While it is true that individual SAR teams in California do not themselves charge for searches and/or rescues, the Sheriff of each County is responsible for covering those costs.
In California, a victim is never financially liable for their rescue, even if they are deemed negligent or reckless. In Inyo County the Sheriff covers all the costs, and the annual budget includes monies which, perhaps, may cover the Sheriff's costs for SAR activity.
National Parks, like SEKI and Yosemite, budget for rescue costs, but do not ask the victim to pay.
Outside of Inyo County, and if the victim lives in California, the Sheriff of their County of residence is billed to cover the costs.
If the victim lives outside of California, the Inyo Sheriff is responsible for the entire cost of their rescue/recovery.
Your local Sheriff's dept. administration can problem fill in the details for you.
Search and Rescue funding varies from State to State, depending on the laws of those States.
The costs of each SAR operation can vary widely, depending on the resources required. It can be a very simple out and back welfare check on the individual, or a full-blown, state wide call out of SAR teams, and aviation resources. The recent search and subsequent body recovery of John Lee was a case in point where multiple California SAR teams and government helicopters were used.
So, how do SAR teams support themselves financially? As I said above, the local Sheriffs try to budget something for the team, but beyond that each team relies heavily on donations. You can contact your nearest SAR team to discover how they support themselves. Support your local SAR team!
A couple of years ago a California Assembly bill was introduced that would have required the victim to pay, but Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed it. The text of the bill might be online somewhere.
