ADUCheckby ViviendaCheck a propertyCheck

How do I rebuild in the Palisades after the fire, and can I add an ADU?

Yes. In the Palisades, an attached or detached ADU can be built along with or before the house, and it doesn't count against the home's floor area. A like-for-like rebuild under the Mayor's Executive Order 1 can be 10% taller and larger in footprint than what burned, with no Coastal Act, environmental or Mello Act review.

Check your address

The hazard zone, the department that inspects, past fires nearby and every rule that applies to your home.

Like-for-like under the Mayor's orders

Executive Order 1
A rebuild may increase the previous building's height and footprint by 10%, and non-conforming setbacks may stay. Projects that meet EO1 have no Coastal Act, environmental or Mello Act review.
Executive Order 8
A home in the Coastal Zone that meets current zoning is exempt from Coastal review even if it is more than 110% of what existed.
The state order
Governor Newsom's Executive Order N-4-25 suspends CEQA and Coastal Act permits for rebuilds in substantially the same location that don't exceed 110% of the previous footprint and height. It remains in effect.

Adding an ADU

City Planning's rebuild guidance says an attached or detached ADU can be built along with or before the single-family house, and it does not count against overall residential floor area.

A detached ADU can be built by right, without a Coastal Development Permit or City Planning review, if it sits at least 10 ft from a canyon bluff or 25 ft from a coastal bluff. A geologist's bluff analysis may be needed.

Apart from ADUs, projects under the emergency orders can't add or remove homes on the property.

Building rules for these rebuilds

The Governor's Executive Order N-29-25 suspends the 2025 California Building Code and its solar and battery requirements for these rebuilds, as LA County's recovery site summarizes. Ask your architect which code your permit uses.

State price-gouging protections for LA County ended on February 7, 2026.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Your fire department and city have the final word for your property.

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