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Albuquerque Alarm Permit: Cost, False Alarm Fees and How to Register
In Albuquerque, any home or business alarm that is monitored or can be heard off the premises needs a City alarm user permit before you operate it (the application and $25 fee are due within 60 days of installation): $25 a year, waived for low-income residents and people 65 and older at home. The first three false alarms each permit year are free; after that it's $150 each ($300 each for business fire, smoke, carbon monoxide or heat alarms), and $500 each beyond ten.[1,2,3]
Albuquerque alarm permit at a glance
| Who needs a permit | Alarm sites inside Albuquerque city limits.[1] |
|---|---|
| Which alarms are covered | Any alarm system that is monitored or sounds off the premises, for burglary, hold-up or other emergencies, including fire. One permit per alarm site; each separately alarmed tenancy in a multi-tenant building is its own site. Permits are not transferable to a new owner or address.[1] |
| Residential permit fee | New: $25 (per alarm site) Renewal: $25 (per alarm site) · valid 12 months[1,3] |
| Fee exemptions | For homes, the permit fee is waived for low-income residents (with proof such as a New Mexico EBT, SSI or Medicaid card) and for people 65 and older. Up to six false alarms a permit year can be removed if your alarm company sends a service receipt showing a mechanical failure within 10 days. An alarm cancelled by the monitoring company before officers arrive is not counted (except priority-one calls). Several alarms from one malfunction are charged at most one per day for up to 72 hours. Government agencies pay no fees.[1,3,2] |
| Free false alarms | 3 in each permit year[2,3] |
| If you have no permit | Not confirmed. Albuquerque's code does not say police will refuse to respond to an alarm without a permit; it says police and fire respond according to department protocol. Operating an alarm without a permit is a petty misdemeanor (up to a $500 fine and 90 days in jail), and each day is a separate offense.[2,3] |
| Runs the program | City of Albuquerque False Alarm Reduction Unit (FARU)[2,3] |
| When to apply | The code says you need a valid permit before you operate the alarm, and that the application and fee must be submitted within 60 days after installation. If 45 days have passed and no application and invoice have arrived, call the False Alarm Reduction Unit (505-768-2144).[1,3] |
False alarm fees in Albuquerque
False alarms are counted over each permit year[2]. Each fee below is charged per false alarm.
Residential false alarms (with a permit)
If false alarms keep happening: The code does not suspend police response or revoke an alarm user permit for false alarms. After 10 false alarms in a permit year, each further false alarm is a $500 fine, and the city can require a meeting with you and your alarm company to review each false alarm.[2]
How to get or renew a permit in Albuquerque
- Apply or renew online at cabqfaru.citysupport.org[4].
- Questions: call Albuquerque False Alarm Reduction Unit at 505-768-2144[3,4].
- Address: Payments by mail (check or money order, invoice number on the check): City of Albuquerque, P.O. Box 25700, Albuquerque, NM 87125.[4]
- Give your permit number to your alarm monitoring company.
- Renew every year for $25. The False Alarm Reduction Unit notifies permitted users 30 days before the renewal date. Fees are not refunded.[1,3]
Who files: The alarm user: whoever uses or controls the alarm site. In a rental, the renter is the alarm user. Your alarm company sends your details to the False Alarm Reduction Unit, which then mails you the application and invoice.[1,3]
Good to know
- Self-installed and self-monitored systems: Any system that is monitored or has a siren that can be heard off the property needs a permit; the code does not exempt self-installed systems.[3,1]
- Panic and hold-up alarms: Hold-up, duress and manually triggered emergency alarms need the same permit and follow the same charges: three free a permit year, then $150 each, and $500 each beyond ten. Monitoring companies do not have to call you before dispatching on a hold-up/duress alarm.[2]
- Before police are sent: Monitoring companies must try to verify every alarm signal (call the responsible party) before asking police to respond. Hold-up/duress and fire alarms are excluded.[2,3]
- Not sure which rules apply to your address?: Not confirmed. The city's alarm pages do not offer an address lookup for city limits. If you are not sure your address is inside Albuquerque, call the False Alarm Reduction Unit at 505-768-2144.[3]
Business and other non-residential alarms
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 Albuquerque.
Sources
- City of Albuquerque (via American Legal Publishing), Albuquerque ROA 1994 Ch. 9, Art. 3: Alarm Systems (Secs. 9-3-4 to 9-3-6) — Ord. 8-2003; Am. Ord. 29-2010. Secs. 9-3-4 Definitions; 9-3-5 Alarm user permit; fee; 9-3-6 Duties of alarm users. codelibrary.amlegal.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of Albuquerque (via American Legal Publishing), Albuquerque ROA 1994 Ch. 9, Art. 3: Alarm Systems (Secs. 9-3-9 to 9-3-99) — Ord. 8-2003; Am. Ord. 2023-015. Secs. 9-3-9, 9-3-10, 9-3-11, 9-3-13, 9-3-14, 9-3-99. codelibrary.amlegal.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of Albuquerque False Alarm Reduction Unit, False Alarms Reduction Program (FAQs). Cost of permit; how to permit; penalty; false alarm charges; removal; alarm companies. www.cabq.gov. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of Albuquerque Treasury / False Alarm Reduction Unit, Alarm Fees & Fines: Online Payment. Methods of payment; appeals; contact. www.cabq.gov. Checked October 28, 2026.
Updates
- October 28, 2026 — first published from official sources.