Earlier editions: 2026-09
Title 9 — PUBLIC PEACE, MORALS AND WELFARE
Shasta Lake Municipal Code Ch. 9.16 Commercial and Residential Alarms
Shasta Lake Municipal Code · 2026-10 edition · updated 2026-10-04 · Shasta Lake
Cite as: Shasta Lake Municipal Code Chapter 9.16 · Text as of 2026-10-04
9.16.010 - Findings and purpose.¶
A. The Shasta County sheriff's office responds to over one thousand seven hundred (1,700) alarms each year. In 2004, the Shasta County sheriff's office responded to three hundred forty-one (341) alarm calls in the city of Shasta Lake. Approximately ninety-eight (98) percent of the alarms are false alarms. Nearly sixty (60) percent of these are repeat alarms. Generally, the false alarms are a result of operator error or difficulty with alarm equipment. Responding to false alarm calls wastes thousands of dollars each year in salaries and vehicle expenses. In addition, an officer's availability for other duties and requests for service is restricted or delayed while simultaneously putting deputies and the public at risk while expediting response from multiple units.
False alarms have risen approximately four percent each year for the past four years. As the Shasta County and the city of Shasta Lake's population continues to grow, calls for service that the sheriff's office responds to also increases; over fifty thousand (50,000) in 2004, with twelve thousand six hundred eighty three (12,683) calls in the city of Shasta Lake. Demand for responses and reporting actual crimes and other services also continue to rise. Increases in the cost of providing services coupled with a limited amount of patrol deputies to answer these calls stretches the sheriff's resources to the limit. This makes responding to a false alarm even more burdensome.
B. The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards and controls to reduce the incidents of false alarm calls (with the exception of fire alarms) responded to by the sheriff's office. Imposing fees for excessive false alarms would serve as a deterrent and recoup some of the costs for providing this service.
(Ord. 05-169 § 1 (part))
9.16.020 - Fee schedule for alarm systems (excluding fire alarms).¶
| Alarm System Permit Fee (permit is for a 3-year period) | $ 25.00 |
|---|---|
| Application for alarm system permits, or the renewal thereof, shall be submitted to the sheriff/ |
|
| Alarm System Permit Reinstatement Fee | 25.00 |
| If an alarm permit has been revoked, upon the expiration period of time the suspension was imposed, the alarm system permit may be reinstated upon payment of the reinstatement fee. | |
| False Alarm Response Fee (alarm system) | 70.00 |
| This fee will be charged when more than two false alarms occur within any 365-day period actuated by an alarm system. | |
| False Alarm Response Fee (panic alarm) | 100.00 |
| This fee will be charged when more than one false alarm occurs within any 365-day period actuated by a panic alarm. This type of alarm is an electrical or mechanical device designed to enable a person to instantly send a signal of the existence of an emergency. This type of alarm makes it an immediate response or the highest priority call. | |
| Nonpermitted Alarm Response Fee | 50.00 |
| An alarm system user shall pay a nonpermitted alarm response fee for any response to an alarm, whether false or valid, when an alarm system is not authorized pursuant to a valid, unexpired, unsuspended and unrevoked alarm system permit. |
(Ord. 05-169 § 1 (part))
9.16.030 - Revision of fees.¶
The city council, by resolution, may adopt and revise the fee schedule when necessary to cover reasonable costs incurred by the city in providing the services set forth in this chapter.
(Ord. 05-169 § 1 (part))
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