Fire Hazard Abatement Invoice

[BikingBrian]

Back in the spring, we sold our old property and bought the one across the street.  The new property had years of pine needle accumulation on the ground, including ones that had been there so long they turned black.  So we weren't surprised when in the middle of our process of clearing the pine needles over many weekends, we got a warning notice from the county before the clearance deadline.  We had finished clearing away the pine needles by the deadline and heard nothing else from the from the county.

Furthermore, during the summer we paid about $1000 to have someone come in and trim the lower dead branches from all our trees.  I also had a dead tree removed by the county under its free tree removal program, and I removed a couple of dead trees myself that were too small to be covered under the county program.  Since the summer, some more pine needles have dropped, which we have cleaned up on a spot basis when they've accumulated.

So, to my surprise, after hearing nothing from the county since the spring, today I received a fire hazard abatement invoice in the mail, dated Monday 12/3/07.  Equally surprising is that the bill is only for $92.  It says "Late Abatement Fee - Hand Work".  We've been in town many weekends this year, including last weekend, working on repairs to our place, and I've seen no evidence of the county having done any cleanup. 

I'm really upset over this and plan to appeal.  But I'm concerned I will not have any recourse, as it will be my word against the county's.  We'll see what happens.

[Moose]

Let them PROVE IT!

[Wildman]

Back in the spring, we sold our old property and bought the one across the street.  The new property had years of pine needle accumulation on the ground, including ones that had been there so long they turned black.  So we weren't surprised when in the middle of our process of clearing the pine needles over many weekends, we got a warning notice from the county before the clearance deadline.  We had finished clearing away the pine needles by the deadline and heard nothing else from the from the county.

Furthermore, during the summer we paid about $1000 to have someone come in and trim the lower dead branches from all our trees.  I also had a dead tree removed by the county under its free tree removal program, and I removed a couple of dead trees myself that were too small to be covered under the county program.  Since the summer, some more pine needles have dropped, which we have cleaned up on a spot basis when they've accumulated.

So, to my surprise, after hearing nothing from the county since the spring, today I received a fire hazard abatement invoice in the mail, dated Monday 12/3/07.  Equally surprising is that the bill is only for $92.  It says "Late Abatement Fee - Hand Work".  We've been in town many weekends this year, including last weekend, working on repairs to our place, and I've seen no evidence of the county having done any cleanup. 

I'm really upset over this and plan to appeal.  But I'm concerned I will not have any recourse, as it will be my word against the county's.  We'll see what happens.

Give the County Fire Department a call and they should be able to confirm just what the notice is for.  Given what you done over the summer, things might have crossed in the mail.  Try calling the number for the Fire Prevention Office:  909.386-8400.  They are nice folks who would like to see this resolved amicably.  The point of the notice and the fee for handwork is for folks who haven't invested the time and effort that you have...not to punish those who have. 

[BikingBrian]

Give the County Fire Department a call and they should be able to confirm just what the notice is for.  Given what you done over the summer, things might have crossed in the mail.  Try calling the number for the Fire Prevention Office:  909.386-8400.  They are nice folks who would like to see this resolved amicably.  The point of the notice and the fee for handwork is for folks who haven't invested the time and effort that you have...not to punish those who have. 

Now that I've cooled off a bit, thanks for the info, I'll give them a call in the morning.

[Naughty pines]

I received the same notices, two of them. The second one was to see if I had cleaned the weeds and needles up. I was billed $184 for the inspector driving by twice. That is considered work done, some guy/woman alledgedly driving by my property twice and looking as he/she passed, probabley never slowed down or stopped for the stop sign. It's the government, what can you do? If you don't pay they put a lein on your property for the fine and you have to pay when you try to sell.
AND WE LIVE IN A "FREE" COUNTRY !

[Wildman]

Naughty-Had you cleared whatever they were referencing in the first notice?  Never heard of a fee for inspecting....only for those who had the crews come out and clear the violation by hand when folks ignored the notice.  They physically come out and clear the hazard and then bill you.  What you can do if you had cleared the hazard the first time is call the number I shared above and talk with a human with a name....not some faceless "government".  Trust me, they stopped and took a look....finding things on those big assessors maps takes real concentration.

Having spent a week with the evacuees who lost their homes in the
Grass Valley and Slide Fires, I know that homes were lost simply because there was a thick carpet of pine needles that brought fire creeping up to houses and then destroyed them.  I cannot tell you the times that people came up to me that week and wished they had done a better job of clearing around their homes and how they are now believers in defensible space. 

[Naughty pines]

I spoke to a female human and she told me the reason for the "work done" fine. There was no date for the "second inspection" so I don't know if it had been cleaned up when the "inspector" "came by" or not. She said they would send me a form to fill out to contest the second charge but I told her that it was useless to fight the government and paid the fine. If I would had lost the fight I probably would have had to pay more for the new "work done, them reading the claim form and telling me NO."   It's only money. Support your local government.

There were no dates on either of the notices.

[Nolena]

There's actually an appeals process and an impartial appeals board. You can request an appeal to go and state your case. The board then deliberates, makes a determination, and sends you written notice of their decision within 2 weeks.
And the decisions do not always go for the County.

This process is handled through Code Enforcement, not the fire department.

Any charge of $92, or multiple thereof, is an administration fee. The fee schedule has recently been dramatically changed. (and not in a good way)
There's a $92 late abatement fee, and there are a lot of other fees.
Ask for a fee schedule.

[Nolena]

Remember that Code Enforcement is just that. They enforce codes laid down by the Board of Supervisors.
To change the rules & fees, go to your County Supervisor.

[SkierBob]

I had the same 'work done' fine on my propriety in Palmdale.. This was after I had cleared every piece of vegetation off the propriety.  I basically told them to prove it with pictures or something else. However it went as far as them putting a lien on my propriety which really pissed me off before they did back down. 

My neighbor had a L.A. County camp crew clear a fire zone. When I went down and asked him about it he told me they were doing it for free because his wife is handicapped. Evidently if the owner or one of the owners is handicapped this service is provided for free in L.A. County..  Personally I think the husband and his lame kid should have cleared their own brush,, but that's another story.

[Wrightwood]

You can call (909) 387-4123 and request a detailed invoice sheet.