Alarm Permits

The Palo Alto Police Department responded to approximately 2,200 alarms during 2023. Studies have consistently shown that 99 percent of the alarms to which police officers respond are false. The major cause of false alarms is user error (usually either opening or closing errors) and improper maintenance.

Each alarm response requires a minimum of two patrol officers and averages 20 minutes per officer, per alarm. This equates to 2,100 hours annually, which is equivalent to slightly more than one full-time police officer (at a cost in excess of $120,000 per year). These false alarms negatively influence the overall safety of the community, because they divert our officers from actual emergencies, proactive patrol efforts, and other legitimate calls for service.

In order to reduce the number of false alarms and create more time for police officers to respond to crimes and solve problems, the City of Palo Alto amended Chapter 4.39 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code, which regulates alarms within the city.

A key element of the alarm ordinance is the requirement that all alarm users must have an alarm permit. The alarm permit requires users to provide the Police Department with the names, addresses and phone numbers of at least two people who can respond to the premises of the activated alarm within 30 minutes if the need arises.

Every residence or business operating an alarm system in Palo Alto must obtain a permit from the Palo Alto Police Department. Currently, the fee for a new alarm permit is $65, and the annual fee for renewal is $49. The revenue generated from these permits is used to defray the costs of administering the ordinance and police response to alarm activations.

The alarm ordinance encourages accountability and responsibility of the users by charging alarm owners for false alarms. We recognize that no alarm user is perfect, so to that end, two false alarms in a 12-month period (beginning with the first false alarm received) are allowed without a penalty assessed. However, after two false alarms, a progressive fee will be assessed up to and through the seventh false alarm. After the seventh false alarm, police will place the alarm on a non-response status. A non-response status means that officers will not respond to any new alarms received. Alarm users may appeal revocations. Also, if officers respond to any alarm activation at a location that does not have an alarm permit, the property owner can incur a $250 fine.

The City of Palo Alto defines a false alarm as "an alarm signal resulting in a response by the police department when an emergency does not exist." An alarm shall be presumed false if the responding officer(s) do not locate any evidence of an intrusion or of the commission of an unlawful act or emergency on the premises which might have caused the alarm to sound. Alarms caused by earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, or other acts of nature, are not considered to be false alarms.

In early 2021, in an effort to establish a more efficient and user-friendly alarm management program, the Police Department began to contract with an outside vendor to administer our False Alarm Reduction Program.  As of July 2024, that company is Alarm Program Systems (APS), based out of Pleasant Hill, California.  APS offers a high level of customer service while providing a superior online platform for your convenience.  Accounts created with the prior vendor, CryWolf Services, have been transferred to APS.

The APS online portal for alarm users easily allows residents and businesses to register alarm systems, pay fees, update user account information, and view false alarm incidents. 

Obtain Your Alarm Permit and Manage Your Account Online!

If you have any questions about your account or the online portal, please contact APS directly, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (888) 865-9770 or by e-mail at paloaltoca@citysupport.org.  Their website is available at this link.