New Alarm Ordinance to be Enforced Starting March 1

FRISCO, TX – Beginning on March 1 the Frisco Police Department will begin to enforce a new city ordinance regulating residential and business alarms. The Frisco City Council passed the new ordinance near the end of 2009, but enforcement of the new regulations and fees have not yet been enforced as city officials wished to allow both residents and businesses to meet compliance prior to active enforcement by the police department.

The new ordinance requires a $35 annual fee for residential and business alarms and incorporates a new fee schedule for excessive false alarms. In 2009, the Frisco Police Department responded to 9,841 alarms of which over 99.6% were false alarms, costing taxpayers over $1.1 million for a police response. In an effort to mitigate these costs and reduce the impact on Frisco taxpayers, the following fines will be applied to excessive false burglar alarms occurring in a 12-month period preceding the last false alarm:

* $50 for more than three but fewer than six false burglar alarms;
* $75 for more than five but fewer than eight false burglar alarms; and
* $100 for more than eight false burglar alarms.

Response by Frisco police officers to more than two false robbery, fire, panic, or emergency medical assistance alarms in a 12-month period preceding the last false alarm will incur a $75 fine for each subsequent false alarm. Additionally, alarm permit holders are required to supply alarm companies with three names and telephone numbers of contacts who are able to respond to a false alarm, and failure by the alarm permit holder or the three contacts to respond within 30 minutes of a false alarm may result in a $50 fine. PMAM Corporation, a third party partner specializing in false alarm management solutions, will manage the Frisco alarm program.

For more information on the new alarm ordinance or to view it in its entirety, please visit www.FriscoTexas.gov/Police or contact the police department’s Records Division at 972.292.6000.

The Frisco Ordinances are available at http://friscotexas.gov/government/citySecretary/Pages/Ordinances.aspx