Brush Inspection Fees to Be Sought
The Los Angeles Fire Department plans to ask the City Council next month to levy a fee for annual brush inspections in the fire-prone hills that surround the San Fernando Valley and other parts of the city.
The council took the first step Tuesday toward enacting such a fee that would be paid by about 180,000 property owners whose land is situated within the department’s mountain fire district and buffer zones.
In the Valley, the designation encompasses parts of Woodland Hills, Chatsworth, Sylmar, Pacoima and other areas, Assistant Fire Chief John Ware said. Ware said the Fire Department plans to request a $13-per-parcel charge.
The inspection charge would be levied regardless of whether property owners comply with brush-clearance rules.
The department also intends to ask the council to raise the costs of failing to comply with clearance mandates. If the city is forced to return to the property of a homeowner in noncompliance and pare back the brush, it hopes to increase the bill from $252 to $314, Ware said.
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