Malibu Pier Repairs Start This Month: What's Still Open Between the Pier and the Civic Center This Fall

California State Parks scheduled crews to start repairing Malibu Pier in mid-October. The work is expected to finish by the end of January 2027. That date marks the end of construction. It is not a reopening date. State Parks says that once the work is done it will check conditions and decide what comes next. Because the repairs are complex, it hasn't set even a tentative date for reopening the end of the pier.

The end of the pier has been closed since January 2025, so it will have been off-limits for more than two years before anyone can walk it again. That leaves a winter in which the part of this stretch you can actually use is the pier entrance plus the few blocks up Cross Creek Road. And there's more there this fall than there was a year ago.

January is when the crews leave, not when the gate opens

Here is how the project has moved so far, according to State Parks' October 1 announcement and its closure FAQ:

1. January 2025. State Parks closed the end of the pier as a precaution after early findings showed structural problems.
2. After the closure. Inspections above and below the water confirmed that the pier needed major repairs.
3. June 2026. A specialized ocean engineering consultant finished a full structural assessment and found pilings that were deteriorated or missing.
4. September 21, 2026. Governor Gavin Newsom issued an emergency proclamation, which helped speed up the emergency contract.
5. October 1, 2026. State Parks announced that Cushman Contracting Corporation had won the contract.
6. Mid-October 2026 through the end of January 2027. About three months of work to repair or replace deteriorated and missing pilings and replace the bracing.
7. After that. State Parks will evaluate the pier and decide next steps.

The project costs $2.125 million and is paid for through Proposition 4, the 2024 Climate Bond. Getting there takes more than one sign-off. State Parks is working with the State Fire Marshal, the California Coastal Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the State Lands Commission and the State Water Resources Control Board to speed up reviews and emergency permits. It is also working with the City of Malibu.

Step seven is the one to keep in mind. The FAQ says the end of the pier "will need to remain closed until full repairs are completed." The evaluation comes after that. If friends are visiting in February, plan around what's open now rather than counting on the end of the pier.

The part of the pier that stays open

The closure covers the far end of the pier. The rest stays open, including the businesses closest to Pacific Coast Highway. State Parks lists what's open and what isn't during the repairs:

• Open: Malibu Farm Restaurant at the Pier, which sits outside the closed area.
• Open: Beach rentals and beach equipment services, located before you walk onto the pier.
• Open: Fishing from the designated areas that remain open, following posted guidelines.
• Closed: Malibu Farm Pier Café at the end of the pier.
• Closed: The Surfshop and Souvenir Shop at the end of the pier.

The FAQ also suggests that people with plans to visit enjoy the open parts of the pier and the beaches around it. State Parks says it will post updates as major repair milestones are reached. Updates go up on the FAQ page, the Malibu Lagoon State Beach page and the Angeles District State Parks Instagram account. If you've been waiting for the end of the pier, those are the pages to check, not the gate.

Up Cross Creek Road, the Civic Center has been filling in

With the end of the pier closed through at least January, the Civic Center is the nearby place that has changed most. Some of these changes date back only to August.

The farmers market is back in its usual lot. The Malibu Farmers Market returned on August 30 to its longtime home, the Los Angeles County lot at Malibu Library on Civic Center Way. It runs Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. According to the City of Malibu, the market spent one Sunday in the City Hall parking lot while the move back was worked out. The City worked with the Cornucopia Foundation, County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath's office and Santa Monica College on the return, and thanked Cornucopia founder Debra Bianco for keeping the market going. Los Angeles Magazine also covered the return at the end of August.

Wally's has opened at Cross Creek Ranch. Los Angeles Magazine put Wally's Malibu on its August list of new restaurants. It's the latest location of the wine shop the Marciano family bought in 2013, after earlier locations in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Las Vegas. The magazine called the Malibu store more laid-back than the others. It has grab-and-go food for the beach, a fondue experience, a smash burger and caviar cones. It also carries the truffle Brie baguette that regulars of the other stores will know, plus more than 4,000 bottles of wine and spirits. The address is 23465 Civic Center Way. For a beach day, that's a closer picnic stop than the café that used to sit at the end of the pier.

Clark's turns one next week. Wally's shares the 23465 Civic Center Way address with Clark's Oyster Bar. Eater LA reported that Clark's opened there on October 28, 2025, after an eight-month delay caused by the fire. That puts its first anniversary six days after this post goes up. When it opened, Eater described a 175-seat dining room designed around canyon and ocean views, with a mural by Los Angeles artist Nikolai Haas and the saltwater aquarium that every Clark's location has. In the same article, Eater listed Wally's, Pura Vida Miami and Chitchat Coffee & Matcha as tenants planned for the center. Wally's has since opened.

Cherry has opened at the Country Mart. Across the road, Cherry is in Suite 23 at Malibu Country Mart, 3835 Cross Creek Road. The Malibu Times called it a newly opened clothing brand focused on classic American style when it listed the shop among this year's Malibu Chili Cook-Off contestants.

On the calendar while the pilings go in

The City's fall schedule runs alongside the repair work, and most of it is a short drive from the pier entrance. These are the dates still ahead as of October 22:

You register for the Bu Bash through the City of Malibu, and limited walk-up spots may be available. The Malibu Times reports that the Legacy Park storytime walks teach young children about local waterfowl and native gardens. Attendees at the plant giveaway take home a native plant from the Santa Monica Mountains for their own gardens.

Legacy Park also has things to see on any day, with no registration needed. The Poetry Stone Path features works by past Malibu Poet Laureates. The current Verse About Town poems by local writers are posted in the park, and more are on display at Malibu Bluffs Park and Malibu Library.

Reading the pier timeline from here

Over the next three months, watch for the milestone updates State Parks has promised. Those will show whether the work is on track for the end of January, and they're the only official place a reopening plan will appear. Until then, the open part of the pier, the Sunday market in the library lot, the shops and restaurants at Cross Creek Ranch and the Country Mart, and the November programs at Legacy Park are what this part of town has to offer for the winter.

Malibu Pier's timeline also matters to anyone thinking about a home near the Civic Center or Malibu Lagoon State Beach, since nearby amenities shape how a place lives through the seasons. If you're weighing how projects like this one affect a property you own or are considering, Joshua Spiegel can walk you through the local details. Let's Connect.