
And the order is limited to single-family homes up to three stories tall that are being repaired or replaced because of fire damage.
You can find the full requirement details here.
AI assistance
This directive asks city staff to look into using AI to help review rebuilding projects.
It orders the city's Department of Building and Safety to make recommendations on using the technology for pre-screening permit applications, verifying code compliance and reviewing architectural plans, among other tasks.
