Lawrenceville to fine residents, businesses for false alarms
Folks in Lawrenceville will soon have to pay fines for repeated false alarms.
In September 2021 the city approved an update to its False Alarm Ordinance that calls for residents and businesses to pay a fee for excessive false alarms, an announcement said. The fines for the alarms will begin on June 1. The city is hoping this ordinance will encourage alarm owners and alarm companies to improve the reliability of alarm systems and reduce false alarms, the announcement said.
In 2019, the Lawrenceville Police Department was alerted to 2,473 potential break-ins. All but six were false alarms, which the department said can cause a shortage of officers for other emergencies.
“The City of Lawrenceville finds that excessive false alarms unduly burden the limited resources of the Lawrenceville Police Department,” the announcement said.
Non-residential properties will not be charged after the first false alarm but will have to pay a $50 fee after a second false one. Residential properties will not receive a fine until the third offense, which is a $25 fee. The fees will increase with each false alarm.
Residents and business owners can learn more about the program on the city’s website.
About the Author
Jillian Price covers local news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is a graduate of Baylor University and the University of Texas at Austin. She joined the AJC in 2022 and mainly covers Gwinnett County cities.
