Reason for Excessive False Alarm Regulations

Each year, the City of Lake Elsinore faces substantial cost increases for public safety. These increases are unsustainable and prevent the City form increasing service levels. Law enforcement and fire personnel respond to nearly 3,000 false security alarm calls for service each year. As a result, both agencies are forced to direct limited resources to these false alarm calls rather than other higher priority calls.

To address this concern, the City approved and adopted Ordinance 2019 - 1408, pertaining to False Activation of Fire, Burglary and Robbery Alarms. The ordinance amended the City's existing Security Alarms municipal code to eliminate unnecessary permit requirements and processes for alarm users, while setting new regulations for excessive false alarms for residents and businesses.

Excessive False Alarms - 3 or More Calls within 12 Months

False alarms can create a nuisance to the peace and safety of the community and cause excessive and unnecessary use of police and fire resources in responding to assumed emergencies. The City determines a false alarm to be excessive and may issue a fee assessment if a false alarm has occurred at the same location, residential or commercial, three (3) or more times in a twelve (12) month period. False alarms that occur multiple times within a single day are not counted as excessive false alarms. Upon determination of a false alarm by responding Fire and/or Police services, a Notice of False Alarm will be left at the property. If a fee is to be assessed, the fee and instructions on how to pay the assessment will be mailed to the alarm owner by the City.

Service Assessment Fees for Excessive False Alarm Activations 

To recover the cost of emergency response to false alarms, the City has established service fee assessments for excessive false alarms. Both businesses and residential properties will be subject to false alarms enforcement and fee assessments. The assessment fee schedule was determined based on the cost for police/fire service to respond to an alarm call for services. More specifically, the fees are calculated according to the hourly rate and cost to the City for Police and Fire services. Fees can be reviewed and adjusted annually based on changes in costs for service.

Current Service Assessment Fees for Excessive False Alarms:

• Police (residential): $120.58
• Police (commercial): $220.10
• Fire (residential): $232.20
• Fire (commercial): $343.80

Fees must be paid within thirty (30) calendar days of the date of the assessment. Alarm owners can request an appeal to false alarm notices through the City. Alarm owners will have fifteen (15) days to request an appeal from the date of the assessment.

For questions or for more information, please contact the City at (951) 674-3124 or refer to the City Municipal Code, which can be found here.