Iowa Law Shields Alarm Dealers From False Alarm Fines

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa governor recently signed statewide legislation that prohibits fines from being imposed on alarm companies for false alarms caused by their customers.
The law, part of a larger appropriations bill, was hailed as a victory for installing security contractors by the Security Industry Alarm Association (SIAC) , which credited Per Mar Security for its efforts in getting the legislation enacted.
“We can’t emphasize enough how important this legislation is for the dealers in Iowa, and across the United States. It’s a major positive step for our entire industry,” SIAC wrote in a recent blog announcing the legislation, which took effect June 30.
Key language in the bill states: “A political subdivision shall not adopt or enforce an ordinance, resolution, rule or other measure requiring an alarm system contractor to pay a fee or fine associated with any of the following:

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False alarms.
Emergency response to false alarms.
Permits associated with placing or keeping an alarm system in service, not including any installation permits required by the political subdivision’s building code.”

“Each state should consider similar legislation to ensure fines are billed to the folks that operate these systems and not the company who installs or monitors them,” the SIAC blog states.
The law also includes a section governing the collection of fees, whereby alarm dealers are allowed to continue billing customers “ for permits associated with placing or keeping an alarm in service” until Dec. 31.
The legislation was signed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on June 30. A similar law was enacted by the Tennessee legislature in 2019 .
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