Accreditation Fees

All fees are nonrefundable and payable in US Dollars. Department of Defense fire and emergency service agency fees and costs are paid via a contract. Costs for accreditation training is additional. If you have questions about the fees or payment options, please call us at (703) 691-4620 and press Option 1.

Registered Agency Fee

$700.00 for three years of registered agency status. If your agency becomes an applicant agency within one year of becoming a registered agency, we will apply the $700.00 towards your applicant agency fee. You can renew your registered agency status as many times as you need. Download the CFAI Agency Application and Information Form, submit to CPSE, and click here to pay the Agency Fee online.

Applicant Agency Fee

See the table below. Fees are based on the population served. Your fee covers 18 months of applicant agency status (24 months for all-volunteer agencies). You can extend your applicant agency status for 12 months a maximum of three times. Download and complete these forms and submit them to CPSE: CFAI Agency Application and Information Form and the Letter of Understanding for Applicant/Candidate Agencies. CPSE will invoice your agency the applicable fee shown below.

Candidate Agency Fee

There is no specific fee for candidate agency status, however, your agency is responsible for the travel costs of the peer assessors that conduct your onsite assessment as well as the travel costs for the peer team leader to present your agency’s accreditation report during a CFAI public hearing. We recommend agencies budget approximately $6,000 for the on-site assessment and $1,500 for the team leader’s travel to the CFAI hearing. You should also budget travel expenses for members of your agency to participate in the CFAI hearing.

Accredited Agency Fee

Once accredited, you will be invoiced an annual fee that is one-fifth the current applicant agency fee shown below for the population you serve.

Population Served	Fee
0-9,999	$6,300.00
10,000-49,999	$7,700.00
50,000-99,999	$9,000.00
100,000-199,999	$10,600.00
200,000-499,999	$11,700.00
500,000-999,999	$15,000.00
Over 1 million	$16,600.00

Late Payment Penalty Fee

CPSE has a NET30 payment policy. Most invoices issued are paid within this timeline. However, certain invoices are paid late causing disruption to CPSE operations. To encourage on-time payment, CPSE will be instituting a late payment penalty fee starting January 1, 2025.

Provided invoices are paid within 60 days of issuance, no late payment penalty fee will be levied. Invoices paid after 60 days of issuance will be levied a 5% penalty for each month the payment is late beyond that 60-day period.