Citrus Heights to consider adding late fee for rental housing inspection

Sentinel staff report–
The Citrus Heights City Council on Thursday will consider a staff recommendation to add a late fee associated with its Rental Housing Inspection Program, which launched in 2019.

The recommendation would add a $25 late fee, and an $11 re-scheduling fee “to recover costs associated with the process,” according to an agenda packet for the upcoming Feb. 22 City Council meeting. The new fees are recommended along with several other changes to the city’s master fee schedule, following an annual staff review, the packet says.

The city’s mandatory Rental Housing Inspection Program was launched as an effort to improve the quality of life for tenants in the city and requires owners to pay an annual registration fee of $67 for single-family residences, with rates up to $144 for rentals with five or more units. A housing stock fee of $17 to 28 per unit is also charged, depending on the number of units.

Other fee modifications to be considered at the city’s Feb. 22 meeting include a proposal to make pet licensing of dogs the same as cats. Currently annual registration of dogs is required, while a lifetime registration and senior discounted rate is available for cats. The change would allow altered and micro-chipped dogs to be receive lifetime registration for $69, with a senior rate being $57.

Two other fee changes proposed include a State Housing Incentive Project Deposit requirement of $5,000, which would “allow for full cost recovery of processing any housing application affiliated with a state housing incentive law and any unused funds would be refunded,” according to a staff report. The final fee change would update wording for “returned check” fees to instead be listed as a “returned payment” fee, to reflect all payment methods.

Those wishing to make a public comment during the meeting can do so by attending the council meeting on Feb. 22, 2024, at City Hall, or by submitting a written comment beforehand using the city’s website. The deadline to submit comments online is 4 p.m. on the day of the meeting. See full agenda packet online: click here.