About the Fire Prevention Fee

The State Responsibility Area (SRA) Fire Prevention 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.

Effective July 1, 2014, the fee is levied at the rate of $152.33 per habitable structure, which is defined as a building that can be occupied for residential use. Owners of habitable structures who are also within the boundaries of a local fire protection agency will receive a reduction of $35 per habitable structure.

This fee funds a variety of important fire prevention services in the SRA. Such activities include fuel reduction activities that lessen risk of wildfire to communities and evacuation routes. Other activities include defensible space inspections, fire prevention engineering, emergency evacuation planning, fire prevention education, fire hazard severity mapping, implementation of the State and local Fire Plans and fire-related law enforcement activities such as arson investigation.

Please visit the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Frequently Asked Questions to obtain additional information and answers to questions regarding the SRA Fire Prevention Fee.

The fee is billed annually on the State's fiscal year calendar which begins July 1 and ends June 30. Information regarding billing and the current billing schedule is available on the BOE Fire Prevention Fee page.

What is the State Responsibility Area (SRA)?

The State Responsibility Area (SRA) is the area of the state where the State of California is financially responsible for the prevention and suppression of wildfires. SRA does not include lands within city boundaries or in federal ownership. To see if a parcel is within the SRA enter in the parcel address in the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection's State Responsibility Area Viewer. Click Here

What's New

CAL FIRE Announces Over $15 Million in New Grants - December 2, 2016
Sacramento – More than $15 million spread across 34 California counties will be used to remove dead and dying trees and thin fuels that could otherwise exacerbate wildfires, CAL FIRE announced today. Using state funds and fees collected from homeowners who live in California’s urban-wildland interface, CAL FIRE awarded the $15.75 million in 107 separate grants to fire safe councils, resource conservation districts, cities, counties, park districts, fire departments, and other entities. The funds will help reduce the public safety threat of trees at risk of falling on roads, homes, and other infrastructure.
2017 SRA and TM Project Grant Recipients

Prorating the Fee during a Property Sale - Effective January 1, 2016, new legislation permits a property owner with one or more habitable structures subject to the fee, when selling his property, to negotiate apportionment of the fee between buyer and seller as one of the terms of the sale. For more information, please click on the link, http://firepreventionfee.org/sra_laws.php.

Natural Disaster Exemption – Beginning July 1, 2014, if your habitable structure is no longer habitable due to a natural disaster, you may be exempt from paying the Fire Prevention Fee.  For information on submitting an exemption request, please click on the link, http://firepreventionfee.org/sra_NDE.php.