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Durham Alarm Permit: Cost, False Alarm Fees and How to Register
In Durham, registering your alarm is free and voluntary until your alarm has a false alarm; you must then register within 30 days of receiving the city's notice, or pay $100 per alarm call while unregistered. Your first two false alarms each calendar year get a written notice; after that fines are $100 each for the 3rd and 4th, $150 for the 5th and 6th, $200 for the 7th and 8th, $250 for the 9th, and $300 for the 10th and each one after.[1]
Durham alarm permit at a glance
| Who needs a permit | These rules apply to alarms inside Durham city limits. Addresses in unincorporated Durham County or other towns follow their own rules.[2] |
|---|---|
| Which alarms are covered | You must register after your alarm's first false alarm, within 30 days of receiving the city's notice. The city code covers alarm systems that detect and report an intrusion or emergency needing a police or fire response, including local audible alarms (sirens or bells that alert people outside without sending a signal), and lets the city disconnect a sounding audible alarm if you can't be reached or won't turn it off. The city's program page, however, says the program doesn't apply to personal safety alarms, medical devices, audible alarms or car alarms. The code also excludes stand-alone home smoke detectors and car alarms.[1,3] |
| Residential permit fee | New: Free[2,3] |
| Fee exemptions | Registration is free. Alarms during a test you cleared with 911 first, and alarms caused by severe weather or other events beyond your control, don't count as false alarms.[1] |
| Free false alarms | 2 in each calendar year[1] |
| If you have no permit | Not confirmed. We did not find any rule in Durham saying police will stop responding to an unregistered alarm. |
| Runs the program | City of Durham False Alarm Reduction Program (run by the City Manager's office; registration and billing handled by contractor PMAM Corporation)[1,3] |
| When to apply | If your alarm has a false alarm, you must register within 30 days of receiving the city's notice. You can also register any time before that.[1] |
False alarm fees in Durham
False alarms are counted over each calendar year[1,2]. Each fee below is charged per false alarm.
Residential false alarms
| False alarm | Fee |
|---|---|
| 1st–2nd | Free[1] |
| 3rd–4th | $100[1] |
| 5th–6th | $150[1] |
| 7th–8th | $200[1] |
| 9th | $250[1] |
| 10th and each after | $300[1] |
If false alarms keep happening: Not confirmed. We did not find a rule for suspending or revoking a Durham alarm permit. The city can disconnect an audible alarm that is going off if the owner can't be reached or won't turn it off.[1]
Charges without a permit
- $100 — charged per alarm call while the alarm has no permit, if you were required to register after a false alarm and didn't within 30 days of receiving the city's notice. Charged in addition to the regular false alarm fine; billed to the alarm user.[1]
How to register after a false alarm in Durham
- Apply or renew online at www.cityalarmpermit.com[3,4].
- Prefer paper? Download the application (PDF)[4].
- Questions: call the City of Durham's False Alarm Reduction Program at 888-535-5797[3].
- Address: City of Durham Alarm Program, P.O. Box 141625, Irving, TX 75014.[4]
- Not confirmed. We did not find a renewal requirement for Durham alarm permits. You must keep your permit information up to date when the city asks, at no cost. Permits can't be transferred to a new person or address.[1,2]
Who files: The alarm user (homeowner, renter or business at the property) applies for the permit, not the alarm company.[1]
Good to know
- Self-installed and self-monitored systems: Durham's rules don't treat self-installed or self-monitored systems differently; the code covers any alarm system that detects and reports an intrusion or emergency needing a police or fire response. The sources differ on alarms that only sound on site: the code defines local audible alarms and lets the city disconnect one that keeps sounding, while the city's program page says audible alarms aren't part of the program.[1,3]
- Panic and hold-up alarms: Robbery and panic alarms follow the same false alarm fine schedule as burglar alarms.[2]
- Before police are sent: Not confirmed. We did not find a verified-response rule in Durham; the city's rules do not say police require confirmation of a break-in before responding.
- Not sure which rules apply to your address?: Not confirmed. We did not find an official address lookup on the city's false alarm pages.
Business and other non-residential alarms
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| New permit | Free[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.
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SafeStreets serves this area: home security in Durham.
Sources
- Durham City Council, Durham City Code, Part II, Chapter 46 Public Safety, Article IV Police and Fire Alarm Systems (§§ 46-118 to 46-123) — Ord. No. 13194, § 1, 12-19-2005 (per section history notes). §§ 46-118 to 46-123. library.municode.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of Durham Alarm Program, operated by PMAM Corporation (portal linked from the city's False Alarm Reduction Program page), City of Durham Alarm Program - Important Information (Ordinance Information for Alarm Users). vendor portal page. www.cityalarmpermit.us. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of Durham (page sits in the Finance Department section of durhamnc.gov), False Alarm Reduction Program (City of Durham web page). web page. www.durhamnc.gov. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of Durham Alarm Program, operated by PMAM Corporation, City of Durham Alarm Program portal home page. vendor portal home. www.cityalarmpermit.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
Updates
- October 28, 2026 — first published from official sources.