California's state bar will need higher licensing fees in 2024 to pay for staff salary increases, to fill vacancies and to end deficit spending, the state auditor concluded in a report released Thursday.

State Auditor Grant Parks said a $24 fee hike for active lawyers would help balance the bar's books if the lawyer-regulating agency also increases what it charges for other services, such as certifying lawyer referral services. Such a fee increase would bring the annual cost for active lawyers to $414.