What the City of Phoenix alarm permit costs, how to apply, and how to keep false alarm fees off your bill, in plain English.
Yes, if your alarm is in the City of Phoenix. The city requires a permit for every burglar and fire alarm system, whether or not an alarm company monitors it. Burglar alarm permits come from the Phoenix Police Department and fire alarm permits from the Phoenix Fire Department.
The permit is the city's record of who to contact when your alarm goes off. It lists the people who can get to the property and let police or fire in. Without one, every alarm that police or fire respond to can turn into a bill.
An alarm subscriber permit is valid for one year and renews for another $17 each year. The fee is not refunded or prorated.
Without a permit, you may be assessed $96 for each burglar alarm activation police respond to, and $105 for each fire alarm activation the fire department responds to.
More than one false burglar alarm in a consecutive 365-day period and each one after the first can cost $96. False fire alarms work the same way at $105 each.
The city's False Alarm Prevention Program includes a certificate that waives one $96 false burglar alarm or $105 false fire alarm assessment.
Use the city's Burglar & Fire Alarm Subscriber / Proprietor Permit Application, available from the Phoenix Police Department's alarm page.
The form asks for the alarmed address, the name your alarm company uses for dispatch, whether it covers burglar, fire, or both, the installation date, who installed and who monitors the system, and at least two responsible representatives who can reach the property within 30 minutes.
Mail a check or money order payable to the City of Phoenix with the application to Phoenix Police Department, P.O. Box 29122, Phoenix, AZ 85038-29122. To pay by card, email the completed application to alarm.unit@phoenix.gov, wait for the emailed reply, then call 602-534-0322.
The permit has to be kept at the protected property and be available for inspection by police or fire. Renew it each year, and apply for a new one if you move.
Before police are sent to a burglar alarm in Phoenix, the monitoring center must call at least two different phone numbers to try to confirm whether it is real. Fire, holdup, robbery, panic, and duress alarms are exempt. The city also expects a responsible party to reach the property within thirty minutes of an activation to help police or fire secure it.
That makes two things worth keeping current: the contact list your monitoring center calls, and the responsible representatives on your permit. Most false alarm fees start with a call nobody answered.
The Phoenix Police Department lists the same causes again and again. Almost all of them are preventable.
Wrong keypad codes and untrained users cause more false alarms than anything else. Sitters, relatives, cleaners, and employees all need to know how to disarm and cancel.
Close and lock every door and window before arming. The city specifically warns that spring winds set off alarms through doors and windows left loose.
If you set it off by accident, disarm and cancel right away so the monitoring center does not request a response.
Badly placed motion detectors, weak batteries, and dusty sensors are the most common equipment causes. Have the system inspected and serviced by a professional.
AZ Alarm Company is headquartered in Phoenix, on Carefree Highway, and has installed and monitored systems across the Valley since 2007. Every install ends with a walkthrough of the panel and the app, because training is the easiest way to avoid a false alarm fee. We do not sell or subcontract our monitoring agreements, so the company on your permit stays the same.
See home security systems in Phoenix, or how alarm rules work in Scottsdale, Mesa, Glendale, and Surprise.
How much is an alarm permit in Phoenix?
Seventeen dollars. A City of Phoenix alarm subscriber permit is valid for one year and renews for another $17 each year. The fee is not refunded or prorated.
Do I need a permit if my alarm is not monitored?
Yes. The City of Phoenix requires a permit for alarm systems monitored by an alarm company and for those that are not.
How soon do I need to apply after installing an alarm?
Within ten days of the installation date of a new alarm system, under Phoenix City Code section 10-86.01.
What happens if I do not have a permit?
You may be assessed $96 for each burglar alarm activation that police respond to, and $105 for each fire alarm activation that the fire department responds to.
How much is a false alarm fee in Phoenix?
If you have more than one false burglar alarm in a consecutive 365-day period, each one after the first can cost $96. False fire alarms work the same way at $105 each.
Can I transfer my alarm permit when I move?
No. Phoenix alarm permits do not transfer from one person to another or from one address to another. Each address needs its own permit, and each control panel needs its own permit.
Can a Phoenix false alarm fee be waived?
The Phoenix Police and Fire False Alarm Prevention Program includes a certificate that waives one $96 false burglar alarm or $105 false fire alarm assessment. Call 602-534-0322 for police or 602-262-6771 for fire to ask about it.
Sources: Phoenix City Code section 10-86.01; City of Phoenix Police Department, Preventing False Alarm Systems; Burglar & Fire Alarm Subscriber / Proprietor Permit Application (form 80-302D). Amounts as published by the city in September 2026. Confirm current fees with the City of Phoenix.
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