Over the next few weeks, more than 130,000 property owners will receive a brush inspection notice from the Los Angeles Fire Department, reminding them to clear the weeds and trim the shrubs and trees on their property to reduce the risk of wildfire.
The notice set off a conflagration last year when Los Angles first imposed the fee - $13 to recoup the cost of conducting the inspections.
The letter gave each homeowner a choice: Pay the fee or conduct the inspection yourself, which included sumitted a signed affidavit, a copy of the tax assessor's map of their land and photographs showing their cleared property.
More than 30,000 property owners sent in the self- inspection affidavits. It took LAFD employees weeks to manually go through the mail and verify the information.
Fire officials concede it was a messy, confusing process.
This year, there are some changes. I spoke with Capt. Robert Knight, who heads the fire department's brush clearance unit to get the lowdown.
What's different in 2011?
The fee is now $23, an increase of $10, but it's easier to avoid the fee. After consulting with the city attorney's office, the fire department revised the self-inspection process. Now all you need to do is sign the affidavit saying you've done the necessary brush clearance. No photos or maps needed.
Whether you pay the inspection fee or self-inspect, you still have to clear the land. The fire department will begin
inspecting properties on May 1.If inspectors find your yard out of compliance, you'll be fined $320 and given another chance to clear the brush. If inspectors find violations on their second visit, you'll be fined an additional $997.
What else is different?
The fire department is better equipped to deal with the deluge of affidavits. It has assigned a bar code to each parcel, which can be scanned to verify that the fee was paid or the affidavit returned.
Why charge an inspection fee anyway?
The fire department spends $2.3 million annually to inspect more than 130,000 properties in high-risk areas. The city used to absorb the expense but can no longer do so because of the budget crisis. (The inspection fee was approved in 1998 but shelved by the former Mayor Richard Riordan and the City Council after a public outcry.)
Last year the fire department raised $1.5 million with the $13 fee. The department expects to collect $2 million this year.
Kerry Cavanaugh is an editorial writer and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News. She can be reached at kerry.cavanaugh@dailynews.com.
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