Pasadena expands Eaton Fire Waiver Program for standing homes

Pasadena’s Fire Rebuild Fee Waiver and Refund Program has been expanded to include eligible properties that survived last year’s Eaton Fire but still sustained damage.

In its continued effort to streamline the restoration process and help residents make their homes livable again, Pasadena City Council unanimously approved the program expansion during an August 17 meeting.

Two-minute impact

The program waives, refunds or reduces municipal fees for repairing or rebuilding eligible Pasadena homes destroyed by the Eaton Fire in six categories: fire department, construction and demolition waste management, sidewalk improvements and inspections, building services, plan check fees  and power services, according to city documents.

Before the expansion, eligible properties contained one or more red-tagged structures—those that were destroyed or severely damaged by the Eaton Fire.

Now, properties containing green-tagged, yellow-tagged and untagged structures that sustained documented fire damage, referred to as standing homes, are also eligible for waived or reduced fees for repairs through the program.

The specifics

In response to the fire, Pasadena issued red, yellow and green tags to classify the structural safety of buildings within the assessed properties as of the time of inspection.

• Red tags denoted buildings that were unsafe to enter or use.
• Yellow tags denoted buildings that had usable parts or can be entered briefly.
• Green tags denoted buildings that had no apparent structural hazard.

The number of standing homes that sustained internal fire-related damage is unknown, according to city documents. Such damage includes contamination of HVAC systems, insulation and attics, none of which were captured in the city's initial tag assessments.

The total estimated cost of the program's expansion to include standing homes is $100,000, which is to be fully funded by Pasadena’s Building Fund.

Waived fees for repairs to standing homes are expected to range from $150 to $2,000 per property, depending on the scope of repair. 

Fire repair permits that were processed and not eligible for the program before the expansion was adopted totaled $51,192, according to city documents. 

Based on a 1,900-square-foot house, a full rebuild of a red-tagged structure incurs approximately $49,123 in waived fees, leaving a remaining cost of $1,952 to the property owner.

The only fee that is reduced and not waived for standing and red-tagged structures alike is the Construction and Demolition Waste Deposit fee, which is reduced to $1,000.

Fees that are not waived through the program are most Pasadena Water and Power Department fees and those charged by outside agencies, such as the Pasadena Unified School District or the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts.

The full story

The Eaton Fire ignited on January 7, 2025 amid strong, hot wind conditions, with gusts exceeding 80 mph quickly pushing flames across Altadena, Pasadena and surrounding areas in Los Angeles County, per a CAL FIRE investigation report released August 4.

According to a June 9 court filing, the fire is believed to have ignited when a tower along a dormant Southern California Edison transmission line was energized by nearby high-voltage lines through a phenomenon known as induction. Towers like this one have a metal connector called a grounding paddle that safely channels stray electricity into the ground, but the paddle on this tower was loosely attached, and that faulty connection is what is believed to have sparked the fire.

Fully contained 24 days later, the Eaton Fire burned over 14,000 acres, destroyed more than 9,400 structures and resulted in the deaths of 19 civilians, according to CAL FIRE. In its report, the state-run emergency response department refers to the natural disaster as the fifth-deadliest and second-most-destructive wildfire in California history.

The fire destroyed 185 structures in Pasadena, primarily single-family homes and accessory structures, according to city documents.

Eligibility criteria for program expansion include:

• The property must be located within an official Eaton Fire Mandatory Evacuation Order or Evacuation Warning zone.
• The property must have been owner occupied as of January 7, 2025.
• The structure must have documented fire-related damage verified by a professional report or assessment.
• The application must be for necessary repairs to restore the home to its pre-fire, legally permitted condition.
• The property must not be listed for sale or sold to non-family members prior to permit finalization.

More details 

The expansion of the Pasadena’s Fire Rebuild Fee Waiver and Refund Program became effective during the August 17 meeting. However, no mention of the revised eligibility requirements has been found on the program’s webpage by the time of this article’s publication.

Newly eligible applicants who already paid permit or plan check fees can apply for a refund through Pasadena’s Planning and Community Development Department.