Repeat false fire alarms would cost $100 to $1,000 each under a plan the Jupiter Town Council takes up Tuesday. Also on the agenda: opposing Amendment 3.
Homes and businesses in Jupiter that set off repeat false fire alarms would pay $100 to $1,000 each time under a new ordinance. The Town Council takes its first vote on it at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Council Chambers, 210 Military Trail.
The plan would also update the fees for repeat false burglar and panic alarms. The details are in the agenda packet for the Oct. 20 meeting (PDF).
Why the town wants the fees
Jupiter Fire Rescue took over from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue on Oct. 1. The town has historically logged nearly 700 preventable false alarms a year, according to the staff memo by Police Chief Donald Hennessy and Fire Chief Darrel Donatto.
Cutting those calls would keep more units free for real emergencies and speed up response times, the memo says. The fees “shift the financial burden to the responsible party,” it says.
The town’s alarm rules date from 1993. They mention automatic dialers and telephone lines, which no longer match how alarms are monitored, the memo says. The new ordinance would add rules and fees for false fire alarms for the first time.
What a false fire alarm would cost
Fees count over a rolling 12 months:
| False fire alarm | Fee |
|---|---|
| 1st and 2nd | none, a courtesy notice |
| 3rd | $100 |
| 4th and 5th | $150 each |
| 6th to 10th | $300 each |
| 11th and later | $1,000 each |
After the sixth false alarm, the town could order the owner to show within 30 days that the system has been fixed. After 10, the monitoring company would have to try to confirm an alarm with the owner before calling fire dispatch.
What a false burglar alarm would cost
Police false alarms follow a separate scale, also over 12 months:
| False police alarm | Fee |
|---|---|
| 1st to 3rd | none, a courtesy notice |
| 4th to 6th | $50 each |
| 7th to 9th | $100 each |
| 10th and later | $200 each |
Ten or more police false alarms in a year could be declared a public nuisance and sent to the town’s code compliance special magistrate.
An alarm does not count as false if the monitoring company cancels it before officers or firefighters arrive. Owners would have 30 days to pay or to appeal in writing, and can send repair records, monitoring logs, video or weather records with an appeal.
Also on Tuesday’s agenda
- Amendment 3. Resolution 130-26 would put the town on record against Amendment 3, the property tax change on the Nov. 3 ballot. It joins the Palm Beach County League of Cities, which came out against the amendment on Aug. 28. The resolution says the amendment would “significantly reduce” the money available for police, fire rescue, public works and parks. Our story on the projects Jupiter could pause if it passes has the town’s figures.
- Parking tickets. Ordinance 42-26 would move parking ticket appeals from the town’s code magistrate to the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller. The clerk would also collect fines. Of each $40 ticket, the town would keep $34.30 and the clerk $5.70. Unpaid tickets could block a vehicle’s tag renewal, and the clerk sends unpaid cases to collections after 90 days. Palm Beach Gardens and Wellington already use the clerk.
- Sawfish Bay Park. A $95,375 work order with Calvin, Giordano & Associates would pay for design of repairs to about 1,000 feet of the park’s 19-year-old vinyl seawall. It also covers a study of a channel to flush water out of the old boat basin. The seawall shows erosion and sidewalk settlement, the staff memo says. The work counts toward the town’s match for a $1,020,000 Resilient Florida grant.
- School grades. Palm Beach County School Board Vice Chair Matthew Lane is set to give an update on 2025-26 school ratings. Our Jupiter schools guide lists the public schools in town.
What it means for you
- Check your alarm. If it has gone off by mistake lately, the new count would start once the ordinance takes effect. It takes effect when signed after a second vote, which is set for Thursday, Nov. 5.
- Speak at the meeting. Fill out a comment card at the meeting. The meeting is also streamed at jupiter.fl.us/Live.
- Questions about the alarm or parking rules go to Maj. Joseph Counihan of the Jupiter Police Department, 561-741-2593, the contact named in both staff memos.
- Read the first report from Jupiter Fire Rescue: 132 calls in the department’s first five days.
Have your say