---
title: O.C.G.A. § 36-60-28. Penalties for alarm system contractors for false alarms.
collection: code
id: 36-60-28
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 36-60-28 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/36-60-28
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/36-60-28.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/36-60-28/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t36-ch60-92-(v27a)-2025-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=1fad51cc_0#page=59
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Session of the General Assembly of Georgia
heading_path: LOCAL GOVERNMENT / Provisions Applicable to Counties and Municipal Corporations / GENERAL PROVISIONS
extraction_warnings:
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---

# O.C.G.A. § 36-60-28. Penalties for alarm system contractors for false alarms.

(a) As used in this Code section, the term:

(1) “Alarm system” shall have the same meaning as provided in Code Section 43-14-2.

(2) “Alarm system contractor” shall mean any alarm system monitoring business or alarm system installation and repair business.

(3) “Alarm system installation and repair business” means any person engaged in leasing, maintaining, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, installing or inspecting any alarm system, or in causing any alarm system to be leased, maintained, serviced, repaired, altered, replaced, or installed in any building, structure, or facility.

(4) “Alarm system monitoring business” means any company that intercepts signals indicating the activation of an alarm system and relays this information to a public safety agency.

(5) “False alarm” means the activation of any alarm system that results in a request for police assistance for which the responding public safety agency finds no evidence of criminal activity.

(6) “Local government” means any county or municipality of this state.

(7) “Public safety agency” shall have the same meaning as provided in Code Section 16-10-28.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a local government may enact, adopt, or enforce any ordinance, resolution, or regulation requiring any alarm system contractor to pay for or be responsible for any fines, fees, or other penalties relative to false alarms only in situations when the false alarm is attributed to an error of the alarm system contractor or improper installation by the alarm system contractor or if the alarm system contractor cannot provide evidence of telephone logs, other electronic means, or visual evidence that the alarm verification process as provided in Code Section 35-1-9 was followed. In cases where the alarm system contractor was in compliance with such provisions, a local government may require that the alarm user responsible for the false alarm pay for or be responsible for any fines, fees, or other penalties relative to false alarms.

## History

Code 1981, § 36-60-28, enacted by Ga. L. 2021, p. 214, § 1/HB 465.

## Code Commission Notes

Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 2021, Code Section 36-60-28, as enacted by Ga. L. 2021, p. 620, § 2/HB 286, was redesignated as Code Section 36-60-29.

## Law Reviews

For article, “HB 286: Restricting Local and Municipal Governments’ Ability to Reduce Police Department Funding,” see 38 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 201 (2021).