Home security in Houston: burglary data, alarm permits and installers

Quick answer: HPD’s published NIBRS data shows 11,343 burglaries in Houston in 2025, 6,347 of them at homes, and home burglaries down 21.0% in the first half of 2026. Houston requires a $50 a year residential alarm permit; the first three false burglar alarms in 12 months are free, then fees start at $50, and police response can be revoked after the seventh. Alarm companies and installers must be licensed through the Texas DPS Private Security Program.

Burglary in Houston: the official figures

The Houston Police Department publishes its NIBRS crime data by street and police beat. Counting burglary and breaking-and-entering offences (NIBRS code 220):

11,343 burglaries in 2025, of which 6,347 (56%) were at a residence or apartment.
4,655 burglaries from January to June 2026, against 5,939 in the same months of 2025: down 21.6%.
Home burglaries fell from 3,318 to 2,622 over the same six months: down 21.0%.

Premises, 2025	Burglaries
Residence or home, including apartments	6,347
Commercial or office building	993
Rental storage facility	901
Restaurant	530
Speciality store	422

The 2026 file ran to 30 June when we downloaded it. HPD also publishes beat-level pages, so you can check your own neighbourhood before deciding how much protection you need.

Alarm permits and false-alarm fees in Houston

The City of Houston’s Burglar Alarm Administration issues alarm permits. Its 2026 fee schedule, revised in December 2025, says:

Item (residential)	Fee
Burglar alarm permit, valid 12 months	$50.00
1st to 3rd false burglar alarm in 12 months	Free
4th and 5th	$50.00 each
6th and 7th	$75.00 each
8th and each after	$100.00 each
Alarm with no permit	$116.75 per alarm
False panic alarms (1st free)	$140.09, then $280.20, $420.29 and $560.39

Source: City of Houston Burglar Alarm Administration, alarm permit application and 2026 fee schedule.

Police may not come without a permit. The application says Houston police may not be dispatched unless the alarm company provides a valid permit number, so pass your number to your alarm company.
Revocation. Permits are subject to revocation and no police response after the seventh false burglar alarm.
Two contacts. You must name two people who can reach the property within one hour if HPD asks.
Panic buttons. A panic or duress button that calls police is charged much more heavily for false activations, so only enable it if you need it.
Your installer must tell the City. Texas Occupations Code section 1702.286 requires an alarm company to notify the city within 30 days of installing or activating a system, and to give you written information on false-alarm law, false-alarm prevention and how to use the system.

See our false alarm checklist and how US alarm permits work.

Doorbells, cameras and recording

Filming your own porch or driveway is generally lawful in the US, but audio is regulated more tightly. Texas is not among the all-party consent states listed in our guide to audio recording and state wiretap laws, but secretly recording a private conversation you are not part of can still break federal and state law. Practical steps: switch off audio on cameras that face shared or public spaces, keep cameras off neighbours’ windows and yards, and use privacy zones. See also cameras pointed at a neighbour’s property and police requests for doorbell footage.

Houston’s hurricane season adds a practical point: ask about battery back-up for the panel and cellular signalling, so the system keeps working when power or broadband fails. See alarm communication failures.

Typical alarm and camera prices

We have not found an official Houston 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). Budget $50 a year for the City permit on top. 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.

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How to choose an alarm installer in Houston

Company licence. Under Texas Occupations Code chapter 1702, a business acts as an alarm systems company if it sells, installs, services, monitors or responds to an alarm system or detection device. It needs a licence from the DPS Private Security Program.
Individual registration. The person who installs, maintains or repairs your system acts as an alarm systems installer under section 1702.223 and must be registered with DPS. Ask to see their pocket card, and check the company and the individual on DPS’s TOPS licence search.
The permit and notice. Ask the company to confirm it will notify the City of the installation and give you the false-alarm information that section 1702.286 requires.
Contract terms. Minimum term, automatic renewal, price rises and cancellation fees.

Alarm and camera installers in Houston

These independent businesses appear in public business listings for the Houston 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 company’s licence yourself on the Texas DPS TOPS licence search.