The January 2025 Palisades Fire destroyed a large part of this Los Angeles neighborhood. Owners now face very different insurance questions depending on where they are: a home that survived, a cleared lot, a house under construction, or a finished rebuild that needs a policy.
Homes in the Palisades, before and after
Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, set between the Santa Monica Mountains and the ocean. Before the fire it held traditional and midcentury homes in the Alphabet Streets and the Huntington, larger estates in the Riviera, hillside homes in the Highlands and Marquez Knolls, and bluff and canyon properties in Castellammare.
Today many streets are a mix of surviving homes, cleared lots and active construction. Homes rebuilt in fire hazard zones have to meet California’s wildland-urban interface building standards, which carriers look on favorably, but rebuild costs, permits and timelines vary widely from one lot to the next.
Risks carriers weigh in the Palisades
Wildfire is the obvious one, but the burned hillsides and the coastline bring other exposures that a homeowners policy treats very differently.
- WildfireMuch of the Palisades is in CAL FIRE’s very high fire hazard severity zones. Surviving and rebuilt homes are often placed with specialty carriers or on a FAIR Plan policy with DIC coverage.
- Debris flows after the fireBurned slopes shed mud and debris in heavy rain, and the risk can last for several winters. Earth movement is generally excluded from homeowners policies; a flood policy may cover mudflow as it defines it.
- Landslides along the coastThe bluffs above Pacific Coast Highway, including around Castellammare, have a long landslide history. Landslide and settling are commonly excluded, which makes geology reports part of buying and rebuilding.
- Construction-site exposureTheft of materials, vandalism, weather and injuries on site are all risks during a rebuild, covered by builder’s risk and liability rather than a homeowners policy.
Los Angeles County’s record: about 294,804 acres burned in the wildfires CAL FIRE posted from 2013 through 2025, the largest the Woolsey Fire (2018, 96,949 acres in all); 1,844 National Flood Insurance Program claims since 2005, paid $28 million; 15 federal major disaster declarations since 2000. The county’s full storm history; wildfires by county.
Non-renewals here: of the homeowners policies that came up for renewal in 2023, insurers declined 8.8% in 90272 (statewide, 9.4%), per California Department of Insurance figures. The FAIR Plan’s share of insured homes in 2022 was 8.0% in 90272 (statewide, 3.2%). Every year and every ZIP.
What Palisades owners are calling about
- Liability on an empty lot. A cleared lot can still produce an injury claim. Owners who have let their homeowners policy lapse may need a liability-only or vacant property policy.
- Builder’s risk during the rebuild. Whether the owner or the general contractor buys course-of-construction coverage should be settled in the contract, with limits that follow construction costs as they rise.
- Insuring the finished home. Carriers are more willing to consider new construction with ember-resistant vents, noncombustible siding and defensible space. Keep permits, inspections and product specs to show underwriters.
- Surviving homes. Owners of homes that made it through often face non-renewal or smoke-damage questions. The non-renewal guide covers the notice rules and options.
- Selling instead of rebuilding. Owners who sell a lot or move elsewhere need to line up coverage for the next home and close out the old policy carefully.
Serving Pacific Palisades from Beverly Hills
Many Palisades families are living elsewhere while they rebuild, so my work with them happens almost entirely by phone and online from the Beverly Hills office. I coordinate directly with contractors, architects and lenders when it helps.
I don’t have an office in Pacific Palisades. I serve Pacific Palisades clients from my Beverly Hills office, and quotes, applications and policy changes are handled by phone and online. Call (424) 552-4545, answered 24/7, or send a quote request.
Pacific Palisades insurance, answered
I’m rebuilding in the Palisades. What insurance do I need during construction?
Typically a builder’s risk or course-of-construction policy for the structure and materials, general liability for the site, and proof that your contractor carries liability and workers’ compensation. Your construction contract should say who buys what.
Will insurers write my home once it’s rebuilt?
Appetite varies by carrier and changes over time. Homes built to current wildfire codes, with documented ember-resistant features and defensible space, have more options. If admitted carriers decline, surplus lines or a FAIR Plan policy with DIC coverage keeps the home insured.
Do I need insurance on a vacant lot?
Property coverage matters less once the house is gone, but liability doesn’t. Someone injured on the lot can still bring a claim, so a liability policy for the land is worth considering until construction begins.
Does my policy cover mudslides after the fire?
Homeowners policies generally exclude earth movement, including mudslides. A flood policy can cover mudflow as the policy defines it, which is different from a landslide, so read the definitions before relying on it.
General information about insurance in Pacific Palisades as of September 2026, not legal advice. Hazard maps, local rules and carrier appetite change; check current CAL FIRE, FEMA and city or county sources for a specific address. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.