One application, four county reviewers
For a rebuild in unincorporated Altadena, the county routes a single application internally to Regional Planning, Public Works Building and Safety, the Fire Department and Public Health. Regional Planning decides whether the project qualifies as like-for-like and issues the zoning clearance. Building and Safety then reviews the structural, energy and code details, while Fire reviews items such as sprinklers and, on lots in a fire hazard severity zone, fire-resistant construction and fuel modification.
Outside agencies usually have to sign off before a building permit is issued as well. The county requires a will-serve letter from your water agency, and the county's fact sheet lists five that serve the unincorporated Eaton Fire area: Lincoln Avenue Water Company, Las Flores Water Company, Rubio Canon Land and Water Association, Kinneloa Irrigation District and Pasadena Water and Power. The plan check engineer identifies which other clearances apply to your parcel when the plans are submitted.
Debris removal has to be finished before permits issue
Site clearance runs in two phases. Phase 1 was the removal of household hazardous materials by the U.S. EPA. In Phase 2, owners either opted in to fire debris removal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or opted out and hired an approved contractor, which requires Public Works approval through a debris removal permit. The county accepts rebuild applications while this work is underway, but it will not issue building permits until both phases are complete.
What happens to the old slab matters for the permit set. If you want to reuse the foundation, a licensed civil or structural engineer or architect has to evaluate it on the county's reuse form, based on testing, and all under-slab electrical conductors must be replaced. If the slab comes out and soil is disturbed deeper than 12 inches, the county asks for a compaction report from a licensed geotechnical or civil engineer. Most rebuilds also need a corner record survey to mark the property lines before construction starts.
Filing through EPIC-LA or at the One-Stop Permit Center
Applications can be filed online through EPIC-LA, the county's electronic permitting and inspection system, by uploading the architectural plans, proof of ownership and the Supplemental Application Form for rebuild projects. They can also be filed in person at the Altadena One-Stop Permit Center at 464 West Woodbury Road, Suite 210, where Public Works, Regional Planning, Fire and Public Health staff take walk-ins and consultation appointments.
The first submittal does not need a full construction set. The county starts zoning review with one application, a site plan, floor plans and elevations, plus ownership information. Once Regional Planning issues the zoning clearance, it asks for structural plans, structural calculations where the design is not prescriptive, and energy documents under the same application. If a new home or ADU on your lot was permitted under the 2020 or 2023 code cycle, the county says the same permit can be issued again without plan review.
Plan check timing and the faster lanes
The county's rebuild FAQ sets review targets of 10 business days for the first like-for-like zoning review and 5 business days for rechecks, with the same targets for the other departments once full building plans are in. Projects that do not qualify as like-for-like are reviewed on a timeline that depends on their scope. These are county targets rather than guarantees, and the number of correction rounds often decides the real schedule.
LA County also offers optional routes. Pre-approved standard plans are available for the Eaton Fire area, although you contract with the designer who created the plan and still submit a site plan and site details. Under the Building Plan Self-Certification pilot, a registered California architect or engineer certifies building code compliance in place of full plan check; Regional Planning, Fire and Public Health still review, the county audits at least 20 percent of these plans, and lots in geologically sensitive areas are not eligible.
Fee deferrals for owners who lived on the lot
On June 17, 2025, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion covering permit fees for qualifying single-family rebuilds in unincorporated areas. The county now calls this a deferral and states the fees will not be collected from qualifying owners. You qualify if you owned and lived on the property before January 7, 2025; rentals, commercial and multifamily properties, LLC or corporate owners and temporary housing units do not qualify. The county says there is no deadline to request it, and fees already paid can be refunded.
The deferral covers zoning review, building plan review and permit and inspection fees, soils or geology review, Fire Department review and inspection, and Public Health fees where they apply. It does not cover design and construction costs, addressing, the corner record survey, the construction recycling deposit, utility connection charges or school district fees. One request form, emailed to Regional Planning or filed at the One-Stop Permit Center, covers every county department. Confirm your eligibility with the county before relying on it.
Dates to keep in view
The Eaton Fire Disaster Interim Ordinance, which sets several Altadena rebuild standards, was extended in July 2026 and now runs to August 22, 2027. The county has said it generally expects like-for-like applications within two years of the January 7, 2025 emergency declaration, with extensions available from the Director of Regional Planning. Once issued, a building permit expires after 12 months if construction has not begun. Because these rules have changed several times, we check the current version with the county before we schedule your submittal.
How we handle the permit side of your rebuild
We start with your parcel's history: prior permits, assessor records and photographs, because the county uses those records to establish what was legally on the lot. From there we coordinate the architect, structural engineer and any soils engineer, assemble the submittal, answer correction letters and schedule inspections through the certificate of occupancy. We cannot promise review times or approvals, but we keep you informed at each step and give you a written scope and price before construction begins.