Those who own homes on state land, in privately-owned forest, and on other rangeland where the state has primary financial responsibility for wildfire prevention and suppression, will be charged an annual “Fire Prevention Fee” of $150 as the result of a law signed on July 7, 2011.
The state Board of Equalization started sending out bills August 13th. The process is expected to take about four months because bills are mailed in alphabetical order, based on what county the resident lives in. The fees must be paid by homeowners within 30 days of the date on the bill to avoid a monetary penalty and interest.
However, some say it's another tax, and a lawsuit is in the works against it.
You can enter your address to see if you have to pay the new fee on this website:
www.firepreventionfee.orgAssemblymember Shannon Grove/(R) Bakersfield, says you can sign up to fight the fee at www.firetaxprotest.org and join the class-action lawsuit.
