Lilburn City Alarm Registration Begins May 15

As part of a new ordinance that aims to reduce the number of false alarm calls that Lilburn police respond to, anyone with a monitored security system must register it with the city within a one-month period beginning May 15.

The one-time fee for registration will be $15, Lilburn Police Chief Bruce Hedley said at Monday night's town hall meeting. When registration begins, there will be a link on the police department's website, and residents can either register online or by mail. The deadline for registration is June 15.

Under the new ordinance, the first false alarm response is at no charge, but the second one within a year of the registration date will cost the resident or business owner $25; a third one will cost $50, and the fourth and any following, within that year, will come with a charge of $100.

Lilburn's city council passed the false alarm ordinance in December of 2011 after Chef Hedley explained that less than one percent of all alarm calls are true alarms. False alarms cost the more than $160,000 over a two-year period, Hedley said.

On the anniversary of a resident's registration, the "penalty clock" is reset. So, for example, if you had a false alarm in June after registering in May 2012, there is no penalty. There would also be no penalty if you have a second false alarm in June of 2013 because of the "reset."

Residents do not have to register again, though. The registration is "forever," or until you move, Chief Hedley said. The $15 fee is to cover the processing costs.

It is technically against the law not to register your monitored security system, Chief Hedley said, though if you have a false alarm and haven't registered, the police will send you a letter to remind you to do so.

The $15 fee and the penalties are lower than in other cities and in Gwinnett County, Chief Hedley said.

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