California Wildfire Insurance Process 

If Your Home Was Damaged but Not Destroyed

Even without a total loss, wildfire damage can be extensive—and insurance often misses what truly needs to be repaired.

What Wildfire Insurance Typically Covers

• Repairs to structural damage (walls, framing, roofing)

• Smoke and soot cleanup

• HVAC, electrical, or plumbing replacement due to heat exposure

• Temporary relocation (Additional Living Expenses)

• Partial debris removal

What Homeowners Often Don’t Realize

• Insurance adjusters work off generic scopes and square footage pricing

• Adjusters may miss hidden damage from heat, water, and smoke

• Rebuilding in a WUI zone often triggers code upgrades your policy may not fully cover

How We Help

• We perform a thorough post-wildfire inspection to uncover missed damage

• We prepare a detailed Scope of Loss to support your insurance claim

• We manage all necessary permits and city approvals

• We restore damaged portions to code using fire-resistant materials required in WUI zones

If Your Home Was Completely Destroyed by the Fire

A full loss is more than just starting over. You’re dealing with insurance caps, city permitting bottlenecks, and WUI-specific fire safety mandates most contractors aren’t equipped to handle.

What Insurance Should Cover

• Dwelling replacement cost

• Code upgrade costs (if covered by policy)

• Temporary housing

• Contents and personal property

• Debris and contaminated soil removal

But Here's What Insurance Often Leaves Out

• Full cost of WUI-compliant construction

• Environmental remediation required by the city

• Fees for grading plans, lot line surveys, architectural design, and permit management

• Real-time construction pricing (many policies use outdated cost models)

Why WUI Zone Requirements Add Time, Cost, and Complexity

Pacific Palisades falls within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ), which means your rebuild must comply with:

• Wildfire-resistant construction under Chapter 7A of the California Building Code

• Ignition-resistant materials for siding, roofing, vents, and windows

• Defensible space clearances and landscape compliance

• Additional plan reviews from the LA Fire Department and Planning

If you don’t address these upfront, the city will stop your project mid-stream. We don’t let that happen.

Insurance Payout After a Wildfire

Homeowners often learn too late that:

• You must rebuild to access full replacement cost. Otherwise, you may be stuck with a lower “cash-out” payout based on depreciated value.

• Policies have strict timelines. Most insurers require proof of rebuild intent within 180–365 days.

• Having a licensed contractor on file is often required to release full funds.

• Delays can cost you. Living expense coverage (ALE) typically expires within 12–24 months.

We help you document, plan, and rebuild within your policy terms to avoid losing coverage.

Why Insurance Adjusters Underbid Wildfire Rebuilds

Insurance companies often:

• Use national average pricing that doesn’t reflect LA construction rates

• Exclude soft costs like surveys, plans, permits, and temporary fencing

• Miss site-specific wildfire requirements like WUI construction and soil cleanup

• Push preferred vendors instead of independent professionals with your best interest in mind

We act as your advocate, not your adjuster’s assistant.

What Homeowners Are Left to Handle After a Wildfire — And How We Help

Most insurance policies only cover costs, not the process. That leaves homeowners responsible for planning, hiring, and managing the entire rebuild. We take on those responsibilities so you don’t have to.

Need to Rebuild After the Fire? Start Here.

You’ve dealt with the fire in Pacific Palisades. Now comes everything else- site inspections, soil reports, architectural plans, city approvals, and tight insurance timelines.

That’s where we come in. We help Pacific Palisades homeowners manage what insurance doesn’t cover by coordinating surveys, handling WUI compliance, preparing submittals for LADBS and Planning, and building to the newest codes.

Whether your home needs repairs or a full rebuild, we manage the entire process, from the first phone call to final sign-off.