Malibu Fire Rebuild Update: Permits, Progress, and the Coast in Fall 2026

Aerial view of the Malibu Pier and coastline along Pacific Coast Highway

At the September 14, 2026 Malibu City Council meeting, the Toberman family of Big Rock received the city’s first certificate of occupancy for a home rebuilt after the Palisades Fire. “Coming home is something I have looked forward to since the fire,” Denise Toberman said. The same month, the city issued its 100th rebuild building permit. Malibu’s recovery has moved more slowly than some of its neighbors, and the reasons are as much about geography as paperwork. Here is where things stand.

How Many Homes Malibu Lost

About 720 Malibu homes burned in the January 2025 Palisades Fire, according to reporting by the Los Angeles Times. The losses were concentrated along the Pacific Coast Highway beachfront and in hillside neighborhoods such as Big Rock. City officials estimate that about half of the destroyed homes sat on the water and roughly 30 percent were on steep slopes.

That terrain shapes every rebuild. As Community Development Director Yolanda Bundy explained, “These homes require septic systems, sea walls, retaining walls and complex foundations.”

Permit Lead Times

The city has not published a current average for days from application to permit. Reporting in 2025 put a full review at roughly 122 days, and the first completed home offers a useful benchmark: its building permit was issued in October 2025 and construction took about 11 months. Industry professionals point to geotechnical and engineering review as the most common slowdown, describing it as “a choke point at geology and engineering.”

Several changes have helped:

  • Rebuild Development Permit: Ordinance 524, approved by the California Coastal Commission in April 2025, created a dedicated permit path for fire rebuilds.
  • Coastal exemption: Under state law and the Governor’s executive orders, a disaster replacement home of the same use and location that is no more than 10 percent larger is exempt from a separate coastal development permit. Malibu measures that 10 percent by volume.
  • Simplified intake: The city cut its intake process from 12 steps to 6 and published a step by step Rebuild Guide in May 2026.
  • Generous deadlines: Owners have six years from the fire to file a planning application and eight years to pull a building permit while keeping existing nonconforming features.

Rebuilding Progress

As of mid September 2026, Malibu reported 370 planning approvals, 66 projects in plan check, its 100th rebuild building permit issued, and its first completed home. That is a significant jump from February 2026, when the city had issued 33 single family rebuild permits. Much of the early construction activity is in the Big Rock community.

Schools

Malibu’s public schools came through the fires without losing a campus. Webster Elementary, damaged in the December 2024 Franklin Fire, was repaired and reopened in January 2025, and Malibu Elementary, Malibu Middle, and Malibu High have all been back in session since early 2025. Pepperdine University’s campus was not directly damaged and resumed in person classes in January 2025.

Separately, Malibu continues to pursue its own school district. The Santa Monica Malibu Unified board and the Malibu City Council both approved separation agreements in December 2025, and the effort is now awaiting action at the state level.

Businesses, Beaches, and Public Spaces

Reopened: Pacific Coast Highway reopened in May 2025, and a $19.1 million signal synchronization project along the corridor was completed in December 2025. Duke’s Malibu reopened on March 13, 2026, after fire and mudslide repairs. The Getty Villa reopened in June 2025.

Lost or relocated: Moonshadows was destroyed in the fire. The Reel Inn and Cholada Thai, both on State Parks land, did not have their leases renewed. Rosenthal’s Pacific Coast Highway tasting room was heavily damaged, and the winery now hosts guests at its Canaan Road vineyard.

Still closed: As of the county’s latest update, several beach accessways and overlooks remained closed, including the Via Linda accessway at Carbon Beach, Carbon La Costa Beach, the Bunnie Lane entrance to Lechuza Beach, and the Dolphin View and Miramar overlooks. Los Angeles County is also redesigning Topanga Beach with a new lifeguard building, expanded parking, and lagoon restoration.

Malibu Pier: Although not fire related, the end of the pier has been closed since January 2025 because of deteriorated pilings. California State Parks expects to begin a $2.1 million repair in mid October 2026, with completion targeted for the end of January 2027.

JW Enterprises Is Supporting Malibu Rebuilds

JW Enterprises has started providing services on fire rebuild projects across the Palisades Fire burn area, and Malibu’s beachfront and hillside lots bring their own logistics. Limited parking, narrow access, and long build timelines make dependable portable restroom rentals in Malibu and reliable temporary power essential from demolition through final inspection. JW handles delivery, regular servicing, and pickup so crews can stay focused on the build.

JW is offering 15% off temporary power for all fire rebuild projects. Call 800.350.3331, email info@jwenterprises.com, or request a free quote to set up your site.

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