Lawrenceville plans fines for false alarms

Lawrenceville residents and business owners will want to clamp down on their burglar alarms heading into the new year unless they want to find fines in their mailboxes.

The city’s false alarm ordinance, approved by City Council in September, took effect Wednesday. Individuals will now receive false alarm notices, while fines will start going out in January.

Residents will pay $25 for their third false alarm and $100 for any subsequent false alarms. Businesses will be fined $50 for their second false alarm, $200 for their third false alarm and $400 for any subsequent false alarms.

The crackdown comes after several conversations between city officials and law enforcement regarding high false alarm rates. Lawrenceville Police Department received an average of 2,700 yearly alarm calls from 2015 to 2019, according to Chief Tim Wallis. Only about six of those calls each year warranted a police response.

The ordinance requires alarm users to complete a permit application and return it to the city within 10 business days of installing or transferring a system. Permits are free, but a late fee will be assessed for nonresidential alarms after 30 days.

Alarm users will automatically become registered in the event of a police response. Nonresidential false alarms without a valid permit on file will result in an additional $100 fee on top of the alarm fee.

Anyone who receives notice of a false alarm in Lawrenceville will be able to appeal it, and every individual’s false-alarm count resets every 12 months from the registration date of their system.

Residents can register their alarm at crywolfservices.com/lawrencevillega.