ARTICLE II. BURGLARY AND HOLD-UP ALARM SYSTEMS
Sec. 10-31 Alarm system permits
No person shall install or use a burglary or hold-up alarm system within the city without having applied for and been
issued a valid alarm user permit. The application form for such permits shall be promulgated the the Chief of Police, and
the Police Department shall issue such permits and maintain the records relating thereto. Such permits shall not be
transferable. Any False statement of a material matter made by an applicant for the purpose of obtaining an alarm permit
shall be sufficient cause for refusal to issue a permit.
Sec. 10-32 Alarm system fees
A. Residential Alarms
1. Alarm Permit Fee
An administrative fee of fifty dollars shall be charged for the initial issuance of a residential alarm system permit.
A twenty-four dollar ($24.00) annual renewal fee will apply once the administrative fee has been satisfied.
2. Fees for False Alarm Notification
An Alarm User shall pay a fee for each false alarm notification. Each false alarm notification is subject to the
following conditions.
(1) The City may not consider a false burglary alarm to have occurred unless a response is made by the
Police Department within thirty (30) minutes of the alarm notification and the Police Department determines
from an inspection of the interior or exterior of the premises that the alarm was false.
(2) The penalty for the signaling of a false alarm by a burglary alarm system may not be imposed unless three (3)
other false alarms have occurred during the preceding twelve (12) month period.
(3) The fee schedule for false burglary alarms in the preceding twelve (12) month period is:
1 to 3 False Burglary Alarms – No Fee
4 to 5 False Burglary Alarms - $50.00 fee per false alarm activation
6 to 7 False Burglary Alarms - $75.00 fee per false alarm activation
8 or more False Burglary Alarms - $100.00 per false alarm activation
The City reserves the right to revoke an alarm permit for more than eight (8) false alarms in a twelve-month period.
B. Non-Residential Alarms
1. Alarm Permit Fee
An annual fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) shall be charged for the issuance of an alarm system permit for any non-
residential entity (plus an additional fee of twenty five dollars ($25.00) for each addition location of such entity).
There shall be no charge for permits to the United States, the State of Texas, the City of Alamo Heights, or any
agency thereof.
2. Fees for false Burglary Alarm Notification ( See Section 10-32 A-2 above)
3. Fees for False Robbery Alarm Notification
An Alarm User shall pay a fee for each false robbery notification (includes panic and duress alarms). The fee
schedule for false robbery, panic or duress alarms in the preceding twelve month permit cycle is:
1
st
False Alarm No Fee 3
rd
False Alarm $100.00
2
nd
False Alarm $100.00 4
th
False Alarm $150.00
5
th
and successive False Alarms $250.00
Sec. 10-33 Denial, Revocation, Suspension or Cancellation of permits
The Chief of Police may terminate law enforcement responses to a permit holder because of excessive false
Alarms if the permit holder fails to pay the false alarm fees required by the Article, In order to effect termination,
the Chief must issue written notice to the alarm permit holder that the account is past due on false alarm charges.
The notice must specify that law enforcement responses will be terminated if the alarm permit holder does not
remit payment or make arrangements for payment with a period of time no less than thirty (30) days.
The City reserves the right to revoke an alarm permit for more than eight (8) false alarms in a twelve month period.
