Forestdale Fire District Business Office
Monday, Tuesday, and Friday 7:30 – 3:30
Wednesday 9:00 – 5:00
Thursday 7:30 – 12:00
Closed Daily from 11:00 – 1:00
Business Office 205-798-5611
Michelle Jones – Office Manager
businessoffice@forestdalefire.com
Payment Methods:
We now offer online payments! There is a convenience fee associated with doing this if you use a debit or credit card. If you set up an E-check, there is no fee. Please use the link on the right below.
Check – please include account number and telephone number on your check. Also, please do not staple checks.
Money order – please include account number and telephone number on your money order, and do not staple.
We will accept Cash during regular business hours only. Firefighters cannot accept any payments. WE DO NOT KEEP ANY CHANGE; THEREFORE, YOUR CASH MUST BE FOR THE EXACT AMOUNT YOU WISH TO PAY ON YOUR ACCOUNT.
YEARLY BILLING
Bills go out the fourth week in December as a courtesy reminder. Fire dues are mandatory and must be paid in a timely manner. They are due January 1st and delinquent after February 28th. You are paying for the calendar year which covers January 1st of this year through December 31st of the same year. Rebilling fees are added March 1st and April 16th. These charges cannot be waived unless there has been a bookkeeping error on our part. Not receiving a bill does not constitute removal of rebilling fees. We are not responsible for owner/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 dues on delinquent properties are turned over to the Jefferson County Tax Collector and added to the real estate tax balance that is due. If Jefferson County Tax Collector does not assess the fire dues, the balance will be 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. We always send the bill to the property owner. We do not bill mortgage companies. When you receive your bill for fire dues, 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 January) and send it to your mortgage company. The mortgage company bills your escrow account (usually about the first of February) and pays the third party which in turn pays us (generally in the last couple of days of February).
If your mortgage company sent you a letter stating that they paid your fire dues and you have paid them yourself.
Payments received from a mortgage company after the homeowner has paid are posted to the account. If the homeowners check comes in after the mortgage company, we will attempt to return the check to you. If both payments are posted, your account will have a credit balance. Refunds of credit balances must be requested in writing after May 1st. You may email the business office to request a refund or come in during office hours. Also, if the mortgage company pays 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 are in doubt that it was/will be paid by your mortgage company, please check with them. Most mortgage companies do not pay the fire dues until the last day and therefore the fire district will not be able to confirm if they will pay.
ASSESSMENT LETTER REQUEST – MUST BE PREPAID
***Assessment letter fees will be $25 regardless of who requests the letter.***
Assessment letter request should be emailed to businessoffice@forestdalefire.com Any faxed request will be returned via email if possible. There is a $25.00 charge that must be prepaid. Please include the complete property address, seller and purchaser information (including mailing address), or owner information if it is for a refinance.
****NOTICE****
Doxo payments will be honored on the “created date”. Please note that if you have created the payment on or before February 28th, there will be no rebilling fee for the payment arriving after February 28th. Also, if your payment is late, we will honor the “created date” before placing a lien.
No doxo payment fees will be refunded should Forestdale Fire District need to refund the payment. (Example, your mortgage company sent a payment that was posted to your account first so we will refund your payment. Doxo only sends us the payment, they keep the fees.)
01/01/2024 to 12/31/2024
FIRE DUES FEE STRUCTURE
| Single Family House | $312.00 |
| Single-wide manufactured home | $248.00 |
| Double-wide manufactured home | $312.00 |
| Garage, barn, shed, stable, outbuilding and the like | $108.00 |
| Each Apartment unit (including Duplex’s) | $198.00 |
| Each Assisted Living unit | $159.00 |
| Each Nursing Home Bed | $159.00 |
| Each Mobile Home Park Lot – Single | $248.00 |
| Each Mobile Home Park Lot – Double | $312.00 |
| Each Mobile Home Park Lot – Duplex | $198.00, per living unit |
| For each School, Church, Church daycare, Church School Building | $341.00 |
| For each lodge, pool, or community center | $341.00 |
| For Each business unit for 0 to 1,000 sq. ft. floor space S-1 | $422.00 |
| For Each business unit for 1,001 to 3,000 sq. ft. floor space S-2 | $792.00 |
| For Each business unit for 3,001 to 5,000 sq. ft. floor space S-3 | $1,167.00 |
| For Each business unit for 5,001 to 7,000 sq. ft. floor space S-4 | $1,531.00 |
| For Each business unit for 7,001 to 9,000 sq. ft. floor space S-5 | $1,893.00 |
| For Each business unit for 9,001 to 11,000 sq. ft. floor space S-6 | $2,264.00 |
| For Each business unit for 11,001 or more sq. ft. floor space S-7 | $2,633.00 |
Rebilling Fee on Balances not paid by February 28th $35.00; not paid by April 15th $35.00.
Water Supply Fee – The water supply fee is calculated based on the charges incurred by Forestdale Fire District from Birmingham Water Works, Brookside Water Works and Graysville Water Works for the hydrants located within the boundaries of the fire district.
| Residential | $10.00 |
| Apartment & Duplex Unit | $7.00 |
| Church Annex | $11.00 |
| Church Building | $11.00 |
| Church Daycare | $9.00 |
| Church School | $11.00 |
| Community Center | $11.00 |
| Doublewide | $9.00 |
| School Building | — |
| Trailer – Single Wide | $8.00 |
| Trailer Park – Single Wide | $8.00 |
| Trailer Park – Double Wide | $10.00 |
| Business S-1 | $14.00 |
| Business S-2 | $26.00 |
| Business S-3 | $38.00 |
| Business S-4 | $50.00 |
| Business S-5 | $62.00 |
| Business S-6 | $74.00 |
| Business S-7 | $86.00 |
| Daycare S-2 | $24.00 |
| Daycare S-3 | $38.00 |