Washington County staff propose $75 fire-inspection fee, board asks for stricter enforcement language

Washington County staff presented a draft procedure to begin charging businesses for required fire inspections and described a stepped notice-and-enforcement process, starting with an initial $75 fee and escalating notices for nonresponse.

The proposal covers outreach before scheduled inspections, repeated mailings if businesses do not schedule, surprise on-site inspections on the scheduled date if there is no appointment, and a path to civil enforcement and court if businesses refuse access. “So last month, we provided with the token and discussed starting to charge for fire inspections. So I did some homework over the last month here to try and come up with procedures for doing that,” said a staff member presenting the plan. The staff member said notices would go out three months before a scheduled inspection, be re-sent by regular mail and then by certified mail, and that a failure to respond would lead to a final notice and an unannounced inspection on the scheduled date.

Board members pressed staff on details they…