Guide for security alarm installation companies · checked 7 November 2026
Security alarm installation, from contract to the first signal
An alarm install is not finished when the last sensor is mounted. It is finished when the central station has the right account number, zone list and call list, the city has a permit number, the panel is programmed to CP-01 delays, and, for fire, the AHJ has a signed Record of Completion. This guide covers each of those handoffs, the state contract and licensing rules, what cities charge for false alarms, and how to run hundreds of installs without a single account going live with the wrong zones.
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Short answer
Security alarm installation companies use software that holds each site's zone and point list, the panel and communicator details, the central station account and call list, the city alarm permit number and the contract's monthly monitoring charge, so an install job ends in a clean monitoring handoff. Dealer platforms like SedonaOffice and SecurityTrax run accounts, recurring billing and work orders; System Surveyor is used to design and quote; central stations run Manitou or similar. Generic tools like Jobber track visits but not zones, UL certificates or permits. Fieldproxy is set up around your own install stages, handoff checklist and state rules.
45 seconds
Minimum exit delay a CP-01 compliant DMP panel allows; entry delay cannot be set under 30 seconds
14 days
Florida: the Uniform Notice is due within 14 days after a low-voltage alarm project is finished; the permit label costs no more than $40
source: Florida Statutes s. 553.793, Streamlined low-voltage alarm system installation permitting
$200 + $200
San Antonio: a commercial site needs separate fire and police alarm permits, $200 each, renewed yearly
source: City of San Antonio, Apply for an alarm permit: permit fees by type
2 calls
Enhanced Call Confirmation: two calls to two different numbers before the central station asks police to respond
How a job runs
One security alarm installation job, from first call to paid
The order the work really happens in, and what has to be written down at each step so nothing is argued about later.
- 1
Survey the site and build the zone list
Walk every door, window, roll-up door, motion area, glass-break area, safe and panic location. The output is a point list, not a price: zone number, description in plain words the central station operator can read to police ("Rear dock roll-up door 2"), device type, zone type (entry/exit, perimeter, interior follower, 24-hour, panic, fire), partition or area, and wiring (hardwired, wireless, addressable loop). For fire, the device count by type goes straight into the Record of Completion later, so count once.
- 2
Quote equipment, labor and the monthly charge
The proposal has three lines that live different lives: equipment and install (paid once), monitoring and service (monthly, the recurring monthly revenue the business is valued on), and permit fees the customer pays the city. Say whether the communicator is cellular, radio or IP, because carriers are retiring copper lines and a panel dialing on a plain phone line is a future service call.
- 3
Sign the agreement your state requires
In California the written agreement must carry the company's BSIS license number, the agent's registration number, approximate start and completion dates, the system and its major components, post-install monitoring or response, and a promise to train the user. For residential sales over $250 the down payment cannot exceed $1,000 or 10% of the price, whichever is less, and work must substantially start within 20 days. An auto-renewal longer than one month needs its own signed or initialed disclosure, or it is void.
- 4
Pull the permits before the truck rolls
Three different permits are easy to mix up. A building or low-voltage permit for the work itself (in Florida, a label posted on site before work begins). A fire alarm permit with plan review where the system is a code-required fire alarm. And the user's alarm permit from the police or fire department, which the alarm company needs because the permit number goes on the central station account to get dispatch.
- 5
Install, label and program the panel
Mount, wire and label every device to the zone list. Program to ANSI/SIA CP-01: on DMP panels exit delay is at least 45 seconds and entry delay at least 30, exit delay restarts once if the user re-enters, burglary reports can be held up to 45 seconds so a user can disarm and send an abort, a System Recently Armed report goes out if a burglary zone trips within two minutes, and swinger bypass removes a zone that trips repeatedly within an hour. Cross-zone motion detectors in warehouses where one trip is not enough.
- 6
Hand the account to the central station
Before the first armed night: account number and receiver format, communicator path and its supervision interval, zone list exactly as programmed, call list with at least two numbers per contact so Enhanced Call Confirmation can be done, passcodes, the city alarm permit number, opening and closing schedule if supervised, and special instructions. Then put the account on test and trip every zone, confirming each signal arrives with the right zone and description.
- 7
Fire alarms: acceptance test and Record of Completion
The installing contractor fills the NFPA 72 Record of Completion at acceptance: monitoring organization, account number and means of transmission, NFPA 72 edition, control unit make, model and firmware revision, primary power circuit and breaker location, secondary power standby hours and alarm minutes, pathway class and survivability, device counts by type, control functions such as elevator recall and HVAC shutdown, and signatures of the installer, tester, owner and AHJ representative. McAllen will not schedule a final inspection until it is uploaded.
- 8
Issue the UL certificate where the customer needs one
Insurers and code officials often ask for a UL certificate. Only a UL Listed alarm company can issue one, through UL's CertsView, and the certificate is the company's declaration that the system is installed, serviced and monitored to the standards. UL audits a sample of certificated properties each year, so the as-built has to match.
- 9
Train the user and close the job
Show users their codes, the exit and entry delays, how to cancel an accidental alarm and which numbers the central station will call. CP-01's exit delay rules exist because users leaving the building are a common cause of false alarms. Close the install with signed completion, final invoice, and the monitoring contract starting on the right date.
- 10
Service, test and watch the false alarm count
Fire systems get their annual test by a qualified person (Portland also wants sprinkler flow and tamper switches tested semi-annually) and the records kept on site for three years. Burglar accounts get watched for repeat false dispatches, because cities bill the user by the count and some fine the alarm company directly for skipping call verification.
What to record
The fields every security alarm installation job should capture
Each site and system
- Site, address, occupancy, subscriber and billing customer (often different for landlords and multi-site retail)
- Panel make, model and firmware; communicator type (cellular, radio, IP, plain phone line) and carrier
- Zone list: zone number, plain-language description, device type, zone type, area or partition, wired or wireless, cross-zoned yes/no
- CP-01 settings as programmed: exit delay, entry delay, abort window, recently armed reporting, swinger bypass count
- Fire: NFPA 72 edition, FACP location and key location, annunciator location, device counts by type, battery size and calculated standby hours
Monitoring handoff
- Central station name and account number; receiver format; UL category of the station (for example CPVX for commercial burglary, UUFX for fire)
- Call list: contacts in order with two numbers each, passcodes, who may cancel
- City alarm permit number, type (police, fire or both), expiry date
- Open and close schedule if supervised; special instructions; guard or runner response if contracted
- Placed on test by, time; each zone tripped and received yes/no; taken off test by, time
Permits, certificates and contract
- Work permit or Florida label number and posting photo; Uniform Notice sent date
- Fire alarm permit, plan review approval, acceptance test date, Record of Completion signed by whom
- UL certificate number and type, issue date, the standard it is issued under (UL 681 burglar, NFPA 72 fire)
- Agreement: signed date, license and agent registration numbers on it, term, auto-renewal disclosure initialed, monthly charge, deposit taken
- Installer and technician licenses used on this job (Texas DPS installer registration, Texas State Fire Marshal fire alarm technician)
Rules and standards
The rules that shape the work, with their sources
| Rule | What it means on the job |
|---|---|
| UL 681 and UL 827: installation and central station | UL 681 covers installation and classification of burglar and holdup alarm systems at the protected property; UL 827 covers the central station. Categories include Central Station Security Alarm Service (CPVX), Mercantile (CVSG), bank (CPRH) and residential (CVWY). A CPVX system may not be monitored by a station listed only in the residential monitoring category. source: UL Solutions, Security alarm service certification (UL 681 and UL 827; CPVX, CVSG, CPRH, CVWY) |
| Who issues UL certificates | Only a UL Listed alarm company can issue a UL certificate. Full-service listed stations (CPVX, UUFX) issue Protected Property Alarm System certificates through CertsView. NFPA 72 lets central station service be one full-service company or a contract between a local alarm service company and a monitoring company. UL audits listed companies yearly, including visits to selected certificated properties. source: UL Solutions, Central station service certification (UL 827; CPVX, UUFX, CVSU; Protected Property certificates via CertsView) |
| UL fire alarm certificates | Installation at the protected property follows NFPA 72; the central station follows UL 827. Certificated fire systems must be inspected, tested and maintained under a service agreement, and central station systems need runner service as NFPA 72 prescribes. Categories: UUFX central station, UUJS local, remote station and proprietary, UUKA proprietary monitoring stations. source: UL Solutions, Fire alarm service certification (NFPA 72; UUFX, UUJS, UUKA) |
| ANSI/SIA CP-01 panel programming (as implemented by DMP) | Entry delay not less than 30 seconds, exit delay not less than 45; exit delay restarts once if an exit zone trips, restores and trips again; burglary reports can be delayed up to 45 seconds and replaced by an abort if the user disarms; an alarm cancelled message if disarmed after the report but before bell cutoff; a System Recently Armed report for a burglary alarm within two minutes; swinger bypass after a set number of trips within one hour; cross-zoning and fire verify zones. source: Digital Monitoring Products, LT-2010: False alarm reduction features (ANSI/SIA CP-01 panel programming) |
| Enhanced Call Confirmation (formerly ECV) | Two calls to two different numbers, one typically a cell phone, before the central station calls the 911 center. SIAC advises two free responses before fines, a response cut-off for chronic abusers, and that an alarm cancelled before police arrive is not counted as false. It does not recommend 'no permit, no response' ordinances. source: Security Industry Alarm Coalition, Law enforcement: best practices for alarm ordinances (ECC, free responses, cancels) |
| Model alarm ordinance: permits | SIAC's model ordinance suggests $50 permits for commercial premises over 2,500 square feet and $25 for small commercial and residential, a separate permit per structure or tenant, the permit number given to the alarm company to help dispatch, and no audible alarm sounding continuously for more than 15 minutes. source: SIAC, Model draft alarm ordinance (2020 short version) |
| San Antonio false alarm fees (per occurrence, permitted sites) | Burglar: first 3 free, 4th and 5th $50, 6th and 7th $75, 8th and on $100. Robbery, holdup, panic or duress: first free, then $200, $300, $400, and $500 from the 5th. Fire: first free, 2nd to 4th $125, 5th to 9th $250, 10th and on $500. Unpermitted: $250 for commercial burglary, $500 for commercial robbery. All fees must be paid before a permit is issued or renewed. source: City of San Antonio Police Department, Alarm response and permits (Chapter 25, Article IV) |
| Oxnard, California: fines that land on the alarm business | Users pay a $25 annual permit, nothing for the first false alarm in 12 months and $145 for each one after. The alarm business pays $100 per occurrence for improper call verification once a pattern is established and a written warning given, and $1,000 for a willful false statement about an inspection or how a system performs. source: City of Oxnard, Summary of security alarm fees and fines (Chapter 11) |
| California alarm agreements (B&P Code 7599.54) | Written, legible, with license and agent registration numbers, approximate start and completion dates, the system and major components, post-install services, a BSIS disclosure and a promise to train the purchaser; a signed copy before work starts. Residential deals over $250: payment schedule, down payment capped at $1,000 or 10%, whichever is less, substantial commencement within 20 days. Auto-renewals over one month need a separate signed disclosure. Fines: $100 first violation, $500 each after. source: California Business and Professions Code s. 7599.54, Alarm agreements: required contents |
| California licensing (BSIS) | Companies that sell, install, service, monitor or respond to alarms need a BSIS alarm company license, including out-of-state companies monitoring California systems. Alarm agents are employees who pass a background review; a temporary registration lasts 120 days and the agent carries a copy of the application. source: California Department of Consumer Affairs, Consumer guide to alarm companies (BSIS licensing, contracts) |
| Florida low-voltage alarm permitting (s. 553.793) | Applies to every low-voltage alarm project a local agency permits. Contractors buy labels at no more than $40 per label per project per unit, valid one year in the issuing jurisdiction, and post one on site before work starts. A Uniform Notice with owner, contractor license number, completion date and scope is due within 14 days after completion. Wireless systems need no permit; later maintenance needs no label; fire alarms needing plan review are excluded. source: Florida Statutes s. 553.793, Streamlined low-voltage alarm system installation permitting |
| Texas: DPS for security, State Fire Marshal for fire | An alarm systems company sells, installs, services, monitors or responds to alarm systems (Occupations Code 1702.105); an alarm systems installer installs, maintains or repairs them and may not rekey key-activated devices (1702.223). Fire alarm work is licensed separately by the State Fire Marshal: fire alarm technician, monitoring technician, planning superintendent and residential licenses (28 TAC 34.611). source: 28 Tex. Admin. Code s. 34.611, State Fire Marshal fire alarm licenses and approvals |
| Texas adopted standards | The State Fire Marshal adopts NFPA 72-2019 and UL 827 (3 December 2021 edition) for fire alarm, detection and supervisory work, except where they conflict with the state rules. source: 28 Tex. Admin. Code s. 34.607, Adopted standards (NFPA 72-2019, UL 827) |
| NFPA 72 Record of Completion | Completed by the installation contractor at acceptance. Covers property, installer, service, testing and monitoring organizations, account number and means of transmission, NFPA 72 edition, control unit and firmware, alarm verification seconds, primary and secondary power with standby hours and alarm minutes, pathway class and survivability, device and appliance counts, control functions, and signatures including the AHJ. McAllen requires it before the final inspection. source: City of McAllen Fire Department, Fire alarm system Record of Completion (NFPA 72 form, rev. 5/10/2023) |
| Seattle acceptance reporting | New fire alarm installs are reported in The Compliance Engine with uploads of the approved plans or as-builts, operating and maintenance instructions, and the Record of Completion; the NFPA 72 edition, permit number, dialer type (cellular, radio, AES), FACP and key location, device counts and the smoke detector sensitivity test due date are mandatory. source: Seattle Fire Department, Report of system installation/acceptance: fire alarm (The Compliance Engine inventory) |
| Portland fire alarm test intervals (FIR-6.02) | Monitored non-high-rise systems: full annual test by a qualified person, sprinkler flow and tamper switches semi-annually. Qualified means factory-trained, NICET certified, state licensed, or employed by a company listed for central station service. Records stay on site for three years in a red documentation cabinet keyed to the FACP. source: Portland Fire & Rescue, FIR-6.02: Fire alarm test intervals and qualified personnel |
| ASAP-to-PSAP and AVS-01 | TMA's Automated Secure Alarm Protocol sends alarm data from the central station straight into a 911 center's dispatch system; Baltimore was the 115th center to join, in October 2022. ANSI/TMA-AVS-01 scores alarms 0 to 4, from no call for service to a confirmed threat to life, to help dispatchers prioritize. source: The Monitoring Association, City of Baltimore 911 ECC implements ASAP-to-PSAP (Oct 2022) |
Rules vary by state, council and contract. Checked 7 November 2026; confirm against the source for your area before relying on it.
Numbers
What a city charges: permits and false alarms in two places
These are two cities' published schedules, San Antonio, Texas and Oxnard, California, plus Florida's state cap on permit labels. They are examples to show how fees stack per site, not national rates. Your customer's city sets its own.
| Item | Fee | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial alarm permit, fire | $200 per year | San Antonio |
| Commercial alarm permit, police | $200 per year | San Antonio |
| Residential permit (fire and police) | $50 per year | San Antonio |
| Burglar false alarm, 4th and 5th | $50 each | San Antonio |
| Burglar false alarm, 8th and on | $100 each | San Antonio |
| Fire false alarm, 10th and on | $500 each | San Antonio |
| Unpermitted commercial robbery false alarm | $500 | San Antonio |
| Annual alarm permit | $25 | Oxnard |
| 2nd and later false alarm in 12 months | $145 each | Oxnard |
| Alarm business: improper call verification | $100 per occurrence | Oxnard |
| Low-voltage permit label | No more than $40 | Florida s. 553.793 |
source: City of San Antonio Police Department, Alarm response and permits (Chapter 25, Article IV)source: City of San Antonio, Apply for an alarm permit: permit fees by typesource: City of Oxnard, Summary of security alarm fees and fines (Chapter 11)source: Florida Statutes s. 553.793, Streamlined low-voltage alarm system installation permitting
Where it breaks
Where spreadsheets and generic software fall over
The zone list lives in the tech's notebook. The central station gets "Zone 7 motion" and an operator tells police there is movement somewhere in a 60,000 square foot warehouse.
The zone list is a record on the site, filled during survey, updated at programming, and sent to the central station from the same record, with a plain-language description required for every zone.
The account goes live without the city permit number, so the first real alarm gets a slower or no dispatch, and the customer gets an unpermitted false alarm fine.
The install cannot move to Live until the permit number and expiry are entered; permits are tracked per site with renewal reminders.
Monitoring billing starts a month late, or never, because the install closed in one system and the recurring charge lives in another.
Closing the install job with a signed completion starts the monitoring contract on that date, with the monthly charge from the signed agreement.
A Florida job finishes and nobody sends the Uniform Notice, or the label photo is missing when the inspector asks.
Posting the label is a required photo at job start, and completion starts a 14-day Uniform Notice clock that alerts the office before it lapses.
A fire alarm acceptance test is booked with the AHJ and the Record of Completion is half filled: battery standby hours and device counts missing.
The Record of Completion is built from the system record as the install progresses; acceptance cannot be booked until power, pathway and device count sections are complete.
One site trips eight false alarms in a quarter and nobody notices until the customer forwards the city's bill and cancels.
Central station alarm reports are imported per account, false dispatches counted against that city's fee tiers, and a service visit or user retraining is booked before the next tier.
Checklist
The security alarm installation operations checklist
Print it, or hand it to whoever runs the office side.
- Zone list with plain-language descriptions for every zone, matched to the programmed panel
- Communicator path recorded; no new install relying only on a plain phone line
- Agreement meets your state's rules (California license numbers, dates, deposit cap, renewal disclosure)
- Work permit or Florida label posted before work; Uniform Notice within 14 days
- City alarm permit number on the account before it goes live
- Panel programmed to CP-01 delays, abort and recently armed reporting
- Call list with two numbers per contact for Enhanced Call Confirmation
- Account placed on test and every zone tripped and confirmed received
- Fire: Record of Completion complete before booking the acceptance test
- Fire: documentation cabinet at the FACP with as-builts and test records
- UL certificate issued only where the system matches UL 681 or NFPA 72 and your listing
- User trained on codes, delays and how to cancel
- Monitoring contract start date equals install completion date
- False dispatches per site tracked against the city's fee tiers
Software options
What software security alarm installation companies actually use
Judge each one on whether it fits the way your jobs run, not on the feature list. Bring a real job to every demo.
SedonaOffice (Bold Group)
Established alarm dealers and integrators with large RMR bases
Business management and accounting built for security companies: recurring invoicing, AR, AP and general ledger, service and reporting. Integrates with Bold's Manitou monitoring platform so a monitored event can open a service ticket.
SecurityTrax
Residential and light commercial security dealers
Dealer operations software: leads and customers, scheduling, work orders, inventory with RMAs, recurring invoicing and QuickBooks workflows, with Alarm.com and monitoring integrations. Publishes usage-based pricing with a $250 a month minimum.
System Surveyor
Integrators who design and quote commercial intrusion, video and access control
Tablet site survey on floor plans with devices dropped in place, photos attached to devices, manufacturer catalogs for a bill of materials, and PDF and Excel exports. A design and proposal tool, not a job or billing system.
Manitou (Bold Group)
Companies that run their own central station
Web-based alarm monitoring software with operator action plans and automated pre- and post-alarm tasks. It is the monitoring side; installers who subcontract monitoring use their central station's dealer portal instead.
ServiceTrade
Commercial fire alarm and fire protection contractors
Mobile inspections with NFPA reports, deficiency management, quoting, scheduling and invoicing. Strong for fire alarm inspection and service; check how it handles burglar zone lists and central station handoff.
Jobber or ServiceTitan
Electrical or low-voltage firms where alarms are a side line
Good at scheduling, quotes and invoices. Neither publishes zone lists, central station handoff, alarm permit tracking or UL certificate records for alarm work, so those would need building yourself.
Published prices, compared:source: Bold Group, SedonaOffice datasheetsource: Bold Group, Manitou alarm monitoring software product sheet (2024)source: SecurityTrax, Security dealer operations software and pricingsource: System Surveyor, Site surveys and security system designsource: ServiceTrade, Fire protection and life safety contractor software
Questions to ask any vendor
- Is the zone list a structured record on the site that I can send to my central station, or a PDF attachment?
- Can an install be blocked from going live until the city permit number, call list and on-test results are recorded?
- Does closing an install start the monthly monitoring charge automatically, on the right date?
- Can I keep each state's contract rules (California deposit cap, renewal disclosure) and each city's permit and false alarm fees?
- For fire alarms, can the NFPA 72 Record of Completion be generated from the job instead of typed at the end?
- Can I import my central station's alarm history per account and count false dispatches?
Bring one real security alarm installation job. We show it running in Fieldproxy.
Get DemoHow Fieldproxy is set up for this
Security alarm installation on Fieldproxy: built around how you already work
A Fieldproxy setup for an alarm installer is built around the handoff: every site carries its zone list, panel and communicator, CP-01 settings, central station account, call list and city permit, and the install cannot go live until each is filled and every zone has been tripped on test. Fire installs build their Record of Completion as they go, and the monthly monitoring charge starts the day the install closes.
Module 1
Survey and zone list
The zone list is the product the central station, the police and the next technician all depend on.
- Records: Site > System (burglar, fire, holdup, access) > Zone; zone fields: number, plain-language description (required), device type, zone type (entry/exit, perimeter, interior follower, 24-hour, panic, fire, supervisory), area, wired or wireless, cross-zoned
- Survey screen on the tablet with a photo per opening and device count by type rolling up to the quote
- Fire systems: device counts by type (smoke, duct, heat, pull, waterflow, tamper; horn, strobe, speaker) that later fill the Record of Completion
- Zone list PDF from your template for the central station and the customer
Module 2
Proposal, agreement and monthly charge
The one-time install and the monthly monitoring line are sold together and billed separately for years.
- Proposal lines: equipment, labor, permit pass-through, monitoring per month, service plan per month; options for cellular or radio communicator
- Agreement template per state: California fields (BSIS license, agent registration, start and completion dates, deposit cap of $1,000 or 10%, separate auto-renewal disclosure initialed), e-signature
- Status: Proposed, Signed, Deposit received, Permits pending, Scheduled, Installed, On test, Live
- Monthly contract record created at signing and activated by the Live status
Module 3
Permits and AHJ register
Work permits, fire plan reviews and user alarm permits each have their own owner, fee and clock.
- Per city: alarm permit fee by type, false alarm tiers, whether the alarm company is fined (for example Oxnard's call verification fine), renewal period
- Per job: work permit or Florida label number with posting photo; Uniform Notice due 14 days after completion; fire permit and plan review status
- Per site: user alarm permit number, type (police, fire, both), expiry; renewal reminder e.g. 45 days ahead
- Block: status cannot move to Live without a permit number where the city requires one
Module 4
Install scheduling and materials
A commercial install can span days, crews and a fire inspector's calendar.
- Install job with phases: rough-in, trim, programming, on test, acceptance (fire), training
- Material list from the proposal reserved from stock; serials captured for panel, communicator and wireless devices
- Crew licenses on the job: Texas DPS installer registration for burglar work, State Fire Marshal fire alarm technician for fire
- Fire acceptance test booked with the AHJ only after the Record of Completion sections are complete
Module 5
Programming sheet and field app
What was programmed has to match what the central station and the customer were told.
- Programming record: exit and entry delays, abort window, recently armed reporting, swinger bypass count, cross-zone pairs, user codes count
- Required photos: panel label, communicator label, each zone device, the posted permit label
- Offline on the field app in basements and new builds without signal
- Customer signature on completion and user training checklist
Module 6
Central station handoff
This is where most install mistakes reach the customer: wrong zones, missing contacts, account never taken off test.
- Handoff record: central station, account number, receiver format, communicator path, permit number, call list with two numbers per contact, passcodes, schedules, special instructions
- On-test checklist: placed on test (who, time), each zone tripped and received yes/no, taken off test (who, time)
- Handoff package sent from the record to the central station's email or dealer portal
- Block: Live only when every zone shows received
Module 7
Fire alarm acceptance and certificates
The AHJ, the insurer and UL each want a different document from the same install.
- Record of Completion generated from the system: monitoring organization and account, transmission means, NFPA 72 edition, panel and firmware, power and battery standby hours, pathway class, device counts, control functions, signatures
- Upload pack for portals like The Compliance Engine: as-builts, operating instructions, Record of Completion, smoke sensitivity test due date
- UL certificate register: number, type, standard, issue date, linked system; flagged if the system changes
- Next test dates: annual, semi-annual flow and tamper where required
Module 8
Service, false alarms and monitoring accounts
The business is valued on recurring revenue, and false alarms are what cancel it.
- Account record: monthly charge, term, renewal date, cancel reason
- False dispatches imported per account from the central station's reports and counted against the city's tiers
- Service ticket types: zone trouble, low battery, communication failure, false alarm visit, user retraining, communicator replacement
- Customer portal: zone list, permit number, service history, invoices
Module 9
Management reporting
Owners watch installs in progress, accounts going live and monthly revenue added and lost.
- Dashboards: installs by status, days from signed to Live, accounts on test longer than e.g. 24 hours, permits expiring, Uniform Notices due
- Recurring revenue added this month by installs gone Live, lost by cancellations with reason
- Sites over the city's false alarm tier, by technician who installed
- QuickBooks or Xero sync for install invoices and monthly billing
The AI agents, set up for security alarm installation companies
| Agent | When | What it does | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document intelligence agent | A takeover customer sends the previous dealer's zone list or a central station account report | Reads account number, panel, zones with descriptions and types, call list and permit number | A draft site, system and zone list for the survey tech to confirm on site |
| Vision agent | A tech photographs the panel label, the communicator label or the posted permit label | Reads make, model, serial and firmware, communicator carrier and ID, label number | System and permit fields filled on the job without typing |
| Watcher agent | An account stays on test past e.g. 24 hours, a Florida Uniform Notice is 3 days from due, a permit expires in 45 days, or a site's false dispatches reach the next fee tier | Checks the handoff, permit and false alarm records against the rule for that city or state | An alert to the operations manager naming the site, the rule and the next step |
| Dispatch agent | An install phase or service ticket is ready to schedule | Matches techs whose licenses cover the work (burglar installer registration or fire alarm technician), stock on the van and drive time | An assigned tech and a parts list |
| Autopilot | A signed install is waiting on the customer's alarm permit number or call list for e.g. 3 days | Drafts a request naming the city's permit page and the contacts still needed | A draft email or text a person approves before it sends |
| Scheduler agent | Every Monday at 7 am | Counts installs by status, accounts gone Live last week, monthly revenue added and lost, permits and certificates expiring | A weekly install and recurring revenue briefing to the owner |
Straight answers
Security alarm installation: FAQ
What software do security alarm installation companies use?
Dealers often use SedonaOffice or SecurityTrax for accounts, recurring billing and work orders, System Surveyor to design and quote, and their central station's software (often Manitou) for monitoring. Fire alarm contractors also use ServiceTrade for inspections. Generic tools like Jobber handle visits and invoices but not zone lists, permits or UL certificates. Fieldproxy is set up around your own install stages and monitoring handoff.
What does a central station need to monitor a new alarm?
An account number and receiver format, the communicator path, the zone list exactly as programmed with plain descriptions, a call list with two numbers per contact, passcodes, the city alarm permit number, any schedules and special instructions. Then the account goes on test and every zone is tripped to confirm it arrives correctly.
What is CP-01 and what delays does it require?
ANSI/SIA CP-01 is the industry standard for control panel features that reduce false alarms. DMP's CP-01 implementation will not let entry delay go below 30 seconds or exit delay below 45, restarts exit delay once, can hold burglary reports up to 45 seconds so a user can disarm and send an abort, and reports a recently armed alarm within two minutes.
What is Enhanced Call Confirmation?
It is the newer name for Enhanced Call Verification: the central station makes two calls to two different numbers, one usually a cell phone, before asking police to respond. Some cities fine the alarm company for skipping it; Oxnard charges $100 per occurrence once a pattern is established and a warning given.
Who can issue a UL alarm certificate?
Only a UL Listed alarm company. Full-service listed companies issue Protected Property Alarm System certificates through UL's CertsView. Burglar systems are installed to UL 681 and monitored to UL 827; fire systems follow NFPA 72. UL audits listed companies every year, including visits to some certificated properties.
What goes on an NFPA 72 Record of Completion?
Property and the installing, service, testing and monitoring companies; monitoring account number and transmission means; NFPA 72 edition; control unit, firmware and alarm verification time; primary and secondary power with standby hours and alarm minutes; pathway class and survivability; device and appliance counts; control functions; and signatures of installer, tester, owner and AHJ.
Do alarm installers need a permit in Florida?
Where the local agency requires one, low-voltage alarm projects use a label bought by the contractor for no more than $40, posted before work starts, and a Uniform Notice filed within 14 days after completion. Wireless systems need no permit, and fire alarms that need plan review follow the normal permit process.
What must a California alarm contract include?
Under Business and Professions Code 7599.54: company name, address, phone and BSIS license number, the agent's registration number, approximate start and completion dates, the system and major components, post-install services, a BSIS disclosure and a promise to train the user. Residential deals over $250 cap the deposit at $1,000 or 10%, whichever is less, and auto-renewals over one month need a separate signed disclosure.
How much are false alarm fines?
It depends on the city. In San Antonio, a permitted burglar alarm gets 3 free false alarms, then $50, $75 and $100 per occurrence; a fire alarm is $125 from the 2nd and $500 from the 10th. Oxnard charges $145 for each false alarm after the first in 12 months.
What licenses do alarm installers need in Texas?
Burglar and security work is licensed by the Department of Public Safety: the company as an alarm systems company and each installer registered. Fire alarm work is licensed separately by the State Fire Marshal, with fire alarm technician, monitoring technician and planning superintendent licenses, and Texas adopts NFPA 72-2019.
Related guides
All sources on this page (30)
- source: Digital Monitoring Products, LT-2010: False alarm reduction features (ANSI/SIA CP-01 panel programming)
- source: Florida Statutes s. 553.793, Streamlined low-voltage alarm system installation permitting
- source: City of San Antonio, Apply for an alarm permit: permit fees by type
- source: Security Industry Alarm Coalition, Law enforcement: best practices for alarm ordinances (ECC, free responses, cancels)
- source: UL Solutions, Security alarm service certification (UL 681 and UL 827; CPVX, CVSG, CPRH, CVWY)
- source: UL Solutions, Central station service certification (UL 827; CPVX, UUFX, CVSU; Protected Property certificates via CertsView)
- source: UL Solutions, Fire alarm service certification (NFPA 72; UUFX, UUJS, UUKA)
- source: SIAC, Model draft alarm ordinance (2020 short version)
- source: City of San Antonio Police Department, Alarm response and permits (Chapter 25, Article IV)
- source: City of Oxnard, Summary of security alarm fees and fines (Chapter 11)
- source: California Business and Professions Code s. 7599.54, Alarm agreements: required contents
- source: California Department of Consumer Affairs, Consumer guide to alarm companies (BSIS licensing, contracts)
- source: 28 Tex. Admin. Code s. 34.611, State Fire Marshal fire alarm licenses and approvals
- source: 28 Tex. Admin. Code s. 34.607, Adopted standards (NFPA 72-2019, UL 827)
- source: City of McAllen Fire Department, Fire alarm system Record of Completion (NFPA 72 form, rev. 5/10/2023)
- source: Seattle Fire Department, Report of system installation/acceptance: fire alarm (The Compliance Engine inventory)
- source: Portland Fire & Rescue, FIR-6.02: Fire alarm test intervals and qualified personnel
- source: The Monitoring Association, City of Baltimore 911 ECC implements ASAP-to-PSAP (Oct 2022)
- source: Bold Group, SedonaOffice datasheet
- source: Bold Group, Manitou alarm monitoring software product sheet (2024)
- source: SecurityTrax, Security dealer operations software and pricing
- source: System Surveyor, Site surveys and security system design
- source: ServiceTrade, Fire protection and life safety contractor software
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