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Fire Prevention Fee

What Is the Fire Prevention Fee?

• The Fire Prevention Fee is an annual fee for fire prevention services that owners of habitable structures in the State’s Responsibility Area (SRA) are required by law to pay. The SRA is the area of the state where the State of California is financially responsible for the prevention and suppression of wildfires. The SRA does not include lands within incorporated city boundaries or federally owned land. You can see if your property is in the SRA by looking up your address here CAL FIRE - Fire Prevention Fee SRA Parcel Map.

When Will I Receive My Fire Fee Bill?

• The mailing schedule for fire fee bills will be posted here when it is determined.

How Do I Pay My Bill?

Bills are due 30 days from the date printed on the bill. Your payment must be postmarked by the due date to avoid penalty and interest charges. The bill contains instructions about how and where to pay. This is what a bill looks like:  Sample of a Board of Equalization (BOE) Notice of Determination

BOE has these convenient, simple, and secure methods to make a payment:

• You can make a payment electronically by having the funds electronically withdrawn from your bank account.
• You can also pay by credit card over the Internet or by calling 1-855-292-8931 (phone number will be operational on April 1, 2013).
• If you choose to pay the fee by check, make sure to include your feepayer account number in the check memo.

How Much is the Fee?

• The Board of Forestry and Fire Protection adjusts the fee annually. It is currently $150.00 per habitable structure located within an SRA. If the habitable structure is also within the boundaries of a local agency that provides fire protection services, the property owner will receive a $35.00 reduction for each habitable structure.
• Approximately 90-95% of habitable structures in the SRA are covered by a local fire protection agency resulting in most bills amounting to $115 per habitable structure.

Who Determines Who Pays the Fee?

Each year, CAL FIRE provides the Board of Equalization (BOE) a list of owners of habitable structures required to pay and the amount of fee(s) to be assessed on each structure. The BOE then issues the billings and collects the fees.

The list of fee payers includes the owners of habitable structures such as apartment buildings, detached houses, duplexes, mobile homes, etc. as recorded on the county assessor rolls, or as recorded by the Department of Housing and Community Development's rolls on July 1 of the fiscal year for which the fee is due. Habitable structures do NOT include incidental buildings such as detached garages, barns, outdoor sanitation facilities and sheds.

How Do I Appeal the Fee?

If you believe you do not owe the fee, you may submit an appeal to CAL FIRE (known as a petition for redetermination) after you receive the bill from BOE.

• The appeal must be submitted within 30 days from the date printed on the bill.
• The appeal (Fire Prevention Fee Petition for Redetermination) must be in writing and describe the specific grounds upon which you are basing the appeal. The form and mailing instructions can be found at the Fire Prevention Fee Website
• CAL FIRE will review and make a decision on the appeal within 60 days from the time they receive the appeal. The BOE will be notified of the decision, and send a revised billing or issue a refund if CAL FIRE determines the payments made are not due.

IMPORTANT! The filing of an appeal does not prevent accrual of interest. You are advised to pay the fees while CAL FIRE considers your appeal. Paying the fee does not, in any way, affect consideration of your appeal.

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