Brush Clearance Fines May Be Added to Taxes
The City Council voted unanimously this week to approve an ordinance allowing unpaid brush clearance inspection fees to be added to Los Angeles County property tax bills.
The ordinance, passed 14 to 0 Tuesday, will affect people who have not complied with orders to improve their property’s fire safety after two on-site inspections and then failed to pay Fire Department fines, according to Deputy Battalion Chief Al Hernandez. The department’s noncompliance fee is $204.
“This covers everybody we inspect--homeowners with brush clearance problems, commercial building owners who don’t have proper fire extinguishers,” Hernandez said. “If you don’t pay the fines, now we have a way to collect the money.”
The Fire Department has long fined noncompliant property owners, but Hernandez estimated that the city has failed to collect about $500,000 annually because of problems recovering those fees.
By attaching the fees to county property taxes, Hernandez said, the Fire Department expects to recover 94% of the fines, according to internal estimates.
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