If your home or business sits inside Houston city limits — or anywhere that gets a Houston Police response — your burglar alarm permit comes from the City of Houston Burglar Alarm Administration, run by the Administration & Regulatory Affairs department. If you are outside the city, in unincorporated Harris County, the Sheriff runs a separate program and our Harris County alarm permit guide covers that one. Here is what the city permit costs, what a false alarm runs you, and how to get registered. Current as of September 2026.
Does Houston require an alarm permit?
Yes. Under Houston Code of Ordinances Chapter 11, Article III, alarm sites inside the City of Houston and areas receiving Houston Police response are required to hold a valid alarm permit. The permit has to be kept at the alarm site and shown to HPD or the ARA Director on request.
The city is blunt about what happens without one. Your permit number goes to your alarm company, and the application form warns in capital letters that “Houston Police may not be dispatched to your location unless the alarm company provides a valid permit number.” If dispatch has no permit number for your address, your alarm may not get an officer.
How much does a Houston alarm permit cost?
A residential burglar alarm permit is $50, and the renewal is $50. Non-residential sites pay more, and a $33.56 administrative fee gets added to any permit priced over $50.
| Permit type | 2026 fee |
|---|---|
| Residential burglar alarm | $50.00 (no admin fee) |
| Non-residential burglar alarm | $134.28 + $33.56 admin = $167.84 |
| Non-residential panic alarm | $134.28 + $33.56 admin = $167.84 |
| Non-residential burglar and panic | $268.56 + $33.56 admin = $335.68 |
Permits run one year (12 months) from the issue date, and the city mails a renewal notice 30 days before it expires. Renew before the expiration date — an expired permit puts you in the non-permitted column, where the fees get ugly. A residential permit is not transferable either. If you sell the house, you cancel and the buyer applies fresh.
How many false alarms are allowed in Houston?
Three free false burglar alarms per rolling 12-month period on a residential permit. After that the city bills you, and after the seventh your permit can be revoked and police response stops.
| False alarms in the past 12 months | Residential burglar | Residential panic / holdup |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | No charge | No charge |
| 2nd | No charge | $140.09 |
| 3rd | No charge | $280.20 |
| 4th and 5th | $50.00 each | $420.29 (4th) |
| 6th and 7th | $75.00 each | $560.39 each (5th+) |
| 8th and after | $100.00 each | $560.39 each |
Non-residential sites follow the same burglar schedule — three free, then $50, $75 and $100 — but the panic side is steeper: $280.20 for the second, $560.39 for the third, and $700.50 for the fourth and every one after.
What happens if you run an alarm without a permit in Houston?
You get billed for every single notification, false or not. The city charges a non-permitted penalty per incident:
| Non-permitted alarm notification | Penalty per incident |
|---|---|
| Residential burglar | $116.75 |
| Residential panic | $308.21 |
| Non-residential burglar | $233.50 |
| Non-residential panic | $490.34 |
Two $116.75 hits cost more than four years of permits. A police citation can come with it. This is the whole argument for spending the $50 on day one.
How to apply for your Houston burglar alarm permit
- Confirm you are in the right jurisdiction. The city says not to apply if you do not know whether you are inside city limits or whether you receive HPD response — call 713-581-7410 first.
- Apply online. Go to houstonburglaralarmpermits.org and use the “New Permits Only — Pay Online” option. Pay by e-check or Visa, MasterCard, Discover or debit. Processing is same day.
- Or apply in person. Bring the Houston alarm permit application and 2026 fee schedule and payment to the Houston Permitting Center, 1002 Washington Ave., 1st floor, Houston, TX 77002. Counter hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- Or apply by mail. Check or money order payable to City of Houston — Burglar Alarm Administration, P.O. Box 203887, Houston, TX 77216-3887.
- Give your permit number to your alarm company. HPD may not be dispatched unless the monitoring company hands over a valid permit number.
What you need on hand: the alarm site name, address and phone; two contacts who can reach the site within one hour; your alarm company’s name, address, phone and state license number; and billing details.
City of Houston or Harris County — which permit do you need?
A Houston mailing address and a 77-something zip code do not settle it. Big stretches of Cypress, Spring, Atascocita, Klein, Channelview and Katy carry Houston-area addresses and sit in unincorporated Harris County, where the Sheriff’s Office issues the permit and the fees and false-alarm rules are completely different. Inside the city, use this page. Outside it, use our Harris County alarm permit guide. If you are inside another city — Pasadena, Bellaire, Pearland, Sugar Land, Baytown — that city runs its own program.
Not sure which line you are on? Ask us. We look it up before we finish an install, and it takes about a minute.
Related guides
- Harris County alarm permit guide
- Houston home security
- Do you need a permit for a home security system in Texas?
- No-contract home security
Get set up right — permit and all
When Alamo Smart Home installs your system, we walk you through registering it with the City of Houston so your permit number is on file before your alarm ever trips. Our technicians are salaried Alamo employees, monitoring starts at $19.99/mo — $24.99/mo with video analytics and cloud recording — and a contract is never required. Texas licensed, #B05229001. Call (210) 625-6575 for a free on-site quote.
City of Houston Burglar Alarm Permit (HPD) FAQ
Do I need an alarm permit in Houston?
Yes, if your alarm site is inside Houston city limits or in an area that receives Houston Police response. The City of Houston Burglar Alarm Administration issues the permit under Chapter 11, Article III of the city ordinances, and the permit has to stay at the alarm site for inspection by HPD. Outside the city, see our Harris County alarm permit guide.
How much does a Houston alarm permit cost?
$50 for a residential burglar alarm permit, and $50 to renew it each year. Non-residential sites pay $134.28 for a burglar permit plus a $33.56 administrative fee, for $167.84 — or $335.68 for a combined burglar and panic permit. Permits are good for 12 months from the issue date and the city mails a renewal notice 30 days out.
How many false alarms are allowed in Houston?
Three free false burglar alarms per rolling 12-month period. The 4th and 5th cost $50 each, the 6th and 7th cost $75 each, and the 8th and every one after cost $100. Your permit is subject to revocation and no police response after the 7th. Panic and holdup alarms get one free, then $140.09, $280.20, $420.29 and $560.39.
What is the fine for not having an alarm permit in Houston?
Every alarm notification from an unpermitted site is billed, whether or not it turns out to be false. Residential burglar is $116.75 per incident and residential panic is $308.21. Non-residential is $233.50 and $490.34. A police citation can be issued on top of the fee. The $50 permit is the cheap part.
How do I renew my Houston alarm permit?
The city mails a renewal notice 30 days before your permit expires. Renew online at houstonburglaralarmpermits.org using the Pay Bill or Renew Permit option, by phone at 713-581-7410, by mail to P.O. Box 203887, Houston, TX 77216-3887, or in person at 1002 Washington Ave. An expired permit with an outstanding balance will not be renewed until the balance is paid.
Does my alarm company handle the Houston permit for me?
Most do not. When Alamo Smart Home installs your system we walk you through registering it with the City of Houston and make sure your permit number gets to the monitoring center, since HPD may not be dispatched without it. Call us at (210) 625-6575 with permit questions any time — even if we did not install the system.