The cash-strapped city of Los Angeles for the first time will begin charging residents living in a “wildfire danger zone” a $13 fee for having their home inspected for adequate fire clearance. Firefighters, earning overtime pay on their days off, will check to be sure flammable vegetation within 200-feet of the structures has been cleared.

If the home fails the first inspection the resident will be charged a $300 re-inspection fee. If the city has to hire a contractor to do the work, the homeowner will have to pay a $1,112 administrative fee plus the cost billed by the contractor.

A homeowner can avoid the $13 inspection fee by doing a self-inspection, but they have to provide a signed affidavit, a copy of the Tax Assessor’s map of the property, and photographs showing that the work has been done.