SAN ANTONIO – It’s not just a break-in that can cost you as a homeowner; a false alarm could, too.
And if you don’t have an active permit for your system, that price could soon be higher under the City of San Antonio’s new budget proposal.
A burglar smashing your window might trigger your home security system to summon police automatically, but so can your pet knocking something off the counter. About 91% of all burglar alarms are false alarms, according to San Antonio Police .
The city allows a certain number of false alarms each year before charging homeowners and businesses who have paid for their annual permits. However, the city hits up the people without a permit from the first unnecessary call-out.
As part of the FY 2025 budget, the City of San Antonio wants to raise the fees on unregistered systems to $250 per false alarm.
The current false alarm fees are $75 for unpermitted residential burglar alarms and $125 for unpermitted residential fire alarms. Unpermitted commercial fire and burglar alarms are also both $125.
San Antonio Police respond to about 68,000 false alarm calls every year, according to the city, and firefighters respond to 11,000. The amount of time that takes is equal to about 20 patrol officers and four engine companies.
It’s not clear how many of those false alarms come from unregistered systems. However, the city’s budget estimates indicate they expect to collect false alarm fees from somewhere between about 9,500 and 13,300 unregistered burglar alarms and almost 1,800 unregistered fire alarms.
The city expects the fee bump to bring in nearly $1.9 million.
“The idea, frankly, is that those systems should be permitted, maintained,” City Manager Erik Walsh told reporters after Thursday’s budget presentation. “And, as I said at the podium, not going off every time the wind blows.”
The proposed changes would not affect the generally lower fees attached to false alarms from permitted systems.
An alarm permit costs $40 for most San Antonio homeowners and $100 for businesses. They must be renewed each year.
Bexar County also requires homeowners and businesses to have permits for their alarm systems.