Altadena rebuild permits, step by step.

Start here: the One-Stop center

LA County runs an Altadena One-Stop Recovery Permitting Center (464 W. Woodbury Rd., Suite 210) where Planning, Building & Safety, Public Works, and Fire staff coordinate rebuild applications under a unified process. You can walk in during business hours or work through EPIC-LA, the county's online permitting system, where you can also track your application's status.

The like-for-like pathway

Rebuilding what you had can qualify for a streamlined path that bypasses discretionary zoning review. Like-for-like modifications are generally subject to a 10% limit. In the Eaton Fire area, a floor-area increase may qualify for the greater of 200 square feet or 10%. This is not a blanket 200-square-foot allowance for height, size, or footprint changes: have your assigned County planner confirm each proposed modification and your property’s eligibility. The rebuild must keep the same use and location and meet current building, fire, and health codes. Changes outside the applicable like-for-like criteria may require general review; the County determines the pathway. This fork is one of the first decisions worth making deliberately, because it shapes your timeline, your budget, and your design freedom. County guidance: Like-for-Like Rebuild.

Programs that can shorten the path

• Self-certification pilot: California-licensed architects and engineers in good standing who meet the county's experience and insurance requirements and register with the county can certify plan compliance with building codes, skipping parts of the traditional plan-check queue. It covers replacement homes, garages, and ADUs in unincorporated areas outside geologically sensitive zones. Details at the county's self-certification program page.
• Pre-approved standard plans: the county maintains a catalog of pre-approved home and ADU designs that have cleared the program’s zoning and code review. You must contract with the plan’s design professional and obtain additional site-specific review and permits. Designer charges, application and review fees, and other project costs may apply; reductions in cost and time are not guaranteed. County pre-approval does not endorse the designer or firm. Plans cannot be customized without returning to the general process.
• Permit fee waivers: may apply to qualifying owners who owned and occupied the property before January 7, 2025. Confirm the fees covered and your eligibility with the County; see fee relief guidance (reviewed October 7, 2026).

What your plans must include

Altadena's fire-area rebuilds must meet wildland-urban interface construction standards (California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, formerly Building Code Chapter 7A, depending on when you apply) — ember-resistant vents, ignition-resistant exterior assemblies, and related hardening measures — plus the Altadena Community Standards District's design standards and current building, residential, and green codes. A design team that works in these requirements daily will draw them in from the start rather than fixing plan-check corrections later.

How long does it take?

Permit timing depends on the review pathway, application completeness, and property conditions. Ask your assigned agency for a project-specific estimate; ROAM does not promise a permit date. Current process: LA County permit process (reviewed October 7, 2026).

Where ROAM fits

ROAM Design Studio LLC prepares and shepherds the permit package, and ROAM Builders Inc. (CSLB Lic. #1151324) builds to it. Where self-certification fits a project, the certification itself is performed by a separately qualified, county-registered California-licensed architect or engineer; Design Studio coordinates that process. The two companies coordinate closely, each under its own agreement and responsibilities. If you want a second opinion on a permit path you've already started, we're glad to give one.