Divisions/District Stations — False Alarm Reduction Section

FALSE ALARM APPEAL GUIDELINES

            Every informal appeal filed with the False Alarm Reduction Section must be accompanied by a $15.00 appeal filing fee and must be submitted within 21 days of the notification date.  Failure to submit the filing fee or filing an appeal beyond the 21-day appeal period will result in the immediate denial of your appeal.

            Chapter 3A, Alarms, of the Montgomery County Code, defines a “false alarm” as any alarm signal that elicits a response by police personnel and for which there is no evidence of criminal activity to justify a police response.  Accordingly, if police respond and find no evidence of criminal activity, the alarm call will be cleared as a false alarm.

            Appeals will not be granted for false alarms that are the result of:

1.      Faulty, defective or malfunctioning equipment supplied by the alarm business.

2.      Improper installation or maintenance by the alarm business.

3.      Improper monitoring by the alarm business.

4.      An occurrence where no evidence of criminal activity is present.

5.      Mistakes made by private contractors, maids, cleaning crews, etc.

6.      Alarm activations which occur while alarm technicians are repairing or servicing the alarm system.

7.      Items within the home or business which move and cause motion detectors to activate, i.e., curtains, signs, balloons, etc.

8.      Glass break detectors which activate due to noises/sounds other than actual glass breakage.

9.      Doors and/or windows that become loose and cause a break in the contacts which activates the alarm.

10.  Caretakers who watch homes or businesses when owners are away.

11.  Pets, rodents, wildlife.

In the case of Items #1, #2, and #3 above, an alarm user may recover an alarm response fee from the alarm business that sold, installed or monitored the alarm system, if the alarm was due to (1) faulty, defective or malfunctioning equipment supplied by the alarm business,  (2) improper installation or maintenance by the alarm business, or  (3) improper monitoring by the alarm business.  It is suggested that you contact your alarm company immediately, should you believe a false alarm was recorded against your registration record for any of these three reasons.

            This list is intended as a guide to assist you in deciding whether to appeal a false alarm or contact your alarm company for discussion.  This list is not intended to cover every situation where an appeal will be denied.