Did you know that residents and businesses located in the cities of Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and Buffalo with a functioning alarm system must have an alarm permit?
Many town or city governments require an alarm permit for households that install any kind of remote monitoring of emergency response features. These permits are issued to protect the health, safety and welfare of citizens and visitors of the city by helping to address the issue of false alarms.
A loud alarm can result in fines, even for systems without monitoring, if you don’t have the proper alarm permit. Noise from an unmonitored home security systems alarm may bring a police response, resulting in an even larger fine.
Most of these laws date back a decade or more, when home security systems and monitoring services were less sophisticated and homeowners were not educated on how to operate them. Although both the technology and homeowner awareness have evolved over time, these permits still serve an important function in the communities.
Depending on your local governments’ laws and regulations, permits can either be a one-time basis or subject to yearly renewals.
Are Alarm Permits the Same as Alarm Licenses?
No. An alarm permit is something that you yourself need to get if required by your local government. An alarm license is something professional installers may need to obtain from an agency before they do any work on your property. If you’re a homeowner, you almost never need a license to install your own system, but it is a good idea to check local construction, zoning, and homeowner association rules before you begin.
To find out if your system requires a permit and, should you need one, how to obtain it, click the corresponding links below: