Meeting About Fire Fee
Sacramento, CA — California’s new $150 fire fee will be the topic of a meeting later this month in Sacramento.
The Board of Forestry and Fire Protection will hold a special meeting on August 22nd to define “habitable structure.”
Property owners in the unincorporated areas of the state will soon be required to pay $150 for each “habitable structure” they own. It is currently unknown if it will apply to structures like guest homes and barns.
The Associated Press reports that there is also a debate playing out about whether the fee will create a shortfall for CAL Fire. The language in the new law states that the fee will be used to fund local fire prevention efforts through local fire districts, fire councils, or the California Conservation Corps. — but not the state fire department. Critics fear that this could lead to a $50 million shortfall for CAL Fire.
The new state fire fee also faces a threat of lawsuits and a ballot referendum.
