(a) (1) On and after January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2017, inclusive, any applicant for a local business license or equivalent instrument or permit, and from any applicant for the renewal of a business license or equivalent instrument or permit, shall pay an additional fee of one dollar ($1) for that license, instrument, or permit, which shall be collected by the city, county, or city and county that issued the license, instrument, or permit.

(2) On and after January 1, 2018, the following shall apply:

(A) Any applicant for a local business license or equivalent instrument or permit, and any applicant for the renewal of a business license or equivalent instrument or permit, shall pay an additional fee of four dollars ($4) for that license, instrument, or permit, which shall be collected by the city, county, or city and county that issued the license, instrument, or permit.

(B) In any city, county, or city and county that does not issue a business license or an equivalent instrument or permit, an applicant for a building permit shall pay an additional fee of four dollars ($4) for that building permit, which the city, county, or city and county that issued the building permit shall collect.

(b) (1) The city, county, or city and county shall retain 90 percent of the fees collected under this section, of which up to 5 percent of the retained moneys may be used for related administrative costs of this chapter. The city, county, or city and county shall deposit the remaining moneys in a special fund, established by the city, county, or city and county to be known as the “Accessibility Compliance Fund.” The moneys in the fund shall be used for increased certified access specialist (CASp) training and certification within that local jurisdiction and to facilitate compliance with construction-related accessibility requirements, to include providing financial assistance to small businesses for construction of physical accessibility improvements. The highest priority shall be given to the training and retention of certified access specialists to meet the needs of the public in the jurisdiction as provided in § 55.53 of the Civil Code.

(c) The remaining amount of all fees collected under this section and not retained by the city, county, or city and county pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be transmitted on a quarterly basis to the Division of the State Architect for deposit in the Disability Access and Education Revolving Fund established under Sections 4465 and 4470. The funds shall be transmitted within 15 days of the last day of the fiscal quarter. The Division of the State Architect shall develop and post on its internet website a standard reporting form for use by all local jurisdictions. Up to 75 percent of the collected funds in the Disability Access and Education Revolving Fund shall be used to establish and maintain oversight of the CASp program and to moderate the expense of CASp certification and testing.

(d) Each city, county, or city and county shall make an annual report, commencing March 1, 2014, to the Division of the State Architect of the total fees collected in the previous calendar year and of its distribution, including the moneys spent on administrative services, the activities undertaken and moneys spent to increase CASp services, the activities undertaken and moneys spent to fund programs to facilitate accessibility compliance, including the total amount of financial assistance provided to small businesses for construction of physical accessibility improvements and the number of small businesses that obtained financial assistance for construction of physical accessibility improvements, and the moneys transmitted to the Disability Access and Education Revolving Fund.

(e) For purposes of this section, a “small business” is a business that has employed 50 or fewer employees on average over the past three years, or for the years it has been in existence if less than three years, as evidenced by wage report forms filed with the Employment Development Department.

(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 895, Sec. 1. (AB 2164) Effective January 1, 2023.)