False Alarm Ordinance 
False alarms place the lives and property of community members in jeopardy. While police and firefighters are responding to alarms that turn out to be false, they are less likely available to respond to alarms that are valid. In addition, the occupants are less likely to believe in their system with repeated false activations.
In 2002 the Police and Fire Departments responded to over 6,000 false alarms (Police 4,700 and Fire 1,333). Many of these alarms resulted from smaller systems located in residential settings. In an effort to reduce the number of false activations, City Council approved the following modifications to the false alarm ordinance in July of 2003:
- Reduced the number of free false alarms from 4 to 3
- Modified the fee structure to:
- 4 to 10, $100 per occurrence
- 11 to 24, $300 per occurrence
- 25 +, $500 per occurrence
- Eliminated the $1000 per occurrence category
- Added a special fee schedule if the system does not have a current alarm permit:
- No free false alarms
- $250 for the first occurrence
- $500 for each subsequent occurrence
The intent of the Ordinance is to encourage the alarm owners to maintain their systems so that they are reliable and have minimal false activations. The Ordinance has a "User Friendly" provision that allows the Alarm Administrator to waive an alarm occurrence if the owner took action to prevent the false alarm from recurring. All requests for waivers must be received by the Alarm Permit Coordinator in writing within thirty (30) days of the alarm occurrence. Requests should be mailed to Evanston Fire Life & Safety, 909 Lake Street, Evanston, IL 60202.
City Council also asks community members to research the proper usage of their alarm systems through manuals or by consulting their alarm dealers.
POLICE