About the Building
Palisades Circle Villas is a gated townhome community in the Palisades Highlands, the hillside section of Pacific Palisades that climbs Palisades Drive north of Sunset Boulevard. Its addresses run along Palisades Drive and the Palisades Circle loop, and listing records date construction to 1983, with aggregator sites counting roughly sixty residences. Homes are two- and three-bedroom townhome plans with attached two-car garages, and owners share a pool, spa, gym and sauna behind controlled-access gates. Public documentation on the association itself is thin, so much of what matters here has to come from the HOA directly.
The Highlands is the newest large-scale neighborhood in Pacific Palisades. Developer Charles Chastain assembled the canyon acreage in the mid-1960s, donated roughly 1,500 acres to parkland, and began building in the early 1970s; the community has grown to around 1,800 homes and condominiums framed by Topanga State Park. Palisades Drive, the long winding road built to serve the development, is the primary route in and out, and the neighborhood supports its own small commercial plaza. Trailheads for Santa Ynez Canyon and Temescal Ridge sit close by, which is much of the area's appeal — and part of its fire exposure.
No honest description of the Highlands can skip January 7, 2025. The Palisades fire ignited on Temescal Ridge above the neighborhood, and driven by extreme winds it ultimately burned more than 23,000 acres, destroyed roughly 6,800 structures and killed twelve people before containment at the end of the month. Reporting from the first hours described gridlock on Palisades Drive as residents fled downhill, with abandoned cars bulldozed aside for fire engines. Within the Highlands, coverage described uneven outcomes — some streets lost nearly everything while adjacent blocks survived. Nothing publicly documented states how this particular association fared, and this page does not guess.
The fire reshaped the practical questions buyers ask here. California's insurance commissioner imposed a one-year moratorium on cancellations and non-renewals in ZIP codes in and around the fire perimeter, and the state FAIR Plan — already carrying heavy exposure in 90272 — became the fallback for many owners as admitted carriers retrenched. For an attached community, the association's master policy matters as much as any individual policy, and its current carrier, coverage and cost are questions only the HOA can answer. LAUSD's campuses were hit hard: Marquez Charter and Palisades Charter elementary schools were destroyed, with Marquez back on site in modular classrooms since fall 2025 and multi-year rebuilds approved.
Day to day, the trade-off is the classic Highlands one: quiet canyon surroundings several minutes' drive above the village, reached by a single public road. Palisades Drive is the only routine way in or out, which shapes commutes, deliveries and evacuation planning alike. Listing records label these homes townhouses while public records on at least one sale describe the legal form as condominium, so title documents and CC&Rs should settle ownership form, insurance responsibility, pets and leasing rules. Treat aggregator unit counts and square footages as approximations, and put dues, reserves, claims history and any post-fire remediation squarely to the association.
Amenities & Services
The Residences
Aggregator listings describe two-bedroom plans of roughly 2,000 to 2,200 square feet and three-bedroom plans near 2,700 square feet, across multi-level layouts; verify any unit's size against assessor records rather than marketing copy.
Each home is marketed with a private, direct-entry two-car garage, several with extra storage or a bonus area behind the parking bays — a practical advantage in attached housing and worth inspecting for permitted use.
Interiors in listing descriptions run to high or vaulted ceilings, skylights, fireplaces and formal dining rooms with wet bars — a distinctly 1983 package. Condition varies widely by unit after four decades, so judge each home individually.
Marketing for resales highlights vaulted primary suites with wraparound balconies, walk-in closets and dual-sink baths. Balconies and decks are also maintenance items; ask the association who repairs and waterproofs them and how recently that happened.
Shared facilities include a pool, spa, exercise room, sauna and sun deck behind controlled-access entry. Confirm with the HOA that all amenities are currently open and operational, including any post-2025 repairs or remediation affecting them.
Homes face Palisades Drive and the quieter Palisades Circle loop, with Santa Ynez Canyon terrain around them and Topanga State Park trailheads nearby. The setting is the draw; it is also the wildfire interface, so weigh both.
Due Diligence
Attached direct-entry two-car garages come with each townhome, and the community is described as controlled access with secure parking. Guest-parking rules and any assigned exterior spaces are not published anywhere reliable — ask the manager.
No pet policy for this association is publicly documented. California law protects the right to keep at least one pet in common-interest developments, but counts, sizes and breed rules live in the CC&Rs — request them early.
Rental caps, minimum lease terms and short-term-rental rules are not published for Palisades Circle Villas. California limits how far HOAs can restrict leasing, but specifics vary; lenders will also ask about the owner-occupancy ratio.
Monthly dues fund the pool, spa, gym, sauna, gates and common maintenance; at least one past listing record indicated earthquake coverage was included at that time. Get the current budget, reserve study and any pending special assessments.
After the January 2025 fire, insurance in 90272 became a central question: a state moratorium temporarily limited cancellations and non-renewals, and the FAIR Plan is the fallback for many. Review the association's master-policy declarations and your own HO-6 quotes.
These are early-1980s attached hillside buildings per listing records. Commission a full inspection, and ask the board about slope and drainage maintenance, any seismic evaluations, and whether post-fire structural or smoke assessments were performed on the buildings.
No reserve study or project history is public. Ask for recent board minutes covering roofs, decks, paint, paving and the amenity building, plus anything fire-related — remediation, landscaping replacement or insurance-funded repairs — and how each was financed.
Interior updates typically need architectural approval where walls, floors, plumbing or venting touch shared elements, plus Los Angeles permits. Post-fire, the city has special rebuild provisions for the area; routine interior remodels follow the normal process.
Everything above is drawn from public records, city permit data and published sources. The association’s statutory disclosure package is the only authoritative answer on dues, rules, reserves, insurance and litigation — Ben will request it and read it with you before you remove contingencies.
Common Questions
Keep Exploring
More about the neighbourhood: Pacific Palisades
Off Market & Coming Soon
Residences here reach the open market rarely, and some never do. Ask Ben to tell you when one is coming, including quietly.
Work With Ben
Units here often trade before they are ever listed. Tell Ben what you are looking for and hear first when something opens up, including off market.
Start the ConversationOff Market & Coming Soon
Residences here reach the open market rarely, and some never do. Ask Ben to tell you when one is coming, including quietly.
Ben will reach out shortly to set up your tour.
