About the Fire Prevention Fee

The State Responsibility Area (SRA) Fire Prevention Benefit Fee was enacted following the signing of Assembly Bill X1 29 in July 2011. The law approved the new annual Fire Prevention Fee to pay for fire prevention services within the SRA. The fee is applied to all habitable structures within the SRA.

Lilac Park falls within the SRA and lot owners are subject to this fee. At present, Lilac Park does not have a form opinion about this fee, though the consensus among homeowners is that the fee was unfairly levied against those in rural areas. Several groups and associations have filed lawsuits to overturn this fee, but none have gone to trial as yet. Lilac Park Homeowners Association will monitor these cases and keep ALPHA residents up to speed as information becomes available.

The fee, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last year, is intended to raise an estimated $84 million in its first year for fire-prevention efforts. The annual charge can run as high as $150 for property owners with a single occupied dwelling, although there is a $35 discount for those who already pay a local tax for fire protection.

For more information, visit http://www.firepreventionfee.org/

or use Google to search for “Cal Fire Prevention Fee.