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Clackamas County Alarm Permit: Cost, False Alarm Fees and How to Register
In unincorporated Clackamas County, the Sheriff's Office requires a yearly alarm permit: $20.50 for homes (no fee for primary residents over 65) and $51.25 for businesses. The first false alarm each permit year is free; then $102, $154 and $205, and a 4th false alarm can suspend your permit for a year. Without a permit, deputies respond only to verified alarms and you can be fined $77.[1,2]
Clackamas County alarm permit at a glance
| Who needs a permit | Alarm sites in unincorporated Clackamas County. Cities in the county run their own alarm rules.[1] |
|---|---|
| Which alarms are covered | Any alarm system set up to detect a break-in or other activity and summon a public-safety response, whether by siren, monitoring or a remote/app signal. Owning a camera or an app that just notifies you is not by itself the trigger. Hardwired, cellular/radio-linked and local systems, and camera systems used this way, are included. Not covered: vehicle alarms and alarms that only alert people inside. Permits are tied to the person and the address and must be replaced when ownership or occupancy changes.[1] |
| Residential permit fee | New: $20.50 (FY 2026-27 fee, effective July 1, 2026) Renewal: $20.50 (FY 2026-27 fee, effective July 1, 2026) · valid 12 months[2,3] |
| Fee exemptions | No permit fee for a primary resident over 65 (unless a business runs at the home) or for public agencies. The fine for your first chargeable false alarm in a registration year can be waived if you finish the online alarm user awareness class within 30 days of the fine notice. An alarm cancelled within 10 minutes, before deputies arrive, is not counted. A false alarm caused by an on-site alarm company employee is charged to the company, not you. The alarm administrator can also waive all or part of a fine for extenuating circumstances or corrective action, with supervisor approval.[1] |
| Free false alarms | 1 in each permit year[2,1] |
| If you have no permit | Deputies respond to unverified alarms only at permitted sites. Without a valid permit, the Sheriff's Office suspends response to unverified alarm calls at the address.[1] |
| Runs the program | Clackamas County Sheriff's Office (alarm administrator)[1,4] |
| When to apply | Before you operate the alarm. If you get a Notice of Violation for operating without one, you have 14 days to apply and pay. Monitoring companies may not request police for a burglar alarm during the first 7 days after installation.[1] |
False alarm fees in Clackamas County
False alarms are counted over each permit year[1]. Each fee below is charged per false alarm.
Residential false alarms (with a permit)
If false alarms keep happening: The 4th false alarm in a permit year can suspend your permit for a year, and the Sheriff can stop responding to unverified alarms at the address (also for unpaid fines or a false statement on the application). After reinstatement, 2 false alarms within 60 days can bring another suspension. Fines unpaid after 30 days can carry a late charge; the FY 2026-27 schedule lists a $25.50 past-due fine.[1,2]
Charges without a permit
- $77 — charged as a fine for failing to get an alarm permit. FY 2026-27 fine, effective July 1, 2026.[2]
How to get or renew a permit in Clackamas County
- Apply or renew online at clackamascountyor.citysupport.org[4].
- No mailing address for alarm permits is published in the sources we read; the portal says fees can be paid online or by mail (the address appears on your statement).[4]
- Give your permit number to your alarm monitoring company.
- Renew every year. You can renew only if the site has no unpaid fines and the permit is not suspended or revoked.[1]
Who files: Whoever owns or controls the alarm site: homeowner, business owner, tenant or leaseholder.[1]
Good to know
- Self-installed and self-monitored systems: Self-installed, local (siren-only) and camera-based systems count when they are set up to summon a public-safety response; alarms that only alert people inside the building are exempt.[1]
- Panic and hold-up alarms: Panic, duress and hold-up alarms need the same permit. Monitoring companies can dispatch them without the two-call check, and installers may not use single-action, non-recessed hold-up buttons.[1]
- Before police are sent: Monitoring companies must make two verification calls (the second to a different number) before requesting a deputy, except for panic, duress, hold-up or robbery alarms or a verified crime in progress. They may not request police for a burglar alarm in the first 7 days after installation.[1]
- Not sure which rules apply to your address?: Not confirmed. The Sheriff's alarm materials do not offer an address lookup. If your address is inside a city (for example Oregon City or Lake Oswego), the county alarm ordinance does not apply.[1]
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.
Sources
- Clackamas County, Clackamas County Code Ch. 8.07: Alarm Systems — Ord. 06-2019 (8/8/19). Secs. 8.07.010-8.07.150. www.clackamas.us. Checked October 28, 2026.
- Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners, Resolution Adopting Changed Fees and Fines for Clackamas County, FY 2026-2027 (BCC packet, Exhibit: Sheriff fees and fines) — Effective July 1, 2026. Sheriff's Office: Alarm User Permits; Failure to obtain burglar alarm permit; False Alarm. docs.clackamas.us. Checked October 28, 2026.
- Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners, Business Meeting (Budget Adoption) - June 17, 2026: minutes — June 17, 2026. Approval of a Resolution Adopting Changed Fees and Fines for FY 2026-2027. www.clackamas.us. Checked October 28, 2026.
- Clackamas County Sheriff's Office (CitySupport portal), Clackamas County Sheriff alarm permit portal. Register; renew; pay. clackamascountyor.citysupport.org. Checked October 28, 2026.
Updates
- October 28, 2026 — first published from official sources.