Florida's Martin County Implements New Alarm Ordinance

Martin County, Fla., is responding its problem of false alarm calls with an ordinance that goes into effect Monday, May 1, that will require alarm systems to be registered with the county, and which puts into place fines for false alarms.

The fine schedule starts with the second false alarm for which the alarm system owner is billed $25. Fines increase steadily, but are capped at $150 for 10 false alarms. After more than 10 false alarms, police can decide to revoke the system's alarm permit and deny response.