There is a bunch of hoops that people in Santa Cruz have to do in order to build a home in this area here are a few of them: 

• Making sure they don’t have to renovate the curbs in front of your house
• Updating the driveway to the current standards
  • There are many inspections that need to be done for a new build which a lot of these houses were
  • These inspections could include: plumbing, foundation, roof, frame, insulation, gas, electrical, utility, and the final inspection 
  • Each of these more detailed than the last 
• If you are doing renovations it can only be on 50% of the house if it is more than 50% it is considered a new build or a re-build
  • assessors are called when a “new property” is being developed. A “new property” inspection should exclude homes damaged in a natural disaster but in Santa Cruz some were not exempt from this
• You also have to make sure that the house is up the water management code

Many people, including the ones rebuilding from the CZU Complex Lightning fire, need to apply for construction loans

1. The borrower applies for a construction loan, submitting financials, plans and project timelines.
2. If approved, the borrower starts drawing funds in conjunction with each phase of the project, typically only re-paying interest during construction. Throughout construction, an appraiser or inspector assesses the build to authorize more funds.
3. Once construction finishes, the borrower usually converts to the loan to a permanent mortgage and begins repaying both principal and interest.

According to the Permit Recovery Center this is the step-by-step process of how to obtain a building permit to start to rebuild ones house post-fire:

Step 1: Debris Removal

To insure the safety of everyone who is going to start building on some ones property, the property owners need to have the hazardous waste that was left post fire. Homeowners can opt for government removal services or hire a private

Step 2: Start Contacting Your Rebuilding Contractors 

There are a lot of people that the homeowners will need to contact to in order to start getting the materials prepped for their rebuild. The people they must contact is: an architect, a soils engineer, a structural engineer, an energy consultant, (sometimes they might need to contact) a geologist, and a civils engineer

Step 3: Pre- Application Consultations

The county wants homeowners to take advantage of the service of PAS (pre-application services). PAS can help make sure all the items needed for the homeowners complete permit application.

Step 4: Pre-Application Clearances 

The main pre-clearances are: geologic hazards- is the evaluation of potential geologic hazards that would hinder the building process, fire access- makes sure that the property meets the standards for emergency services and everything meets fire code, environmental health- ensures that the septic and water system are all up to code and new standards

Step 5: Submit the Building Permit Application Package 

In order for the permit application package to go through steps 1-4 need to be done. Steps 1-4 include- Step 1: do you have an appointment to submit, Step 2: are the pre-applications cleared, Step 3: do you have your discretionary funds to build the home? Step 4: do you have your planers in order

Step 6: Review Prepare to Build Suggestions

This is a longer step. Make sure to lean on support systems while the county reviews the application.

Step 7: Building Plan and Review Process

On this step the county will make sure that the homeowner has all the code updates that are required. Which can include solar panels, street widening, sprinklers, etc.

Step 8: Building Permit Issuance 

Congrats! All steps have been completed so now its time for the homeowner to build their new house!