Alarm Permit in Philadelphia, PA
Permit Summary
Alarm Permit Basics
Alarm Systems Covered
The registration program covers burglary, theft, and robbery alarm systems arranged to signal illegal entry, theft, or robbery requiring urgent attention and to which the Philadelphia Police Department is alerted for response. The registration form accommodates residential and commercial alarm users.
Who Must Register
The alarm user—the person or entity in control of the building, premises, structure, facility, or portion where the alarm is installed, operated, or maintained—is responsible for registration. The user's filing duties are deemed satisfied if an intermediary supplies the required alarm-user information to the City.
Monitoring Rules
An intermediary is a service that receives an alarm activation and relays the emergency message by live voice to the Philadelphia Police Department. Automatic telephone dialing alarm systems that transmit a recorded message directly to the Police Department are prohibited. The registration form requests alarm-company and monitoring-company identification and contact information when applicable.
Registration & Renewal
Registration Timing
It is unlawful to install, operate, or maintain a covered alarm system unless it is registered. The City's form states that the $50 annual fee is due upon installation of a burglary or robbery alarm system or upon transfer of an existing system to a new owner, occupant, or user. Changes in registration information must be reported within five days.
Permit Validity
The registration fee covers one year beginning on the first day of the month and year in which the alarm system is installed or in which an activation is reported to the Philadelphia Police Department.
Renewal Rules
Registration carries a $50 annual fee. The City's form states that each paid registration period covers one year beginning on the first day of the applicable month; the City service page provides online, mail, and in-person methods to pay the annual fee using the registration number.
Multiple System Rules
If one or more alarm systems protects two or more premises, a separate registration is required for each premises.
Transfer / Change Rules
The $50 fee is due when an existing alarm system transfers to a new owner, occupant, or user. The alarm user must report changes in registration information within five days. The current City service page directs users to email the Code Unit to cancel a registration for an alarm that is no longer active.
Alarm Company Requirements
Alarm Company Rules
Before providing service to an alarm user, an intermediary must provide the City with the user's name and the alarm-user information required for registration; the user's registration-information duties are deemed met when the intermediary supplies that information. After a registration is revoked for excessive false alarms, re-registration requires certification from an alarm business approved by the City that the alarm system is operating properly.
False Alarms & Penalties
False Alarm Allowance
The first two false alarms within an alarm user's registration year do not trigger the excess-false-alarm violation. Three or more false alarms in the registration year are excessive. Multiple alarms are treated as one alarm if the system is deactivated or repaired within eight hours of the initial activation. The Code excludes specified events such as certain external line/equipment testing, extraordinary natural conditions, and attempted crimes with evidence from the false-alarm definition.
False Alarm Penalties
Beginning with the third false alarm in a registration year, the City currently charges $75 for each additional false alarm. Philadelphia Code § 9-305 allows $75 to be paid within eight days of receiving a false-alarm violation notice in lieu of contesting; the Code states a $150 penalty for each violation if imposed under the penalty provision. Any false alarm over seven in a registration year may also lead to revocation of the registration, inspection, and corrective action.
Unpermitted Alarm Penalty
The City's registration form warns that use of an unregistered alarm system could result in a $150–$300 fine per activation. Under Philadelphia Code § 9-305, a user receiving a violation notice for the registration requirement may pay $150 within eight days in lieu of contesting, while the stated penalty for violating the registration requirement is $300.
Dispatch & Appeals
Dispatch / Response Rules
The Philadelphia Police Department provides procedural response to properly registered alarm systems that are installed, operated, and maintained in compliance with § 9-305, based on emergency-response priority. When officers respond, they inspect the protected area and determine whether an emergency or false alarm exists. Automatic recorded-message dialers directly alerting the Police Department are prohibited.
Appeal Rules
A person who believes an excess false-alarm fine was issued incorrectly may request a hearing through the Office of Administrative Review. The City accepts hearing requests by mail, phone, or online. Separately, the Code allows an alarm user to pay $75 within eight days of receiving an excess-false-alarm violation notice in lieu of contesting the violation.
What Alarm Users Need to Know
Requirements
An alarm user must register a covered burglary, theft, or robbery alarm system before installing, operating, or maintaining it, pay the $50 annual fee, keep registration information current, and operate the system in compliance with the Philadelphia Code.
Exemptions
No general exemption is stated for covered burglar alarm systems; the City says all burglar alarms must be registered. Philadelphia Code § 9-305 applies to burglary, theft, or robbery alarm systems that alert the Philadelphia Police Department for response. Fire alarm systems are regulated separately and are not the alarm-user registration covered by this record.
Documents / Information
Submit the City's Alarm System Registration form with the alarm user's residential or commercial information, legal alarm-system address, contact and billing information, alarm-company and monitoring-company information when applicable, user status and effective date, prior registration information when applicable, and the $50 registration payment.