Talk to a Representative855.891.7233
Travis County Alarm Permit: Cost, False Alarm Fees and How to Register
If your home is in unincorporated Travis County, you need a Travis County Sheriff's Office alarm permit before you turn your alarm on. It costs $50 a year (calendar-year permit, not prorated). Five false alarms in any 12 months are free; each one after that costs $75.[1,2]
Travis County alarm permit at a glance
| Who needs a permit | Alarm sites in unincorporated Travis County. Addresses inside a city are not covered; city residents should check with their local police department.[1,3] |
|---|---|
| Which alarms are covered | Any alarm system used to detect burglary, theft or intrusion or to summon aid for an emergency. Excluded: alarms that only alert people inside when the property has no outside siren or light, fire- or smoke-only alarms, vehicle alarms, government premises, and emergency systems run by licensed health care facilities.[1] |
| Residential permit fee | New: $50 (calendar-year permit; not prorated) Renewal: $50 · calendar-year permit, valid through December 31[2,3] |
| Other permit charges | Reinstatement: $50 (reinstating a revoked residential permit)[2] |
| Fee exemptions | Not confirmed. No senior, veteran or low-income fee exemption is listed in the county rules or fee schedule. |
| Free false alarms | 5 in any rolling 12 months[3,1] |
| If you have no permit | Not confirmed. The county does not say deputies will refuse to respond to an alarm without a permit. Its rules allow the Commissioners Court to require a permit before response, but we did not find that such a rule has been adopted.[1] |
| Runs the program | Travis County Sheriff's Office[1] |
| When to apply | Before the alarm is turned on. The rules say no alarm system may be activated before the buyer receives the permit.[1] |
False alarm fees in Travis County
False alarms are counted over any rolling 12 months[1]. Each fee below is charged per false alarm.
Residential false alarms (with a permit)
If false alarms keep happening: The Sheriff's Office may revoke a permit after more than nine false alarms in 12 months, or if fees go unpaid 60 days after a notice. To reinstate, you reapply and show the cause is fixed and fees are paid; a reinstated permit gets no free false alarms for the 12 months before reinstatement.[1]
How to get or renew a permit in Travis County
- Apply or renew online at tcsheriff.org[3].
- Prefer paper? Download the application (PDF, revised February 2016)[4].
- Questions: call the Travis County Sheriff's Office at 512-854-4768[3].
- Address: By mail: Travis County Sheriff's Office, Attn: Alarm Permit, P.O. Box 459, Del Valle, TX 78617 (check or money order payable to Travis County). In person: 5555 Airport Blvd., Austin, TX 78751, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.[3]
- Give your permit number to your alarm monitoring company.
- Renew every calendar year; payment should arrive before January 1. The fee is the same whenever in the year you apply (fees are not prorated).[1,3]
Who files: The person who will be responsible for the alarm system, before it is turned on. Alarm companies must tell buyers about the permit requirement.[1]
Good to know
- Self-installed and self-monitored systems: Not confirmed. The county does not address self-installed or self-monitored systems separately. A system that only alerts people inside, with no outside siren or light, is exempt; otherwise the rules turn on what the alarm does, not who installed it.[1]
- Panic and hold-up alarms: Not confirmed. The county does not set separate rules or fees for panic or hold-up alarms. Silent alarms must signal the type of emergency.[1]
- Before police are sent: Not confirmed. The county requires monitoring companies to follow procedures approved by the Sheriff's Office to reduce false alarms, but the rules do not spell out a verification-call requirement.[1]
- Not sure which rules apply to your address?: Check the Sheriff's Office district map linked from its alarm permit page. If you are inside a city's limits, the county permit does not apply; ask your city's police department.[3]
- Nearby rules differ: City of Austin has its own permit and fees. See Austin alarm permit rules.
- Nearby rules differ: Williamson County (unincorporated) has its own permit and fees. See Williamson County alarm permit rules.
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 Austin.
Sources
- Travis County Commissioners Court, Travis County Code Chapter 268: Travis County Sheriff's Office Alarm System Rules and Procedures — Amended September 16, 2025 (Item 16B), effective September 16, 2025. Secs. 268.001-268.019 (amendments through September 16, 2025, Item 16B). www.traviscountytx.gov. Checked October 27, 2026.
- Travis County Commissioners Court, Schedule of Fees to be Charged for Services by the Offices of the Sheriff and Constables of Travis County in 2026 — Effective January 1, 2026; approved September 16, 2025. Other fees: Alarm Permit; response to false alarm. www.traviscountytx.gov. Checked October 27, 2026.
- Travis County Sheriff's Office, Alarm Permits. Register your alarm; application methods; know the rules. tcsheriff.org. Checked October 27, 2026.
- Travis County Sheriff's Office, Travis County Alarm Permit Application — Rev. 2/2016 (lists current $50 / $110 fees). Mail-in application. tcsheriff.org. Checked October 27, 2026.
Updates
- October 27, 2026 — first published from official sources.