Counties waiving fees after fall fires

Southern California jurisdictions are assisting homeowners hit by the fires of late October in the rebuilding process by waiving or seeking reimbursement of building permit fees.

The counties of Riverside, Ventura, San Diego and, most recently, San Bernardino have opted to waive the fees, which can amount to thousands of dollars and cover charges such as application and inspection costs. Los Angeles County is exploring a fee-reimbursement plan.

“We want to lend assistance to people that have suffered such a disaster,” said David Wert, spokesman for San Bernardino County, where 1,128 homes were lost.

Even at a time when governments are being squeezed financially by the state, Wert said the county has set aside $500,000 from its general fund and from community development block grants to cover the costs.

The fee waivers will be available in San Bernardino County for those who can demonstrate hardship, according to Wert, such as where there are gaps in insurance.

Officials of Riverside County, where 25 residences were destroyed, and San Diego County, which lost 1,993 homes, said they would waive fees even for those who had insurance to cover the costs.

“Citizens of the county have been traumatized,” said Scott Gilmore, with San Diego County’s Department of Planning and Land Use. “We want to make it as easy as possible for homeowners to rebuild.”

The ruling last week by San Bernardino County officials should provide a margin of relief to the many homeowners who were underinsured when the fires hit, such as Dr. Lin Adams, a dentist and San Bernardino County resident who lost her home of 20 years. Adams and her family had 15 minutes to evacuate and were able to save only a cello, a saxophone and some family photographs.

The savings from the waivers -- about $1,500 by county estimates -- is a good gesture, said Adams, who has relocated temporarily to a home in Redlands with her husband, Gary Arnott, and their two sons. “Having the building fees waived will take one less burden off of us, which is important,” she said. “It will make a big difference.”

Adams estimates it will take $350,000 to $400,000 and 1 1/2 years to rebuild the 2,000-square-foot home, which was in the upper Waterman Canyon of San Bernardino County. Her home was appraised shortly before the fires at much less, but insurance will cover only a conservative $172,000 for structural replacement. Other potential replacement items, such as furniture, a workshop and 65 Douglas firs that sat on the 1 1/2-acre property, would come out of their pocket.

The city of San Bernardino had decided to waive building permit fees before the county joined in to extend coverage to unincorporated areas, even if coffers would suffer.

“These people are struggling with the biggest loss of their lives,” said City Councilman Neil Derry. “Our goal is to have them rebuild as quickly as possible.”

Los Angeles County, where 54 homes were destroyed, mostly in a rural area north of Claremont, won’t waive fees but will seek reimbursement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The process could take time.

“We are still resolving issues with FEMA over the Northridge earthquake,” said Paul Novak in L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s office. “I can’t answer how long this will take.”

The reimbursement of fees for county homeowners would amount to a savings of about $6,000 per home, according to Novak. But other issues must be resolved before rebuilding can begin, such as improved access for emergency vehicles in and out of Palmer Canyon, where the fires hit hard, as well as creation of a water system that provides firefighters with access.

“I am reasonably optimistic that FEMA will concur for waiving these fees,” Novak said, “but there are other issues there that need to be resolved.”

Allison B. Cohen can be reached at a.cohen@ix.netcom.com.