Woolsey Waiver Deadline Extended Until December

MALIBU, CA —The Malibu City Council voted Monday to extend the permit fee waiver deadline six months.

Homeowners who lost their primary residence in Malibu during the Woolsey Fire now have until December 30 to apply for a waiver from permit rebuilding fees. The fee waiver includes all city planning and building permit fees for properties being rebuilt as a like-for-like or like-for-like plus 10 percent.

To date, the city has already issued 240 planning verifications and 106 building permits for single-family residences, according to a city staff report. At roughly $18,000 per property, this has amounted to over $2.2 million.

“Despite having a budget crunch, we are committed to our residents and may spend over $5 million on helping with these waivers and extensions,” said Mayor Pro Tem Mikke Pierson in a video posted to the city’s YouTube Channel.

The city said that it has used a mixture of cost-cutting measures and a large portion of the the city’s $13.7 million Woolsey Fire settlement from Southern California Edison to cover the cost.

The council voted unanimously to extend the fee waivers in response to homeowners who said that their efforts to meet the previous June 30 deadline were hindered by ongoing insurance claims, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other circumstances beyond their control.

For more information, visit maliburebuilds.org.