Security Alarms Need a Sheriff's Office Permit

Wire up a monitored alarm on a home or business in El Paso County and there's a step that doesn't come in the installer's box: a permit through the Sheriff's Office. The application wants the permit holder, where the alarm sits, which company monitors it, and who to call when it goes off.

It also asks for two people who can take that call, get to the alarm within the stated window after the Sheriff's Office reaches out, let deputies in, and kill the alarm if it needs killing. Without those names, a tripped sensor sends a deputy chasing a sound nobody can turn off.

Residential and commercial permits run on separate fees, and once the false trips stack up, a service fee starts landing on top. A flaky sensor or a cat strolling past a motion detector can run that tab up surprisingly fast, and the bill arrives long after you've forgotten the alarm even went off. Square away the permit and pin down your two contacts the same week the system goes live, while it's still fresh and nobody's annoyed yet.