We propose a new method for characterizing the local parameters of fiber Bragg gratings. This method combines measurement of the complex impulse response by optical low-coherence reflectometry and reconstruction of the complex coupling coefficient by layer peeling. Application of the method to a nonhomogeneous grating shows that the local coupling coefficient can be precisely determined with an axial resolution below 20 microm and a maximum error of less than 5% for amplitude and phase, respectively.