A 2009 Pinellas County ordinance requires home and business owners to register their alarm systems with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. The ordinance has also implemented a fine schedule for any false alarms which may occur at that home or business.

The Sheriff’s Alarm Registration Program or “SHARP” has been established for home and business owners to register their alarm protected properties on-line or by filling out a registration form and mailing it to:

There is no registration fee to sign up with SHARP.

Click here to register/renew online and update information.

The ordinance covers the unincorporated area of Pinellas County and the 13 cities which contract with the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services. The contract cities are:

Alarm subscribers registered with SHARP will receive warnings for the first two false alarms within a revolving year. Registered alarm owners who experience more than two false alarms in one year will be subject to fines as identified below.

Home and business owners who do not register their alarm systems with SHARP do not receive any warnings and will be subject to fines as identified in the schedule below.

Even registered alarm owners who experience more than two false alarm events in one year may also be subject to fines, as identified below, if the false alarms continue.

Fines for Registered Alarms

Fines for Non-Registered Alarms

An appeals process is available to both registered and non-registered subscribers.

Well over 90% of the alarm calls investigated by deputy sheriffs are false alarms. The purpose of the ordinance is to reduce the number of false alarms in the sheriff’s jurisdiction, and the time it takes for deputy sheriffs to respond to them.

Fewer false alarms will contribute to the efficiency of deputy sheriffs on patrol as they are better able to spend their time responding to calls for service. For more information, call SHARP at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at 727-582-2870, or email sharp@pcsonet.com