The city council in Eureka, Calif., is increasing its fines for excessive false alarms by as much as 400 percent. Unlike fines in other municipalities, the penalties in Eureka will apply to the number of false alarms within a six-month period, instead of within a year.
In the Jan. 18 vote, the council in the coastal Northern California city also approved a system for issuing $20 alarm permits, which has previously been law but never enforced, according to the Times-Standard.
Police say that alarm owners who don’t pay their alarm permit or fines for false alarms will face losing any response to alarms from officers.
Under the resolution passed by the council, the fee for a third false alarm within a six-month period goes up from $25 to $50, while the fine for a fourth false alarm goes up from $50 to $200.
