FORT MILL, S.C. — The false alarm penalties continue to sweep across the United States.
Starting Oct. 1, a third false alarm in a fiscal year will result in a fine, with fines starting at $50 and reaching upwards of $500 for a 10th offense in a year.
The Fort Mill Town Council passed the rule to cut down on faulty alarm equipment in residential and commercial units that prompt unwarranted calls for help, according to The Herald.
The first offense will constitute a warning. The second false alarm will result in a letter sent to the property owner that suggests corrective measures. Third, fourth and fifth offenses will result in $50 fines. The fine bumps up to $100 for the sixth and seventh offenses, then $200 for eighth and ninth before climbing all the way up to $500 should a single property have a 10th false alarm in a year.
“We’re not going to try to make money off this,” said Dennis Pieper, the town’s manager. “It’s a deterrent.”
If an emergency situation occurs and is attended to or solved before emergency response arrives, that will not constitute a false alarm, according to the report.
