Alarm Permits

Fees / Fines

The fines associated with false alarms are:

  • No fee ($0) for the first false alarm
  • False alarm 2 will be $50 
  • False alarms 3 and 4 will be $100 per incident
  • False alarms 5 - 7 will be $150 per incident
  • False alarms 8 – 11 will be $200 per incident
  • False alarms 12 and beyond will be $300 per incident
  • Alarm Program Fee and Fine Schedule

The alarm permit renewal fees are:

  • Commercial will be $70 for the initial and $60 for the annual renewal
  • Residential will be $40 for the initial and $30 for the annual renewal

Permits

Alarm Ordinance Summary

The City of Beaverton enacted an Alarm Ordinance in 1989, that requires all residential and commercial users of burglar and robbery alarm systems within the city to have a permit. The annual permit fee is $30 for a residential system and $60 for a commercial system. Residential users who are age 65 or over and do not conduct business activities at their location are exempt from the permit fee but must complete an application. The alarm permit gives police current, accurate information that allows them to serve you better and results in more effective responses.

The purpose of the ordinance is to reduce the number of false alarms that the Police Department receives. Currently, more than 92% of all burglar and robbery alarms prove false. Since police personnel respond to each alarm, a great deal of time and money is being spent needlessly. It is important that we reduce the number of false alarms so that police will have more time to perform other necessary services.

The ordinance also provides that the city is empowered to disable a system if an audible alarm sounds for more than 15 minutes and no one is available to shut it off. This is necessary to prevent an audible alarm from creating a disturbance for a prolonged period, especially at night. If your alarm is not already equipped with an automatic reset feature, you are encouraged to contact your alarm company to have this feature added.

One false alarm is allowed each calendar year without penalty. Fines are $50 for the second and $100 for the third and fourth false alarms; $150 each for the fifth through seventh false alarms; and $200 for eight through eleven false alarms; and $300 for each additional false alarm within the same calendar year.

Alarms are a good crime prevention tool, and we encourage their use. Your efforts in reducing the number of false alarms will help the police department make efficient use of their resources as well as help you avoid unnecessary false alarm fines.