Skip to content

Tips For Rebuilding or Repairing Your Home After a Wildfire

Man and his wife owners, checking burned and ruined of their house and yard after fire, consequences of fire disaster accident. Ruins after fire disaster.

Wildfires have caused widespread damage across the Spokane area, affecting homes and businesses throughout our community. In response, the Spokane Home Builders Association is sharing this checklist to help residents clean up safely and begin the rebuilding process with confidence.

  1. Contact Your Insurance Company.
    The first step is to review your homeowners insurance policy and contact your insurance company as soon as possible to report your damages. To support your claim, take photos of all damages and have copies of any related receipts to show the claims agent or adjuster.
  2. Stay Safe During Damage Assessments.
    After the disaster, don’t let another disaster strike. Unfortunately, injuries after wildfires are all too common, such as equipment accidents, falls, or burns. In general, damaged structures and surfaces are unstable and unsafe. Experts say that homeowners should take extreme caution around trees, downed power lines, and other towering structures that may have lost stability.
  3. Create a Recovery Folder. Rebuilding or repairing a home after a wildfire can be a complex process, with many people, documents, and processes involved. It is recommended that, as you continue through the recovery process, you compile and organize any applicable contacts, communications, or forms into either virtual or physical folders to keep this information centralized and easily accessible.
  4. Work with a Professional Home Builder. Hiring an expert local contractor has many benefits. A professional home builder can provide a wealth of experience and professional integrity and solve any challenges you may encounter as you begin to rebuild your home. Your local home builders association has a list of building industry professionals who understand the intricacies of building homes in our area and have a firm grasp on the requirements to meet city ordinances, regulations, and permits.
  5. Preparing Your Future Home. Ask a building industry professional to future-proof your home for increased climate resilience. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently published guidance for home builders and remodelers on designing structures for resilience against natural hazards. Learn more at www.hud.gov.

 

Demolition Permit Requirements Checklist:

  • Provide a Site Plan:
    Show lot lines, all structures on parcel and label structure(s) to be demolished, temporary erosion and sediment controls if near a body of water.

 

  • Obtain an asbestos survey:
    This is a Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency (SRCAA) requirement to check for the presence of asbestos. This must be done by an AHERAcertified building inspector.

 

  • Provide notification to Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency (SRCAA) by filing a Notice of Intent (NOI). This can be done online by the homeowner or the contractor who conducted the survey. NOI fees are being waived, including those for emergency (fast-tracked) NOIs, for those affected by these fires. File online: https://spokanecleanair.org/asbestos/asbestosnotifications-payment-portal/

 

Fire Demolition and Rebuilding FAQs

Scroll To Top