Alarm Activations Overview
The Fire Department will respond to any alarm system activation regardless of how many prior false alarms the alarm system has generated and whether or not all fire department false alarm invoices are fully paid.
Alarm system registration
There is no registration fee charged for registering an alarm system.
The initial false alarm for an alarm system automatically sets up a registration.
The registration is assigned to the location where the alarm system is installed.
For more information, please refer to City Ordinance.
False alarm activations
The fee amount shown below is applied to false alarm incidents.
| Incident | FPB Fee | Finance Fee | Total Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| False Alarm 1 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| False Alarm 2 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| False Alarm 3 | $250.00 | $3.50 | $253.50 |
| False Alarm 4 | $250.00 | $3.50 | $253.50 |
| False Alarm 5 | $500.00 | $3.50 | $503.50 |
| False Alarm 6 | $500.00 | $3.50 | $503.50 |
| Registration Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Renewal Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Write Off | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Non-invoiced false alarms
The first two false alarm activations incurred WILL NOT be invoiced.
Invoiced False Alarms
Any false alarm activation after your second notification within a calendar year will generate an invoice. The invoice is sent to you by the City’s Finance Department using the US postal service. There are multiple ways in which to submit your payment in a timely manner.
Renewal process
There is no renewal fee charged for a registered alarm system.
Alarm system registration reset
If your alarm system goes a FULL CALENDAR YEAR without incurring any false alarm
activation AND you have fully paid all prior false alarm invoices, then your alarm
system registration is reset. The calendar year starts the day of the last false alarm activation.
For example, the Fire Prevention Bureau notifies you of a false alarm activation
(you receive a notice or an invoice) on July 18, 2015. If your alarm system goes
for the next full year (to July 17, 2016) without any further false alarm activation,
your alarm system registration will be reset. Now the next false alarm activation will
result in a notification only and not an invoice. You must pay the invoice incurred on July 18, 2015
or there is no reset.
Still using the above example, if the Fire Prevention Bureau notifies you of a false alarm activation
on July 18, 2015 then the calendar year starts over again and you will not be eligible for a reset
again until July 18, 2016.
Returned check policy (NSF)
The City of Miami Finance Department applies the following fee schedule to a check payment returned because of Non-Sufficient Funds.
| Original Check Amount | Additional Fee |
|---|---|
| $0.01 - $50.00 | $25.00 |
| $50.01 - $300.00 | $30.00 |
| $300.01 - $800.00 | $40.00 |
| $800.01 or more | 5% of original check amount |