Rural landowners in the state of California will soon be levied with a $150-per-building fee for fire protection, thanks to a budget appropriation bill that Gov. Jerry Brown just signed into law.

The bill, authored by Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield (D-San Fernando Valley), aims to close some of the state budget shortfall by directly charging those who live in areas where CalFire – the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection – is the responsible firefighting agency.

“As a result of population increases and urban development in state responsibility areas in recent decades, there has been a significant increase in state costs associated with fire protection in state wildland areas,” Brown wrote in a signing statement. “This bill recognizes that a portion of the costs borne by the state for wildland fire prevention and protection services should be funded by landowners in these areas.”

Brown called upon the legislature to develop “clean-up” legislation regarding the bill – apparently to close suspected loopholes.

Assm. Wes Chesbro (D-Arcata) and Sen. Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) both voted in favor of the appropriation.

Wondering if your property will be subject to the fee? Stay tuned – we’re working on getting a map up.