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St. Petersburg Alarm Permit: Cost, False Alarm Fees and How to Register
St. Petersburg's alarm permit is free; the city code says you 'may' get one, while the city's form says to register. For security alarms (burglary, robbery, panic, hold-up and duress), your first 2 false alarms each calendar year are free with a permit, then fines run $50, $100, $200, $300 and up to $500 each; without one, only the first is free, then $200, $400 and $500 each. Late payment adds $15, and not responding within 45 minutes when police call you to the property costs $40. Fire alarms have a separate fine schedule.[1,2,3]
St. Petersburg alarm permit at a glance
| Who needs a permit | These rules cover alarms inside St. Petersburg city limits. Homes in unincorporated Pinellas County or other towns (Gulfport, Pinellas Park, etc.) follow their own rules.[2] |
|---|---|
| Which alarms are covered | The permit covers any burglar or panic alarm at a home or business in the city. Car alarms aren't covered.[2] |
| Residential permit fee | New: Free (calendar-year permit) Renewal: Free[1,2] |
| Fee exemptions | Registration is free for everyone, and we found no senior or low-income waiver of false alarm fines. False alarms within 48 hours count as one. A single false alarm from a newly installed system in its first 30 days isn't fined, and the city may give a new owner or tenant the same 30-day grace for one malfunction; you must show the installation or move-in date. The city may cancel a fine for an alarm set off by severe weather (such as a hurricane, tornado or direct lightning strike) if you show evidence and your system had the required backup power. It may also cancel a fine for an equipment malfunction that wasn't caused by human error once you show it was repaired; a repair that is only scheduled doesn't cancel the fine until proof of the repair is provided. The city also keeps a list of exempt locations.[1,2] |
| Free false alarms | Security alarms (burglary, robbery, panic, hold-up and duress): 2 in each calendar year[2] |
| If you have no permit | Not confirmed. We found no rule letting St. Petersburg police refuse to respond to an unregistered alarm; unregistered alarms just pay higher false alarm fines. |
| Runs the program | City of St. Petersburg False Alarm Program (False Alarms Division)[2,1] |
| When to apply | If you register, the code says to do it before you activate the alarm.[2] |
False alarm fees in St. Petersburg
False alarms are counted over each calendar year[1,2]. Each fee below is charged per false alarm.
Residential security alarms (burglary, robbery, panic, hold-up and duress) (with a permit)
| False alarm | Fee |
|---|---|
| 1st–2nd | Free[2] |
| 3rd | $50[2] |
| 4th | $100[2] |
| 5th | $200[2] |
| 6th–7th | $300[2] |
| 8th–9th | $400[2] |
| 10th and each after | $500[2] |
If false alarms keep happening: St. Petersburg's code no longer revokes alarm permits, and we found no rule ending police response after too many false alarms. Fines keep rising instead, up to $500 for each security false alarm. Separately, a fine not paid within 30 days adds a $15 late fee, and if police need you at the property and no one responds within 45 minutes, you're fined $40, even if the alarm turns out to be real. Fire alarms have their own fine schedule.[2,1]
Charges without a permit
- $200 — charged for the 2nd false alarm in a calendar year without a current permit (the 1st is free).[1]
- $400 — charged for the 3rd false alarm in a calendar year without a current permit.[1]
- $500 — charged for the 4th and each later false alarm in a calendar year without a current permit.[1]
How to get or renew a permit in St. Petersburg
- Apply or renew online at www.cityalarmpermit.us[4].
- Prefer paper? Download the application (PDF)[1].
- Questions: call the city's False Alarm Program at 1-877-603-8674[1,3].
- Address: City of St. Petersburg False Alarm Program, P.O. Box 141235, Irving, TX 75014-1235.[1,3]
- Give your permit number to your alarm monitoring company.
- Sources differ Renewal is free. The program page says permits renew automatically after a notice in October; the city code says renewal applications are due before December 1.[1,2]
Who files: The person who owns, rents or runs the alarm registers it, not the alarm company.[2]
Good to know
- Self-installed and self-monitored systems: Not confirmed. The city code covers any security alarm system and doesn't carve out self-installed or self-monitored alarms. Florida's two-call confirmation rule applies only to professionally (centrally) monitored alarms.
- Panic and hold-up alarms: Panic, hold-up, robbery and duress alarms follow the same fine schedule as burglar alarms. Florida's two-call confirmation rule covers burglar alarms, not panic alarms.[1,5]
- Before police are sent: Under Florida law, a centrally monitored burglar alarm company must try to confirm the alarm with you (by call, text or similar) before asking police to respond, and must try a second time if the first attempt fails. That isn't required if the system has working video or audio the monitoring staff can use to verify the alarm, or at a federally licensed firearms business's storage site whose owner opts out. Police don't require video or eyewitness proof first.[5]
- Not sure which rules apply to your address?: Not confirmed. We didn't find an address lookup for the alarm program. If you're unsure whether you're inside St. Petersburg city limits, check with the city before registering.
Business and other non-residential alarms
| Alarm | False alarm | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Security alarms (burglary, robbery, panic, hold-up and duress) | 1st–2nd | Free[2] |
| Security alarms (burglary, robbery, panic, hold-up and duress) | 3rd | $50[2] |
| Security alarms (burglary, robbery, panic, hold-up and duress) | 4th | $100[2] |
| Security alarms (burglary, robbery, panic, hold-up and duress) | 5th | $200[2] |
| Security alarms (burglary, robbery, panic, hold-up and duress) | 6th–7th | $300[2] |
| Security alarms (burglary, robbery, panic, hold-up and duress) | 8th–9th | $400[2] |
| Security alarms (burglary, robbery, panic, hold-up and duress) | 10th and each after | $500[2] |
Avoiding false alarms
- Make sure everyone who has a code knows how to disarm the system and cancel an alarm.
- Keep your monitoring company's contact list up to date so they can reach someone quickly.
- Let your monitoring company know before guests, contractors or pet sitters use the house.
- Check that doors and windows are fully closed before you arm the system.
- Replace low sensor batteries promptly.
Thinking about a professionally installed, monitored system? See how SafeStreets installation works.
SafeStreets serves this area: home security in St Petersburg.
Sources
- City of St. Petersburg False Alarm Program (administered by vendor PMAM), City of St. Petersburg False Alarm Program - Ordinance At Glance. program summary page (fees, fine schedules, renewal, appeals, contacts). www.cityalarmpermit.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
- St. Petersburg City Council, St. Petersburg City Code, Chapter 20, Article VI, Division 2 - False Alarms From Improper Use of Alarm Systems (copy linked as 'Ordinance' from the program page) — latest amendment cited in history notes: Ord. No. 209-H, 12-17-2015. Secs. 20-225 to 20-234. www.cityalarmpermit.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of St. Petersburg False Alarm Program, City of St. Petersburg, FL False Alarm Program - Alarm Permit Application. application form with fine schedules. www.cityalarmpermit.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of St. Petersburg, City of St. Petersburg home page ('False Alarm Billing' link). site navigation. www.stpete.org. Checked October 28, 2026.
- Florida Legislature, Florida Statutes 489.529 - Alarm confirmation required (2025 Florida Statutes) — History: s. 69, ch. 2018-110 (latest listed). s. 489.529. www.flsenate.gov. Checked October 28, 2026.
Updates
- October 28, 2026 — first published from official sources.