Lexington KY False Alarms

Our travels last week took us through Kentucky. Of course I had to peruse the web to see what is going on in the world of false alarm reduction in the bluegrass state. Of the cities that we would be visiting, Lexington was the first that I found with a false alarm reduction unit.

Alarm systems in Lexington must be registered and there is an application fee of $15, which seems to be a one time fee. (Update: the $15 fee is an annual fee). Lexington's ordinance is similar to most other ordinances, but it has a feature that I have not seen before. The fine schedule lists minimum and maximum fines. If an alarm user doesn't contest the alarm, they pay the minimum fine. If they contest the fine and lose, they could end up paying the maximum fine. Fines begin at the fourth alarm with a $25 minimum fine and go up to a $300 minimum fine for the 9th alarm (maximum fine is $500). These fines are relatively low compared to fines in the area where I live; however, the 10th alarm in Lexington brings a revocation of the permit for a period of up to one year. So the low fines are given strength by stiff penalties.

Lexington's ordinance does allow users to appeal, but the appeal must be filed within 10 days of notification (our ordinance allows 30 days for an appeal). This combined with the possibility of paying a higher fine likely reduces the number of appeals. Alarm users in Lexington do have the option of attending a false alarm education class in lieu of paying one fine per year--this is a great option that my unit has not yet been able to provide.

Thanks to the ordinance, the Lexington false alarm reduction unit must take on the task of licensing alarm installers. I am glad that this responsibility is held at the state level where I live. The $15 application fee probably comes nowhere near covering the cost of running the background checks and investigating employees.

This data is presented for informational purposes only. Residents must check with the government in their jurisdiction to determine what the current legislation is and what requirements must be met.

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