Lawrenceville, GA Developing False Alarm Ordinance

False security system alarms have been a hot topic in Georgia lately. A recent court ruling upheld the decision to allow the city of Sandy Springs, GA to charge monitoring companies for false alarms. Now, it appears that the city of Lawrenceville is looking to take similar action.

Reports indicate that officials in Lawrenceville, GA are currently working with a third-party company to build a registry of all alarm systems in the city. This will include all alarm systems used in Lawrenceville homes and businesses. From there, an ordinance will be developed, with the goal of "cutting down on false alarms".

Specific details regarding such a proposed ordinance are not available at this time. However, it has been said that the ordinance would be designed to "bring revenue to the city". It is fair to expect that the proposed ordinance would include fines for causing false alarms, as well as fines for failing to register a system. It's also possible that Lawrenceville may take a page from nearby Sandy Springs, GA and invoke fines against monitoring companies.

As a general rule, Alarm Grid is against charging fees for permits to operate security systems. These fees only make it more difficult for users to lawfully install alarm systems to protect their homes and businesses. We understand the need to register alarm systems for false alarm prevention purposes. But charging fees makes the process harder for end users. Instead, we propose free system permits for those operating alarm systems responsibly.

Even worse is when a local jurisdiction charges a monitoring company for a false alarm caused by an end user. Any responsible monitoring company should give its customers the resources and tools they need to prevent false alarms. When a false alarm occurs, it is almost always due to a mistake made by the end user. Charging a monitoring provider for the actions of an end user is unfair. In recent times, both Tennessee and Iowa have passed laws to prevent local jurisdictions from charging monitoring providers.

Alarm Grid does not take false alarm prevention lightly. It does not make us look good as a monitoring provider if our customers are repeatedly causing false alarms. The last thing we want to do is waste the time and resources of local jurisdictions. That is why we strive to educate our customers so that they understand how their systems work and how to properly prevent false alarms. We know that most false alarms are innocent mistakes, and most users are not seeking to actively cause false alarms. We urge jurisdictions like Lawrenceville to consider these aspects.

From what we can tell, Lawrenceville, GA is looking into this matter very seriously. It is our hope that if and when they do pass an ordinance that it is fair for both end users and alarm monitoring providers. In our view, this should include no-cost permitting. If fines for false alarms are also included in the ordinance, then they should be reasonable and offer a no-fee warning for an initial false alarm. Additionally, no false alarm fines should be charged against the monitoring providers who are ultimately not the ones controlling the systems.

For more information on preventing false alarms, we strongly recommend checking out this helpful guide we wrote. It offers various tips and guidelines for preventing false alarms on security systems. If you have any further questions or concerns about preventing false alarms, or if you are wanting to learn more about Alarm Grid monitoring service, then please email us at support@alarmgrid.com. We check our email from 9am to 8pm ET M-F. Our team looks forward to hearing from you!