Expand to see Fee Schedule
Residential Rates
Residential rates are tied to property value, as assessed by the Shelby County Revenue Department.
| Property Value From | Property Value To | Dues Amount |
|---|---|---|
| $0.00 | $99,999.99 | $349.49 |
| $100,000.00 | $199,999.99 | $410.67 |
| $200,000.00 | $299,999.99 | $468.50 |
| $300,000.00 | $399,999.99 | $531.35 |
| $400,000.00 | $499,999.99 | $590.88 |
| $500,000.00 | $599,999.99 | $652.05 |
| $600,000.00 | $699,999.99 | $709.91 |
| $700,000.00 | $799,999.99 | $771.09 |
| $800,000.00 | $899,999.99 | $832.26 |
| $900,000.00 | $999,999.99 | $890.30 |
| $1,000,000.00 | $1,099,999.99 | $951.12 |
| $1,100,000.00 | And over | $1,014.12 |
Commercial / Vacant Property / Apartment / Hotel / Motel / Mobile Home Rates
Commercial rates are based on square footage of roofed floor space.
- Commercial Property Rates
- Property protected by automatic sprinklers: $0.1940 per square foot, per year
- Property not protected by automatic sprinklers: $0.2155 per square foot, per year
- Vacant Property Rates
- Vacant property less than 100 acres: $72.05 per year
- Vacant property over 100 acres: $0.71 per acre with a maximum of $1,419.10
- Apartment Rates
- Each apartment unit: $457.50 per year
- Offices and Club Houses: $0.2403 per square foot per year
- Hotel / Motel Rates
- Each room: $142.97 per year
- Offices and Club Houses: $0.2403 per square foot per year
- Mobile Home Rates
- Mobile Homes: $269.54
Additional Fees
Structures within 1,000 radial feet of a Birmingham Water Works Board fire hydrant will be charged a $16.00 hydrant fee.
| Business Office Hours | |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | 8 am – 4:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 8 am – 4:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 8 am – 4:30 pm |
| Thursday | 8 am – 4:30 pm |
| Friday | 8 am – 3 pm |
| Saturday | Closed |
Fire Department Service Fees are payable by September 30th. Late fees will be added after September 30th. If you have not received your dues notice, contact our Business Office.
Contact Information
Payment Methods:
Check
Check / please include account number and telephone number on your check. Mail or hand deliver to:
145 Narrows Drive Birmingham, AL 35242
Cash
We will accept Cash during regular business hours. 8 a.m. To 4 p.m. at
145 Narrows Drive Birmingham, AL 35242
Credit Card /Debit Card /Bank Draft
We now accept credit card, debit card and bank draft payments through Doxo. Processing fee for this payment method is $3.99 flat fee or 3.5% of transaction whichever is higher. Bank drafts are FREE. This fee goes to Doxo. Payments can be made through link at the top right of the screen “PAY FD SERVICE FEES” or by CLICKING HERE TO PAY
Payment Plans
As long as the balance is paid by September 30th, you may make as many small payments as needed. However, if you cannot have the balance paid by September 30th, please call the Office Manager to sign a payment agreement. A Rebilling fee will be added in October but once all agreed upon payments are made in a timely manner, it will be reversed.
YEARLY BILLING
Bills go out the third week in May as a courtesy reminder. Fire Department Service Fees are mandatory and must be paid in a timely manner. They are due June 1st and delinquent after September 30th. You are paying for the fiscal year, which covers October 1st of this year through September 30th of the next year. Rebilling fees are added on October 1st. These charges cannot be waived unless there has been a bookkeeping error on our part. Not receiving a bill does not constitute the removal of rebilling fees. We are not responsible for address changes. It is the property owner’s responsibility to keep us informed of the correct billing address. If you sell your property, most title companies require an assessment letter stating whether dues are current. We will change the name on the account to the new owner at that time. However, you may want to contact us to make sure it was changed if an assessment letter was not requested. Fire Department Service Fees on delinquent properties are turned over to an attorney who will try again to collect but, if unsuccessful, may result in foreclosure proceedings. The fire district has first lien rights above mortgage companies.
MORTGAGE COMPANIES
Mortgage companies have become more aggressive in paying fire dues. Unless specifically requested, we always send the bill to the property owner. We do not bill mortgage companies. When you receive your bill for Fire Department Service Fees, call your mortgage company to see if they will be paying them from your escrow account. Mortgage companies generally use third-party tax services for items that can cause a lien to be placed on your property, i.e., taxes, fire dues, municipal assessments, etc. These institutions research your property to gather all that information (generally during October) and send it to your mortgage company. The mortgage company bills your escrow account (usually about the first of December) and pays the third party, which in turn pays us (generally in the last couple of days of December). Payments made to us between October and December are not reflected in their records which will still show a balance due.
If your mortgage company sent you a letter stating that they paid your fire dues and you have paid them yourself . . .
We accept the first payment we receive, regardless of who pays it. Any other payments are returned to the payer. There will not be a double payment on your account, and the mortgage company/tax service payment cannot be refunded to the property owner if they have already paid. Usually, the property owner’s payment was received first and applied. The second payment has been returned to the mortgage company/tax service that sent it, but the refund process generally takes 2 to 3 months to show the credit to your escrow account. Also, if they pay it once, chances are they will pay it again in the future. The best way to avoid the confusion is to let them pay it. If you doubt that it was paid, please call the CVFD Business Office in the middle of January and check. If they paid it in the past but not this time, arrangements for payment by the property owner can be made.