Frequently Asked Questions
False alarms are very costly and take police officers away from responding to actual emergency situations. Ordinance Ord. 97-228; Ord. 01-42; Ord. 08-129 requires Colorado Springs private property owners and business owners with alarm systems to obtain and maintain an annual permit and pay fines to the City for excessive false alarm activity.
The accidental, unintended, inadvertent or erroneous activation of an alarm indicating that there is a crime in progress at an alarm site, or the unintended activation of an alarm through equipment malfunction, when no crime or other physical emergency has actually occurred. A false alarm response means that a police officer was actually dispatched to the scene. Cancellation of the request for response prior to dispatching a police officer shall not be considered a false alarm response.
Yes, they are. Across the nation, the growth of alarm system ownership has resulted in a tremendous amount of false alarms. The response to false alarms has created an additional burden on our law enforcement agencies. Nationwide, approximately 99% or more of all the burglar alarms police respond on are false.
New permit registrations are administered by your alarm company, no action is required by the alarm user. The fees to register and the subsequent annual renewal of an alarm permit are as follows:
$24.00 Business & Residential
$12.00 Senior (65 and older)
If you have an alarm system, you are required under the Colorado Springs Ordinance to have an alarm permit. If you have multiple monitored alarm systems, a permit is required for each alarm.
An Alarm System includes an electronic or mechanical device or series of devices installed at an alarm site, designed to discourage crime by emitting or transmitting a remote or local audible, visual or electronic signal indicating there has been a burglary, robbery or other crime as used in this part only. An alarm system does not include:
A. An alarm installed on a vehicle unless the vehicle is permanently located at a site;
B. An alarm designed to alert only the inhabitants of a premises that does not have a sounding device that can be heard on the exterior of the alarm site;
C. Medical panic alarms or fire alarms.
Alarm permits must be renewed every year on your permit anniversary date. Annual permit renewals are administered by your alarm company. The cost to renew your permit is $24.00 Business & Residential and $12.00 Senior (65 and older).
Yes. Anytime there is a change in ownership of the alarm system, a new alarm permit is required.
Yes. Anytime there is a change in address of the alarm system, a new alarm permit is required.
No, you will never be charged for an alarm activation that is not false. This ordinance allows charges for false alarms only.
False alarm (FA) activations within a registration period (permit anniversary date) will result as follows:
1st False Alarm No Charge
2nd False Alarm $30.00
3rd False Alarm $75.00
4th False Alarm $100.00
5th+ False Alarm $200.00
Yes, you can pay for any fees due on your account via this website by clicking on the home tab and logging in with credentials initiated by CitySupport and secured by the alarm user.
An alarm user may appeal the Alarm Administrator's determination of the number of false alarms or the denial of response reinstatement. The alarm user shall file a written notice of appeal with the Chief of Police, or the Chief's designee, within ten (10) days of the Alarm Administrator's notice of determination to the alarm user and pay an appeal fee of twenty five dollars ($25.00). The Chief of Police shall conduct a hearing to determine whether there is substantial evidence to support the Alarm Administrator's decision, and shall have discretion to modify or refund any false alarm fees collected. The Chief of Police, or the Chief's designee, is further authorized, with the advice of the City Attorney's Office, to promulgate rules and regulations for the conduct of hearings. Hearing rules and regulations shall be provided to any alarm user filing a written notice of appeal and shall also be available to the public by request (Ord. 82-217; Ord. 95-115; Ord. 97-229; Ord. 01-42; Ord. 08-129).
Be sure to include the following with your appeal:
⦁ Your name
⦁ Your email address (if applicable)
⦁ The alarm location
⦁ Date of the false alarm
⦁ Your permit number
⦁ Reasons for the appeal
⦁ Any supporting evidence (ex. call log from your alarm monitoring company for that date & time).
Appeals can be emailed to: cspdalarms@coloradosprings.gov
Or, mailed to:
Colorado Springs Police Department - Alarm Unit
705 S Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
The City wants to substantially reduce the number of false alarms that the police department respond to, which allows Police Officers to respond to other emergencies.
The decision of the Chief of Police or the Chief's designee is final.
Failure to pay the fees/fines within 30 days can result in suspended police response to a location and outstanding fees will be turned over to the Colorado Springs Collection Department.
The alarm ordinance is posted online on this website: Colorado Springs Alarm Ordinance
If you received a duplicate alarm invoice, please email cspdalarms@springsgov.com; give us your street address and let us know you received a duplicate invoice(s) and we will delete the incorrect invoice. Or contact us by phone at 719-444-7824.
We can be reached at 719-444-7824 or you can send an email to: cspdalarms@springsgov.com with any questions to the alarm unit.
The Colorado Springs Police Department has partnered with Alarm Program Systems/CitySupport LLC. to help implement, manage and administer the ordinance.