CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES

Alarm companies must now ensure that all city residents and businesses that purchase new alarm systems also possess a valid city permit before installation, according to an ordinance approved Friday by the City Council.

Officials say the measure will improve the city’s rate of reimbursement for responding to false alarms, more than 100 of which occur a day.

Under the new rules, alarm companies must collect the $31 permit fee themselves if customers have not already paid the city. Alarm companies must submit the fee to the city, or face charges.

“Now both the alarm company and the user will be held responsible for ensuring that the users have the appropriate permit and have paid the necessary fees,” said Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who sponsored the measure. “. . . We want to be able to know where these alarms are, who’s responsible for them, as well as to reduce the number of alarm fees.”

In the last fiscal year, the city collected $8.3 million in false alarm fees -- assessed at a rate of $115 or more for each false alarm that police respond to. But so many alarm owners lacked proper permits -- paperwork that helps the city keep track of billing information -- that the city has been unable to collect much of the revenue owed from false alarm fees.

In 2007, there were 61,000 alarm activations. Of those, roughly 51,000 were false alarms, according to the Police Commission.

-- Maeve Reston