Alarm Ordinance Information Page

The Owasso City council has adopted an ordinance regarding the response of the Owasso Police Department to alarm calls.This website is to assist you with understanding how this ordinance effects you and your alarm system.

Mandatory Alarm Company registration begins October 1, 2007 and the new police policy will be in effect November 1, 2007.

Frequently Asked Questions

Alarm Statistics

Alarm Company Registration Forms

List of Registered Alarm Companies

Alarm Ordinance Full Text

Contact Information

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  What is the purpose of the ordinance?

A:  The ordinance is an effort to decrease false alarms and increase the effectiveness of police response, the ordinance places limits on the number of false intrusion alarms per business or residence requiring a police response and authorizes citations to be issued to habitual offenders. Additionally, the ordinance requires ALL Alarm Companies to register with the City of Owasso Police Department.

Q:  Do I have to register my home/business alarm?

A:  No, ALARMS are not registered.  Alarm COMPANIES must register their business to legally provide service in the City of Owasso.

Q:  How do I know if my alarm company is registered?

A:  The city has a web link on this site.  This link will allow you to check your company’s registration status.

Q:  What if my alarm company is not registered?

A:  Contact your alarm company and ask that they contact the City regarding registration requirements. 

Q:  How many false alarms am I allowed before I am ticketed? 

A:  You are allowed three false alarms within a 12 month period.  A fine will be imposed the 4th time a false alarm is received at an address.  The 4th false alarm fine is $100, the 5th is $200, and the 6th and subsequent false alarms are $400.

Q:  What is a false alarm?

A:  It is an alarm that is not verifiably the result of criminal activity.  Multiple false alarms in a 12 month period at a specific address will result in suspension.

Q:  What happens if the alarm at my address gets suspended?

A:  You and your alarm company will get a letter informing you of the suspension.  You must then provide documentation to the office of the Chief of Police that you have corrected the problem.  Until this documentation is provided, the police will not respond to an intrusion alarm at your address.

Q:  What happens after I provide the documentation showing that the problem has been corrected?

A:  If a reinstatement letter is issued you will be placed on probation for 90 days and police will again respond to your intrusion alarms, however; if you receive another false alarm, you will be placed back on suspension.

Q:  What if I have a fire or medical alarm?

A:  These alarms are not included in this ordinance.  The appropriate agency will always respond for these alarms.

Q:  Can I cancel my own alarm?

A:            No.  The police cannot confirm that the person calling has the authority to cancel.  You must contact your alarm company and have them cancel the alarm using your proper access codes.  This is an effort to protect you from an unauthorized person cancelling you alarm and victimizing you. Also, you must contact your alarm company if testing and alarm system.

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Alarm Statistics

The following lists Alarm Calls for the past few years. Note that very few calls are genuine, and yet each call must be treated as a possible crime in progress. This utilizes a great deal of resources and occupies officers who might be needed elsewhere for emergency response.

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Alarm Company Registration Forms

Alarm companies are required to register in order to provide service within the City of Owasso. Alarm customers are NOT required to register. If you would like to register your company, please either completed the online form beow, or download, print and complete the PDF form below then fax or mail it to the Police Deparment.

Alarm Company Faxable Registration Form

Online Alarm Company Registration Form

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List of Registered Alarm Companies

These companies are currently legally registered to provide alarm monitoring service within the City of Owasso. if your alarm company is not registered, you should contact them immediatly and direct them to register. City statutes require all alarm companies to register in order to ensure police response to your residence in the event of an intrusion alarm.

Alarm Company List

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Alarm Ordinance Full Text

CITY OF OWASSO, OKLAHOMA

ORDINANCE 902

AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO PART 10, OFFENSES AND CRIMES, CHAPTER  8,  ALARMS, OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF OWASSO, OKLAHOMA, AMENDING SAME BY CREATING CHAPTER 8 ENTITLED “ALARMS” AND ESTABLISHING PROCEDURES FOR THE  REGISTRATION OF A POLICE ALARM AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES IMPOSED UPON AN ALARM OWNER, AND BY REPEALING SECTIONS 10-312 (13) AND (14).

THIS ORDINANCE AMENDS PART 10 OF THE CITY OF THE OWASSO CODE OF ORDINANCES BY CREATING SECTION 8, ALARMS, AND REPEALING SECTIONS 10-312 (13) AND (14).

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OWASSO, OKLAHOMA, THAT, TO-WIT:

SECTION ONE (1):     Part 10, Offenses and Crimes, Chapter 8, Alarms, of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Owasso, Oklahoma, shall be amended by providing and codifying as follows:

SECTION TWO (2):

SECTION 10-801_    LEGISLATIVE INTENT

The purpose of this chapter is to reduce the frequency of false alarms and to provide the Police Department with alarm provider contact information by establishing standards and controls for various types of alarm devices.

SECTION THREE (3):

SECTION 10-802      DEFINITIONS

The following terms used in this chapter have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Alarm" means any activation of a police alarm device.

"Alarm business" or "alarm provider" means a person or company in the business of installing, servicing, or monitoring police alarm devices at remote alarm sites owned by other persons.

"Audible alarm" means any police alarm device designed to produce an audible signal at the property where it is installed.

“Cancellation” means a cancellation signal is received indicating a valid user has disarmed the alarm and/or a voice verification has been received by the alarm provider.

“False alarm” means any alarm police respond to that is not triggered by criminal or suspicious activity.  Alarms triggered by weather, faulty equipment, human error, animals, etc. are all considered to be false alarms for the purposes of this section.

"Police alarm device" means any device that is designed or used to signal the occurrence of a burglary, robbery, or other criminal offense. This term does not include an alarm affixed to an automobile.

SECTION FOUR (4):

SECTION 10-803      ALARM REGISTRATION REQUIRED

(a) No alarm provider or monitoring service shall operate an alarm business or provide alarm service of any type within the City without first registering the business with the Owasso Police Department on forms provided by the Police Department.  This section shall be applicable to alarm services and monitoring services providing services to residents and businesses within the City, regardless of where the alarm or monitoring service is located.   Upon registration, the alarm provider or service will be issued a registration number.  Failure of an alarm provider or service to register with the Police Department as required under this section and obtain a registration number, or otherwise to be in compliance with the requirements of this section, will result in a non-response by the Police Department to alarms from that provider until such time as proof of the provider’s compliance is provided to the Chief of Police.  However, the Police Department will respond to the types of alarms set forth in Section 10-804(A) regardless of the alarm provider’s compliance with this section.  Such alarm providers shall be required to register with the Owasso Police Department, and failure to do so may result in the imposition of a fine upon the alarm provider, regardless of whether or not a non-response by the Police Department is allowed under this section.

 (b)   No fee shall be charged for any registration issued under this chapter.

SECTION FIVE (5):

SECTION 10-804      RESPONSE TO BUSINESS BURGLAR ALARMS

In order for a police response to occur, alarm providers must be in compliance with all applicable municipal ordinances and codes, and must agree and adhere to established Police Department policy. If a company is not in compliance with said codes or policy the Police Department will suspend response to any alarms from such provider until such time they provide proof to the Chief of Police that they are in compliance. Officers will only respond to business burglar alarms if one of the following conditions exists.

(a) An alarm has already been verified as being the likely result of criminal activity through independent means such as third party response, witness verification, listening devices, video monitoring, or multiple alarms at the same location during a single incident (i.e., exterior breach alarm followed by an interior motion alarm).

(b)  The central monitoring station or office of the alarm provider has attempted to verify the alarm by contacting the alarm user or a representative of the business by making a minimum of two separate telephone calls to numbers provided by the business prior to contacting Owasso Police Communications.  Alarm providers must be willing to confirm that multiple verification has been attempted and be willing to provide names and telephone information  to Communications if so requested; and

(c)  The alarm provider has not received a cancellation from the site of the alarm.  If a cancellation is received, no police dispatch will be requested.  In the event that police have been requested and then a cancellation is received within five (5) minutes of the original alarm, the alarm provider will notify police dispatch to cancel the officer response.

(d)  Any other events or circumstances that indicate a response may be needed as determined by the Police Department.  Regardless of verification, police will respond to:

1.  Any facility classified as a financial or government institution.

2.   Drug facilities (pharmacy, medical facilities).

3.  Weapons facilities, such as gun shops or armories.

4.   Facilities known to store chemicals that could be used for explosives or drug manufacturing.  Alarm companies are required to notify the Department in writing if a facility contains said chemicals or explosives.

• Facilities that contain explosives.

SECTION SIX (6):  

SECTION 10-805      RESPONSE TO RESIDENTIAL BURGLAR ALARMS

Officers will only respond to residential burglar alarms if they meet the same criteria as established under Response to Business Burglar Alarms.

(a)  Alarm providers must be registered with the Owasso Police Department as required by municipal ordinance.  Upon registration the alarm provider will receive a registration number. Failure to register will result in non-response to alarms by police.  

(b)  Alarm providers must call police Communications and cancel a police response if they receive a cancellation after a police response has already been requested.

(c)  Officers will respond on all residential panic alarms that are manually activated by a person in order to ascertain the problem.

SECTION SEVEN (7):

SECTION 10-806      LENGTH OF AUDIBLE SIGNAL

It shall constitute a noise violation and therefore be unlawful to operate a police alarm which fails to automatically terminate the alarm’s audible signal within ten minutes from the time it is activated.  Operation of an alarm that does not automatically terminate the audible signal within ten minutes shall also be a violation of this chapter and shall be subject to penalties as provided within the Police Department’s alarm procedures policy.

SECTION EIGHT (8):

SECTION 10-807      RESPONSIBLITIES OF POLICE ALARM OWNER

No police alarm owner or user shall fail to:

(a) Inspect, maintain, and repair a police alarm device to insure its proper operation.

(b) Educate and train all employees and other persons who may in the course of their activities be in a position to accidentally activate a police alarm device.

(c) Assure that a responsible person responds to every activation of a police alarm device within twenty minutes after being requested to respond by the City’s police communications center.

SECTION NINE (9):

SECTION 10-808      RIGHT OF INSPECTION

The Chief of Police, or his or her designee, may inspect any police alarm device in the presence of the property owner, following notification to the property owner no less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the inspection, to determine whether the alarm device is being used in conformity with the provisions of this chapter.

SECTION TEN (10):

SECTION 10-809      PENALTIES

(a)  After responding to three or more false alarms at the same location, either residential or business, in a twelve (12) month period, the Police Department will suspend response to alarms at that location until such time that the alarm provider has provided evidence to the Chief of Police that the circumstances causing such false alarms have been identified and rectified

(b)  A fine will be imposed upon the alarm user the fourth time a false alarm is received at a location within a twelve (12) month period, and a greater fine will be imposed upon the alarm user the fifth time a false alarm is received from a location within a twelve (12) month period.  A larger fine shall be imposed upon the alarm user on the sixth occasion that a false alarm is received from a location within the twelve (12) month period. The alarm user shall have the maximum fine imposed for each subsequent fine which occurs within a twelve (12) month period.

(c)  The alarm user’s license shall again be suspended if a false alarm occurs at the same location within ninety (90) days of a suspension and subsequent reinstatement of alarm response by the Police Department.  Such suspension shall terminate when evidence is provided to the Chief of Police establishing that the circumstances causing such false alarms have been identified and rectified.

(d)  The schedule of fines to be imposed upon an alarm user for false alarm occurrences shall be determined by the Chief of Police.

SECTION ELEVEN (11):

REPEAL OF SECTION 10-312(13) AND SECTION 10-312(14)

Section 10-312 (13) and (14) are hereby repealed because the subject matter within those sections is addressed in Part 10, Chapter 8 as set forth above.  The sections to be repealed conflict with the provisions of  Chapter  8 and must be eliminated from the Code of Ordinances upon adoption of the sections of Chapter 8 set forth above.

The sections to be repealed read as follows:

SECTION 10-312       NOISES

It is unlawful for any person to create any loud or unnecessary noises of such character, intensity or duration as to be detrimental, or disturbing to the peace or disturbing to the peace, lives or health of any individual.  The following acts, among others, are determined to be loud, disturbing or unnecessary noises in violation of this section, which enumerations shall not be deemed to be exclusive, namely:

SECTION TWELVE (12): REPEALER

All ordinances, or parts of ordinances, in conflict with this amended ordinance are hereby repealed to the extent of the conflict only.

SECTION THIRTEEN (13): SEVERABILITY

If any part or parts of this ordinance are deemed unconstitutional, invalid or ineffective, the remaining portion shall not be affected but shall remain in full force and effect.

SECTION FOURTEEN (14): DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE

The provisions of this ordinance shall become effective thirty (30) days from the date of final passage as provided by state law.

SECTION FIFTEEN (15):  CODIFICATION

The City of Owasso Code of Ordinances is hereby amended by creating Chapter 8 entitled “Alarms” to be codified in Part  10, Chapter  8, as sections 10-801 through 10-807.  The Code is also amended by the repeal of sections 10-312 (13) and (14) of Part 10, Chapter 3.

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Contact Information

If you have questions in regard to the alarm ordinance or alarm company registration, contact:

Debbie Turrentine, Records Supervsior
dturrentine@cityofowasso.com
(918) 376-1568

If you have questions regarding a citation received for false alarms, contact:

Janet Jackson, Court Clerk
jjackson@cityofowasso.com
(918) 376-1550

If you would like to have a suspension lifted from your address, contact:

Dan Yancey, Chief of Police
dyancey@cityofowasso.com
(918) 376-1564

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