Halifax municipality to charge flat rate for false building alarms

Andie Mollins · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 20, 2026 5:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 21

Starting Sept. 1, Halifax property owners and tenants will pay a flat fee every time emergency responders attend a false alarm, replacing an escalating fine structure.

Under the new model, residential properties with three units or fewer will be charged $50 per incident. Commercial properties and larger residential buildings will be charged $300.

Previously, fines rose with each occurrence in a 12-month period, up to $500 per incident. Both flat rates will now apply regardless of how many false alarms a building records.

The changes apply to false alarms from burglary, robbery, and fire systems.

“We really do not want our first responders with the equipment going out to a false alarm when down the road, for example, we might have a serious accident, or we might even have a fire starting,” said Vicki Robertson, director of revenue and treasurer with the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Robertson attributed the difference in fees to demand. Larger buildings are where most of the false alarm fees are being charged, and they can also have several incidents per year, she said, whereas homes might have one false alarm per year.

It’s also a matter of resources. Larger buildings require a larger response, even if it ends up being a false alarm.

“So that’s the main reason why it’s higher … we just want to make sure that we’re covering those additional costs of having those many trucks running,” Robertson said.

According to the city, there are about 5,000 false alarms every year.

Cpl. Mandy Edwards with the Halifax RCMP detachment said false alarms take officers away from priority work.

“We have to treat these alarm calls seriously … but if there is a high volume of false alarms it just places additional demands on our front-line officers,” Edwards said. A reduction in false alarms, she said, would be beneficial.

Officials say the flat rate is fairer for shared properties like shopping plazas. Under the old rules, if one shop triggered a false alarm, a neighbouring business in the same building could get hit with a higher, escalated fine for a second call later that year.

Robertson said property owners can prevent false alarms by ensuring everyone in the building knows how to use the system and by keeping up with system maintenance. She also said keeping emergency contact information up to date ensures that monitored systems can check with property owners before emergency responders are alerted.

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