Home security in Chicago: burglary data, false-alarm fines and installers

Burglary in Chicago: the official figures

The Chicago Police Department publishes every reported crime on the city’s data portal (Crimes, 2001 to Present), with data to 26 September 2026 when we queried it. Leaving out burglary from motor vehicles, which the dataset also files under burglary:

• 6,212 burglaries in 2025, of which 4,178 were at homes: 2,190 in apartments, 1,225 in houses, 692 in residential garages and the rest on porches, yards and in Chicago Housing Authority apartments.
• Home burglaries fell from 4,751 in 2024 to 4,178 in 2025, down 12.1%.
• From January to August 2026 there were 2,402 home burglaries, against 2,818 in the same months of 2025: down 14.8%.

Nearly 700 burglaries of residential garages in a year is worth acting on if your garage opens onto an alley: a contact sensor on the garage door and a camera covering the approach are simple additions. The garage and shed security guide has more.

False-alarm fines in Chicago

Chicago deals with false alarms through fines rather than an annual household permit. Section 8-4-056 of the Municipal Code, last amended on 19 December 2025, says no burglar alarm user may use a system that emits a false alarm, meaning an activation with no emergency to which the police are alerted.

Source: Municipal Code of Chicago, section 8-4-056. Non-residential premises pay $100 for each false alarm.

• What does not count. Power surges or cuts, loss of phone service, notified line testing, severe weather, and any real or attempted break-in or vandalism where there is evidence.
• Who pays. The owner or occupier of the premises is presumed to be the alarm user.
• How to avoid it. Most false alarms come from user error and loose sensors. Our false alarm checklist and sensor alignment guide help.

Doorbells, cameras and recording

Filming your own porch or driveway is generally lawful in the US, but audio is treated differently. Illinois is one of the states that require the consent of everyone in a private conversation before it is recorded, so a doorbell or camera microphone that picks up conversations between other people carries more legal risk here than in one-party states. Practical steps: switch off audio on cameras that face shared or public spaces, angle cameras away from neighbours’ windows and yards, and use privacy zones. Our guides cover audio recording and state wiretap laws, cameras pointed at a neighbour’s property and police requests for doorbell footage.

Typical alarm and camera prices

We have not found an official Chicago price survey, so start with the national ranges in our US home security costs guide. HomeGuide reports an equipment package at $199 to $599, installation and activation at $0 to $299 and professional monitoring at $25 to $50 a month (April 2024), and $500 to $1,600 for a professionally installed 4-camera system (December 2023). Add the city permit fee and allow for false-alarm charges, then compare at least two written quotes for the same equipment list and the same monitoring plan. For the full cost over several years, see our five-year cost guide.

How to choose an alarm installer in Chicago

• IDFPR licence. Private alarm contractors and private alarm contractor agencies are licensed by IDFPR under the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004. Employees need a Permanent Employee Registration Card (PERC). Check both on IDFPR’s licence look-up.
• Cameras count too. The City of Chicago notes that the Act’s definition of an alarm system includes surveillance and security video systems as well as burglar and fire alarms.
• City permits. The Department of Buildings lets state-licensed alarm contractors register with the City so they can be listed on permits for alarm work without a Chicago electrical contractor licence. A firm doing other electrical work must hold a Chicago electrical contractor licence. Ask who will pull any permit your job needs.
• Contract terms. Minimum term, automatic renewal, price rises and cancellation fees.
• Verification. Ask how the monitoring centre checks an alarm before calling 911, since the third false alarm in a home is fined.

Alarm and camera installers in Chicago

These independent businesses appear in public business listings for the Chicago area and describe themselves as installing alarms, cameras or both. We left out national brands, franchise and dealer branches, and lead-generation sites. We have not checked their work, prices, licences or insurance, and none of them has paid to appear. Check any contractor’s licence yourself on IDFPR’s licence look-up.

To compare national companies instead, see our US home security providers comparison and the US monitored security companies directory, or request quotes.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Crimes, 2001 to Present, queried 29 September 2026 (data.cityofchicago.org)
• Municipal Code of Chicago, section 8-4-056 False burglar alarms (codelibrary.amlegal.com)
• Illinois-licensed Private Alarm Contractors (chicago.gov)
• Alarm Professions (idfpr.illinois.gov)
• How Much Does a Home Security System Cost? (homeguide.com), April 2024
• Security Camera Installation Cost (homeguide.com), December 2023

Last checked: September 2026. City fees can change at the start of a fiscal year and crime figures are updated weekly or monthly, so check the current position before you buy.

Home Security Innovations is a comparison and referral service, not an alarm or camera company. We do not install, monitor or respond to alarms, and a listing here is not a recommendation.