Many Cities Charge Fee for Security-System Use
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Before you have a home-security system installed, don’t forget that you’ll probably have to get a permit to use it.
Alarm permits are usually issued through a city’s Department of Building and Safety or Police Department. A handful of cities don’t charge anything for the permits, while others charge more than $25 a year.
Don’t think that you can avoid taking out a permit to save a little money, as some homeowners do when they remodel their homes. Many law-enforcement agencies won’t respond to a call from a monitoring station if a homeowner’s alarm goes off but no permit is on file.
The City of Los Angeles charges $31 a year for an alarm permit. Here’s a sampling of what some other Southland municipalities charge:
* Culver City: $28 for initial permit, $5 annual renewal fee.
* Pasadena: $69.06, good through 1994.
* Fullerton: $25 a year.
* Santa Ana: No charge.
* San Diego: $20 for two years.
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