Alarm Ordinance Watch

ISSAQUAH, Wash.

A July 22 story from issaquahpress.com reported city and police officials are cracking down on false alarms. City Council members approved a false alarm ordinance July 20, setting fees to register alarms and penalties for users whose alarms accidentally alert police. Alarm users will be required to pay $24 to register their systems. Violators could face fines up to $200, depending on the type of alert and the infraction.

MATANUSKA SUSITNA BOROUGH, Ala.

The AP reported on July 23 that the Mat-Su Borough Department of Emergency Services has begun charging for some false fire alarms. The first response is free, but a second false alarm costs $150 and it goes up an additional $25 each time after that.

WORCESTER COUNTY, Md.

A story from delmarvanow.com reports that county commissioners in Worcester County, Md. have voted in a new false fire alarm ordinance that became active Aug. 1. Fees will be assessed for nuisance violations that occur twice in a 24-hour period, three times within a 30-day period; six or more times in one calendar year, resulting in a $100 fine for each of the next two nuisance alarms and a $200 fine for each additional nuisance alarm thereafter.

FRANKLIN, N.J.

A July 13 story from mycentraljersey.com reported an ordinance to raise false alarm penalties was adopted on June 23 to go into effect July 19. Neither residents nor businesses will be charged for the first three false alarms in a calendar year. A fourth false alarm will incur a $50 fee; the fifth, sixth and seventh will be $75 each; eight and above will be $100 each. There will also be a $15 court fee for each false alarm starting with the fourth one. Residents were previously given warnings after the third, sixth and ninth false alarms, and were not fined until the 10th.