Emergency Alarm and False Alarm Information

If you have an alarm monitoring service, they will register the alarm license for you. If you do not have an alarm monitoring service, you must complete and return the Alarm License / Renewal Application within five (5) days after the alarm system is installed.

Alarm License / Renewal Application

Alarm License Rate Table 2025

Alarm Rate Table 2024

Registered Alarm System

Unregistered Alarm System

If your alarm location is unregistered, you are charged a $100 Non-licensed Alarm penalty and the $250 Non-licensed Alarm – False Alarm fee per false alarm instance.

If you received a Notice of False Alarm Penalty, you may contest the fee or penalty by filing an Appeal of Alarm Fee Assessment, Penalty, or License Revocation. All requests must be submitted within 15 days after the date of notification. In the case of false alarm penalties, the notification is the "invoice date" provided on the Notice of False Alarm Penalty form. Submit the completed form along with the full amount of any penalty imposed, plus any accrued interest and costs. The penalty will be refunded if the appeal is granted.

Please note that appeals will not be granted for false alarms that are a result of the following:

• Any occurrence where no evidence of criminal activity is present
• Faulty, defective or malfunctioning equipment supplied by the alarm company.
• Improper installation, maintenance, monitoring by the alarm company or property owner
• Alarm activations which occur while alarm technicians are repairing, servicing or testing the alarm system
• Mistakes made by private contractors, maids, cleaning crews, realtors, caretakers, pets, rodents or wildlife, etc.
• Items within the home or business that move and cause alarm to activate (curtains, signs, balloons, plants, etc.)

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

Section 1: ALARM USER INQUIRIES

Why are there alarm license requirements and false alarm fees?
Alarm license fees and false alarm fees were established to recover some of the costs expended by the San Francisco Police Department to respond to false alarm calls.

Do I need an Alarm License?
Every alarm site in San Francisco is required to have an alarm license.

What if I believe I am “exempt”?
Every alarm site in San Francisco is required to have an alarm license. If you are exempt, you are not required to pay the registration fee. An exemption only applies to land or buildings owned, rented, or leased to the federal government, the State of California or any political subdivision or agency thereof, or the City and County of San Francisco, including the public schools. If you believe you are exempt email alarm.program@sfgov.org.

How can I get my alarm system registered?
If you have an alarm monitoring service, they will register it for you and bill you for the license fee. Follow-up with your alarm monitoring company. If you do not have an alarm monitoring service, you must fill out and return the Alarm License Application which can be found under the Register for an Alarm License section within five (5) days after the alarm system is installed.

If I do not have an Alarm Monitoring Company where should I mail my check?
Remit your payment and application to: San Francisco Tax Collector, Alarm License Unit, P.O. Box 7427, San Francisco, CA 94120-7427

I have a self-monitored alarm and my license fee check was returned. What do I need to do?
Please write “self-monitored” on the alarm application form and resubmit it with the check.

Why is my license status listed as “unregistered”?
Your alarm is considered unregistered because your alarm company has not paid your alarm license fee for the current calendar year. Follow-up with your alarm monitoring company.

I have proof that I paid my alarm company the annual fee. What can I do?
If you can produce evidence that you timely paid the registration fee to your alarm company, the $100 Non-licensed Alarm Penalty, and the $250 Non-licensed Alarm – False Alarm fee for not being registered can be waived. Please submit an Alarm Penalty Waiver Form.

I need to renew my alarm license, but I did not receive a renewal notice from the alarm company. Can you send me the renewal statement?
Per the San Francisco Police Emergency Alarm Ordinance, you must pay the alarm company directly if your alarm system is monitored by an alarm monitoring company. If you did not receive a renewal notice, contact your alarm monitoring company.

Can you provide a confirmation letter or issue a certification for my alarm license?
We are unable to provide a confirmation letter or a certificate for your alarm license. Your alarm company is responsible for setting up your account and providing a license number to you.

I am switching to a new alarm company. What do I need to do?
You must inactivate your license with the old alarm company, then contact your new alarm company and provide the license number.

I have recently changed to a new alarm company. Do I need to pay the license fee again?
You do not need to pay the current year license fee again if it is for the same alarm user and location.

I was told by the alarm company to call the City for the login ID and password. What is my login ID and password for the portal?
You were misinformed, we cannot provide the login ID and password to alarm customers. The City’s portal is designed for alarm company use only.

Why was my license fee payment returned?
If your alarm system is monitored by the alarm company, you need to pay the alarm company directly per the San Francisco Police Emergency Alarm Ordinance.

Do you accept credit cards for the false alarm penalty or alarm license fee payments?
For False Alarm Penalties: we accept credit cards and eCheck payments via our Alarm Payment Portal. Please note that you will need your Statement Number and License Number (found on your False Alarm Statement) to access the portal. Alarm License Fee payments are not available online at this time. Mail-in instructions are on the back of your statement. You may also pay in person at City Hall, Room 140.

Can you send me a renewal for a Fire Alarm?
The Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector does not handle Fire Alarms. You need to contact the San Francisco Fire Department at (415) 558-3200.

Can I make an installment plan for the false alarm penalty?
We do not offer installment plans.

Can I extend the due date for the false alarm penalty?
We cannot extend the due date.

How can I request a refund?
Please submit an Alarm Appeal/Waiver/Refund request online.

When does the alarm license expire?
The alarm license is good for a calendar year and will expire each year on December 31st.

When do I renew my license?
You will receive a renewal notice from your alarm company. If you have not received a renewal notice, please contact your alarm company. If you’re a self-monitored alarm, you will receive a renewal notice from the Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector.

Can you inactivate or cancel my alarm license?
You must contact your alarm company to inactivate your alarm license. If you are self-monitored, send email to alarm.program@sfgov.org.

I want to update my mailing address. Who can assist me?
You may email your new mailing address to alarm.program@sfgov.org. You must reference the license number for the request to be processed.

What is the alarm license fee or prorated license fee for my alarm?
You can find the fees here Emergency Alarm and False Alarm Information page, under the Alarm License Rate Table section.

Section 2: FALSE ALARM INQUIRIES

What is a false alarm?
The City and County of San Francisco’s Police Emergency Alarm Ordinance defines a false alarm as an alarm dispatch request to a law enforcement agency, when the responding law enforcement officer finds no evidence of a criminal offense or attempted criminal offense after having completed a timely investigation of the alarm site.

How many false alarms does the ordinance allow?
If your alarm location is registered, there is no penalty for the first alarm within the calendar year. The second alarm penalty is $100, the third is $150, the fourth is $200, and five or more is $250 per incident. If your alarm location is unregistered, inactive, or refused, you are charged a $100 Non-licensed Alarm penalty and the $250 Non-licensed Alarm – False Alarm fee per false alarm occurrence.

I need the invoice and not the statement form. Can you email me the individual false alarm invoice?
The statement serves as your invoice. Each false alarm incident is issued an invoice number billed on a statement. Please go to the False Alarm Payment Portal for your most updated Statement of Account.

Can you provide the date, time, and location for the incident?
The incident number, time, date, and location are listed on the statement under the False Alarm Detail section. Please go to the False Alarm Payment Portal for your Statement Invoice Details.

Can you extend the false alarm due date?
We cannot extend the due date.

I have paid the alarm license fee. Why am I still getting the false alarm notices?
The alarm license fee does not cover the false alarm penalty fee. "False alarm" means an alarm dispatch request to a law enforcement agency; when the responding law enforcement officer finds no evidence of a criminal offense or attempted criminal offense after having completed a timely investigation of the alarm site.

Why did I get a late fee for the false alarm?
You did not pay for the false alarm penalty by the due date. The due date is on the false alarm statement.

I have questions about the delinquent false alarm statement I received.
Submit questions to ttx.bdr@sfgov.org.

How can I request the penalty, late fee, or non-licensed fee be waived?
You may contest the assessment of a fee by filing a Penalty Waiver Form online. All requests must be submitted within 15 days of the date of notification. In the case of false alarm penalties, the notification is the "invoice date" provided on the Notice of False Alarm Penalty form.

A paper form is also available here. Submit your appeal to: Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector, P.O. Box 7427, San Francisco, CA 94120- 7427 with the full amount of penalty, plus any accrued interest and costs. The penalty, interest, and costs will be refunded if the appeal is granted.

I have not received an appeal decision for the false alarm penalty. What is the status?
The Tax Collector shall evaluate appeals and notify the protesting party of the decision within 30 days of receipt by the Tax Collector of all information and evidence. If your appeal request exceeds this time frame, you may inquire about the status at alarm.program@sfgov.org.

How do we check the status of our San Francisco alarm accounts?
Using the Self-Service Portal you can access and view your San Francisco alarm accounts online. The portal allows you to: view your accounts, register accounts, add new alarm customers, inactivate, mark accounts Refused, and print billing statements.

How do I update contact Information?
Updates to alarm company or license contact information (name, address, phone, etc.) cannot be made from within the portal. If you need to make contact information changes, email alarm.program@sfgov.org for assistance.

What do the different license statuses mean?
Unregistered – Indicates the license has been requested and issued, but a registration payment has not yet been received for the current year from you. Licenses in unregistered status that have not been paid will appear on your next statement request. Penalties and interest will accrue until paid in full.

Registered – Indicates the license is currently active and a payment has been received for the current year.

Inactivated – Indicates the license is no longer in active status which means you are not providing alarm services at this location. This license will not show up on any future statement requests.

Refused – Indicates the alarm customer refused to make a payment for the license registration fee. Licenses in this status are treated the same as unregistered licenses. These licenses will appear on each annual renewal.

When will a license be billed?
After a license is created it will be in “Unregistered” status. The next time a statement is created this license will automatically appear on the list of licenses to be billed and will continue to appear as “unregistered” until paid. Annual (next year) registrations will include all licenses with a status of Unregistered, Registered, or Refused.

Why can’t I create a new statement?
If you do not have an option to create a new statement this indicates you already have a statement for that year in “Open Request” status, “Pending Processing”, or you have a pending license status update that needs to complete processing before you can create a new statement.

How can I tell if a license has already been billed/paid?
To determine if a license has been billed or paid, go to the license tab to search for the license in question. If paid, the status will be “Registered”. If it has been billed, but not paid, the status will be “Unregistered”. Click on the license number to view the statement.

How can I tell if my payment has been received?
Go to the statement tab, find the statement in question, and check the statement status. If the statement has a status of “Paid” that indicates payment has been received and processed. Allow 5-7 business days for payment processing.

Why does one of my licenses have a lock icon for a status?
If you see a lock icon next to you license this is an indicator that there is either a statement request processing which locks changes to licenses or there is a change pending to the specific license. The lock icon will go way after all outstanding requests are processed. If this does not resolve itself in a day, please email us at alarm.program@sfgov.org for assistance.

What to do if I accidentally inactivated the wrong license?
If you accidently change a status to inactivated and need to reactivate the license, send an email to alarm.program@sfgov.org for assistance.

What to do if I accidently submitted a statement before I was ready?
If you need to add additional licenses, please create a second statement and send both payment stubs with payment. If there is a license on the statement which you did not intend to be billed, please send an email to alarm.program@sfgov.org for assistance.

I want to update a mailing address.
You may email the new mailing address to alarm.program@sfgov.org. You must reference the license number for the request to be processed.

What browsers are supported to access the alarm portal?
For the best security, performance, and compatibility, we recommend using the latest versions of the following supported browsers: Chrome 86+, Firefox 81+, Safari 14+, Microsoft Edge 11+.

Retrieving a forgotten password:
If you have forgotten your password, please visit Self-Service Portal. Follow the prompts and enter your alarm company contact email to have your password reset.