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Council raises false-alarm fee to match county rate to curb repeat law-enforcement responses
Summary
The council voted unanimously to increase the false-alarm fee from $141 to $209 (applied after the third response) to deter repeat business alarms and align the city with Orange County’s request; staff said the city responded to about 80 false alarms since 2024.
Rancho Santa Margarita’s City Council unanimously approved an increase to the false-alarm fee to match Orange County’s schedule, raising the after-third-response charge from $141 to $209.
The city’s law-enforcement chief said the higher fee is intended to encourage property owners and businesses to correct faulty alarm systems and reduce unnecessary deputy responses. The chief said burglar-alarm responses typically send one or two deputies and can take 30–40 minutes depending on the location; that response time can reduce availability for other emergencies.
Asked about local frequency, the chief said the city had about 80 false-alarm responses from 2024 through June (an 18-month span) and that those calls were overwhelmingly business rather than residential. Staff noted the county requested cities it serves to match the increased fee.
Council moved and seconded the staff recommendation and approved the resolution unanimously. The fee will be implemented per the county schedule described in staff materials.
