Hawthorne Eases Fees on Home Burglar Alarms

The Hawthorne City Council has eliminated an annual renewal fee charged to homeowners with burglar alarms and has waived the annual permit fee for low-income and disabled residents.

The new fee structure went into place last week after residents asked council members to lower the cost. Residents previously paid $50 a year for a burglar alarm permit in addition to a $20 renewal fee, said City Manager Bud Cormier. The change in fees does not apply to businesses.

In addition, the city reduced the number of false alarms that each household may accrue before paying a fine. Previously, residents were allowed three false alarms before they had to pay a $25 fine, but now they are only allowed two. Cormier said a fourth fine will cost $50, a fifth, $100 and anything over six will cost $250.

Cormier said the alarms ring directly at the Police Department and the number of false alarms the city has had to respond to has increased over the last few years. He said the vast majority of false alarms come from homes where the system has been tripped accidentally.

Cormier said the city hopes the higher fines will reduce the number of false alarms.