Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Altadena Rebuild Sees Surge in Permits, But Review Bottlenecks Persist

County officials reported Monday more than 470 permits issued—including more than 350 residential units—and over 200 projects already under construction or inspection in the Eaton Fire recovery zone, but more than 300 plan sets have been returned to homeowners with comments, reflecting both momentum and persistent review hurdles.

The update came during the Altadena Community Meeting on Monday, Oct. 6, where a Los Angeles County supervisor—who introduced the disaster interim ordinance in early September—outlined the pace of rebuilding and the challenges still facing homeowners.

The ordinance, which streamlines discretionary approvals for property modifications, is scheduled for review at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting and may be extended through next year.

A permanent version is under development and will include meaningful community engagement.

Supervisor Barger spoke about the importance of debris clearance, noting that properties failing to show substantial progress by the Oct. 7 deadline will enter an abatement process, allowing the county to clear remaining ash and debris. Officials said this step is critical to maintaining momentum as residents begin reconstruction.

More than 50 additional permits have been approved but are pending applicant action. LA County Building and Safety said it is conducting weekly outreach to applicants, architects, and engineers to clarify required corrections in the returned 300 plan sets with comments and.

Residents were encouraged to sign up for EpicLA notifications to track permit progress.

To assist with plan reviews, the county has launched a collaboration with Archistar eCheck, an AI-powered tool that analyzes architectural and site plans for compliance with zoning and building codes.

The tool, previously in beta, transitioned to full launch on Oct. 1. Glenn Kam, principal planner with the Department of Regional Planning, demonstrated the software during the meeting, noting its ability to flag issues early and reduce back-and-forth with staff.

ArchiStar eCheck supports both “like-for-like” rebuilds and new designs and integrates aerial imagery to verify pre-fire structure dimensions. The system uses color-coded feedback: green indicates compliance, red flags corrections, and yellow or blue signals items requiring manual review. Applicants may revise and resubmit plans for additional review. Access to the tool is available at recovery.lacounty.gov by navigating to Rebuilding ? Permitting ? LA County eCheck.

The Archistar eCheck tool is part of a public-private-philanthropic partnership involving Amazon OnDesk, the California Fire Foundation, LA Rises, Governor Newsom’s Office, and Steadfast LA.

Separately, the CalAssist Mortgage Fund program remains open, offering up to $20,000 in disaster relief grants to homeowners impacted by the fire. These grants do not require repayment. Residents were directed to apply through NHS LA County at https://www.calassistmortgagefund.org/.

Additional updates included wastewater system requirements for properties with cesspools. According to Azar Kattan, deputy director for Health Protection at the Department of Public Health, existing cesspools may be used for like-for-like rebuilds if no additional wastewater load is introduced. Properties seeking to expand must upgrade to septic systems or connect to public sewer lines. If the public sewer is within 200 linear feet, approval is required for conversions. A covenant-based alternative to upfront geotechnical testing is under legal review and may be available by early November.

Altadena Sheriff’s Station Captain Ethan Marquez reported a decline in home burglaries and a shift in patrol focus toward construction site checks. Residents were encouraged to contact the station at homechecks@lasd.org for security consultations and to continue using motion-activated cameras and prompt crime reporting.