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Carrollton Alarm Permit: Cost, False Alarm Fees and How to Register
Carrollton requires a city alarm permit for every home and business alarm: $50 for the first year and $25 a year to renew ($75 and $50 for businesses). You get 3 free false burglar alarms in any 12 months, then pay $50 each for the 4th and 5th, $75 for the 6th and 7th, and $100 for the 8th and up. False panic, fire and medical alarms are free twice, then $100 each. Police won't respond to burglar alarms at addresses without a permit.[1]
Carrollton alarm permit at a glance
| Who needs a permit | City of Carrollton city limits (the city spans parts of Dallas, Denton and Collin counties)[1] |
|---|---|
| Which alarms are covered | Any alarm system meant to bring police or fire (burglary, fire or medical), including alarms that only sound a siren outside. You need a separate permit for each address. Vehicle alarms aren't covered unless the vehicle is used as a home at a permanent site, and alarms that only alert people inside the home aren't covered. In apartment complexes, the owner needs a master permit, and each tenant who runs an alarm needs their own permit.[2,3,1] |
| Residential permit fee | New: $50 Renewal: $25 (only before your permit expires) · valid 12 months[1,4] |
| Other permit charges | Administrative fee: $25 (Permit denial/revocation appeal fee; refunded if the appeal is upheld)[5] |
| Fee exemptions | Government buildings must register but don't pay the permit fee. We found no senior or low-income waiver. These don't count as false alarms: alarms caused by a real fire or crime, alarms where responders arrived more than 30 minutes after the call, and alarms in the first 30 days after installation if you applied for the permit before the system went in.[1,6,2] |
| Free false alarms | Burglar alarms: 3; Panic and hold-up alarms: 2; Fire alarms: 2 in any rolling 12 months[1] |
| If you have no permit | Police won't respond to an alarm at an address without a valid permit, or where the permit was revoked. The exceptions are fire alarms, medical alarms, and alarms someone sets off on purpose, like a panic button.[3,1] |
| Runs the program | City of Carrollton alarm permit office (Utility Customer Service), using the city's CryWolf False Alarm Reduction website[3,1] |
| When to apply | Get the permit before you start using the alarm. If you apply before a new system is installed, false alarms in the first 30 days after installation aren't charged or counted.[3,6] |
False alarm fees in Carrollton
False alarms are counted over any rolling 12 months[5,1]. Each fee below is charged per false alarm.
Residential burglar alarms (with a permit)
Residential panic and hold-up alarms (with a permit)
Residential fire alarms (with a permit)
If false alarms keep happening: Sources differ Carrollton may revoke your permit, which suspends police response to your alarm, for unpaid false alarm fees, false statements on your application, violating the alarm-user rules, or too many false alarms in the preceding 12 months. The sources differ on that last trigger: the city code says 8 or more false alarms, while the city's FAQ says more than 8. The city mails a written notice; you can appeal in writing within 10 business days after it's mailed, with a $25 fee (refunded if you win), and a timely appeal puts the revocation on hold until the hearing officer decides.[3,1]
Charges without a permit
- $1000 maximum — charged as a court fine for each offense if convicted of operating an alarm without a permit (each day is a separate offense).[6]
How to get or renew a permit in Carrollton
- Apply or renew online at falsealarms.cityofcarrollton.com[1].
- Prefer paper? Download the application (PDF)[4,1].
- Questions: call the City of Carrollton alarm permit office at 972-466-3525[7,1].
- Address: By mail: City of Carrollton, PO Box 224863, Dallas, TX 75222. In person: the Utility Bill payment counter on the first floor of City Hall, 1945 E. Jackson Rd., Carrollton, TX 75006.[1]
- Give your permit number to your alarm monitoring company.
- Renew every year before the permit expires; the renewal takes effect on the old permit's anniversary date. The city mails a reminder at least 30 days before expiration. Once a permit expires it can't be renewed, so you'd have to buy a new initial permit ($50 for a home instead of $25).[3,5]
Who files: The alarm user (homeowner, tenant or business) applies for their own permit. Apartment owners also need a master permit. Alarm companies must get the customer's permit number but don't file for them.[2,3,6]
Good to know
- Self-installed and self-monitored systems: Self-installed and unmonitored systems are covered. The code's definition of an alarm user includes anyone who owns or runs an alarm that isn't monitored or serviced under contract. So if your alarm is set up to bring police or fire, or sounds a siren outside, you need a permit. Alarms that only alert people inside the home are excluded.[2]
- Panic and hold-up alarms: Panic alarms are covered by the permit. False panic, fire and medical alarms are free twice in 12 months, then $100 each. The enhanced-verification rule applies only to burglar alarms. Police respond to alarms someone sets off on purpose even at unpermitted addresses.[2,1,6]
- Before police are sent: Under the city code, your alarm company must use enhanced verification before reporting a burglar alarm to dispatch (two or more verification calls, live audio or video, cross-zoning, or a mix of these) and must give dispatch the site's permit number. The code doesn't require a witness or video confirmation before police respond, but it doesn't promise a response either, and we couldn't confirm the police department's current dispatch practice.[6,2]
- Not sure which rules apply to your address?: Not confirmed. We didn't find a public address lookup. If you're not sure your address is inside Carrollton city limits, call the alarm permit office at 972-466-3525.
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
- City of Carrollton, Utility Customer Service, Pay Your Alarm Permit (alarm permit FAQ and fee schedule) — No page revision date printed; FAQ says the alarm ordinance took effect October 1, 2012. www.cityofcarrollton.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of Carrollton (eCode360 / General Code), Carrollton Code of Ordinances, Ch. 110 Alarm Systems, Subchapter I: General Provisions — Ordinance 3493, adopted 6/5/2012; eCode360 code version dated 2026-09-01. § 110.01 Definitions. ecode360.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of Carrollton (eCode360 / General Code), Carrollton Code of Ordinances, Ch. 110, Subchapter II: Permit Requirements — Ordinance 3493, adopted 6/5/2012; eCode360 code version dated 2026-09-01. §§ 110.15-110.19. ecode360.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of Carrollton - Alarm Permits, Alarm Permit - Residential (printable application, PDF). www.cityofcarrollton.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of Carrollton (eCode360 / General Code), Carrollton Code of Ordinances, Ch. 31 Comprehensive Fee Schedule — Chapter history ends 'Ordinance 4323 adopted 9/1/2026'; eCode360 shows Laws (0) pending. § 31.01, subsection (I) Police: alarm permits and false alarm fees. ecode360.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of Carrollton (eCode360 / General Code), Carrollton Code of Ordinances, Ch. 110, Subchapter III: Emergency Reporting Equipment and Procedures (page also carries the rest of Ch. 110 incl. penalty) — Ordinance 3493, adopted 6/5/2012; eCode360 code version dated 2026-09-01. §§ 110.30-110.41 (incl. 110.32 reporting, 110.39 false alarm fees, 110.40 alarm company duties) and penalty section. ecode360.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
- City of Carrollton (CryWolf alarm administration portal), City of Carrollton False Alarm Reduction Website (CryWolf) - home. falsealarms.cityofcarrollton.com. Checked October 28, 2026.
Updates
- October 28, 2026 — first published from official sources.