Pacific Palisades Rebuild: A Fall 2026 Progress Report

Wood framing for a new two story home under construction

When Palisades Village reopened on August 15, 2026, after more than $100 million in restoration, it marked one of the most visible signs yet that Pacific Palisades is coming back. Just days earlier, the community passed another milestone: 1,000 homes under construction. Nearly two years after the January 2025 Palisades Fire, here is an update on permits, rebuilding, schools, and the places that define the neighborhood.

How Many Homes Were Lost

CAL FIRE counts roughly 6,837 structures destroyed and 975 damaged across the full Palisades Fire footprint, which also includes parts of Malibu and Topanga. Nearly 6,000 of those were homes, the large majority of them in Pacific Palisades.

Permit Lead Times

The City of Los Angeles has issued a dozen executive actions aimed at speeding up rebuilds. In February 2026, Mayor Karen Bass’s office reported that rebuild plans were being approved in half the time of comparable single family projects before the fire, and that more than 70 percent of the usual permit clearances are no longer required for rebuilds.

The city has not published a current average for days to issuance. An independent tracker, palisadesfirerebuilding.com, estimated an average of about 96 days from application to permit as of late July 2026. Several programs are helping applicants move faster:

  • Self certification: Licensed architects, and since February 2026 licensed civil engineers, can certify that plans meet code and skip traditional plan check.
  • Standard Plan Program: Owners can select from a library of pre approved home designs to shorten review.
  • Flexible rebuild rules: Executive orders streamlined approvals for homes that differ somewhat from what stood before, not only exact replacements.

Rebuilding Progress

As of mid August 2026, the Palisadian Post’s Pali Rebuild Map tracked well over 1,700 permit submissions, 1,000 homes with construction started, and 35 primary residences with certificates of occupancy. In July, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety reported permits issued for 1,419 properties.

Kevin Pazirandeh, who created the Pali Rebuild Map, believes the effort has turned a corner: “The rebuild has achieved critical mass and is unlikely to stall.” Not everyone feels that pace on the ground. Local business owner Michael Geller told Fox 11, “It’s going slower than I think it’s being reported out there.”

Schools

  • Palisades Charter High School opened the 2026 to 2027 school year on August 19 at its Bowdoin Street campus, with some classes held in 36 bungalows on the baseball field. A permanent replacement building is targeted for 2028.
  • Palisades Charter Elementary remains co located at Brentwood Science Magnet. Construction on its new campus is scheduled to begin in late 2026, with students expected to return in August 2028.
  • Marquez Charter Elementary is holding classes in interim classrooms on its own campus while the main building, a total loss, is rebuilt with a target of fall 2028.
  • LAUSD has committed about $604 million to rebuild its three Palisades campuses.
  • Village School is operating from a temporary campus in Santa Monica and recently cleared a major financing step for its rebuild.

Retail and Public Spaces

Back open: Palisades Village reopened 99 percent leased, with returning favorites like Erewhon, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Buck Mason, K Bakery, and Loomey’s Toys, plus newcomers such as Spacca Tutto. Gerry Blanck’s Martial Arts reopened on Palisades Drive in June. The Getty Villa reopened in June 2025, and Will Rogers State Historic Park partially reopened its trails, polo field, and lawn in November 2025.

Rebuilding: On September 22, city leaders broke ground on a new Palisades Recreation Center, a project of more than $50 million funded entirely by private philanthropy and the largest public private partnership in the history of LA Recreation and Parks. Construction is expected to take 14 to 16 months. “Today is about the Palisades community. Today is about hope,” Mayor Bass said at the groundbreaking. Gelson’s has committed to rebuilding its Sunset Boulevard store on the same site.

Still lost: The Palisades Branch Library was destroyed. Temporary library service operates from trailers in the library parking lot on Alma Real Drive, with design work for a new building expected to run through December 2027. The historic ranch house and stables at Will Rogers State Historic Park will take several years to rebuild.

JW Enterprises Is Working in the Palisades

JW Enterprises has started providing services on rebuild projects in Pacific Palisades. With a thousand homes under construction, the neighborhood is one of the busiest residential job sites in Southern California, and every one of those sites needs portable toilet rentals in Pacific Palisades, hand washing stations, and dependable temporary power until the permanent electrical service is energized.

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 get started.

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