Three months after the Palisades Fire began, the rebuilding process is underway in the hard-hit Los Angeles neighborhood.

The first building permits were issued just 57 days after the fire ignited—significantly faster than recovery timelines following other major California wildfires. By comparison, the first permits were issued 123 days after the Camp Fire and 230 days after the Woolsey Fire.

“This community is resilient – and today is yet another example of that,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “This is the result of urgent work to build this community back faster than any disaster zone in recent history. We’ve slashed red tape and accelerated building processes to ensure that nothing stands in our way.”

As of Friday morning, more than 360 properties in the Palisades have had debris completely cleared and received final sign-off—a required step before rebuilding permits can be issued. The debris removal process began just 35 days after the fires started, about half the time it took following the Woolsey Fire in 2018.

Phase 1 of debris removal, completed in just 28 days, marked the fastest hazardous materials clearing in EPA history. The process removed more than 300 tons of hazardous waste, including exploded lithium-ion batteries. In contrast, the Camp Fire’s Phase 1 took more than twice as long.

Phase 2 of debris removal is underway, while utilities have been restored to standing homes within two months. For comparison, safe drinking water was not restored in Paradise until 18 months after the Camp Fire.

Mayor Bass used emergency executive authority to fast-track recovery efforts and rebuilding in ways that protect against future wildfires. The city also reinforced more than 10,000 feet of burn areas with concrete barriers and deployed over 6,500 sandbags ahead of seasonal rains.

Support for survivors has included the opening of a Disaster Recovery Center with resources from 70 agencies, a One-Stop Rebuilding Center, and four new Impacted Worker and Family Recovery Centers offering job placement, financial assistance, and youth services.

Additional city ordinances have delivered tax relief for impacted businesses, prohibited evictions of tenants housing displaced residents or pets, and banned price gouging on essential goods, services, and housing during the declared emergency.

More information is available at recovery.lacity.gov.

This article was originally written by California Construction News staff writer and appeared here.