State responsibility areas: payments to local government entities: fire prevention activities.

Existing law requires the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to establish a fire prevention fee to be charged on each habitable structure, defined as a building used or intended to be used for human habitation, on a parcel that is within a state responsibility area, as defined. Existing law requires that moneys collected from the fee be deposited into the State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fund and be available, upon appropriation, to the board and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for specified fire prevention activities that benefit the owners of habitable structures within a state responsibility area who are required to pay the fee, as prescribed. Existing law requires the board, among other things, to establish a local assistance grant program for those fire prevention activities provided by counties and other local agencies with state responsibility areas within their jurisdictions. This bill would also expressly authorize the use of moneys in the fund for payments to local government entities that carry out fire prevention activities in state responsibility areas pursuant to an agreement with the department.