Arvada, CO Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Vehicle alarm status
- Excluded from § 34-71 alarm-fee definition
- False-alarm fee
- Does not apply to vehicle alarms
- Institutional bell/chime limit
- Barred 9pm-7am, § 38-62(1)
- Catch-all remedy
- General noise disturbance ban, § 38-61
- General penalty
- Up to $2,650 fine or 364 days jail
Summary
Arvada's alarm ordinance, which charges alarm users an administrative fee for false alarms police respond to, expressly excludes vehicle alarms from its definition of a regulated 'alarm system' under City Code § 34-71. A car alarm is not billed under that scheme; a blaring vehicle alarm is instead reachable only under the city's general noise-disturbance ban in § 38-61, since the alarm/bell rule in § 38-62(1) covers only clocks, schools, churches, and government buildings.
Alarm system means any device designed for the detection of an unauthorized entry on or into any building, place or premises, or for alerting others of the commission of an unlawful act, or both, and when activated causes an audible and/or visual signal or transmits a signal or message to which police officers are expected to respond or that would imply to a reasonable person that police officers are needed at the alarm source to investigate a criminal activity or emergency. Included are single and/or multiple devices, such as an electronic unit which plugs directly into a 110-volt AC line. Exception: (1)Single unit smoke detectors or personal protection alerting devices which alert only the user and which do not require special wiring.(2)Alarms installed in or on motorized vehicles.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Council Policy Manual: Supplement 1 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67).
Full Breakdown
' Because of that carve-out, a car alarm never triggers the administrative charge the chief of police sets for false burglar-alarm responses, no matter how many times police respond to it. , but that subsection is limited to those building-mounted sources and does not reach a car alarm. a noise disturbance,' enforceable under the chapter's general penalty in § 38-33 and the citywide fine schedule in § 1-5.
Violations & Fines
There is no dedicated car-alarm citation in Arvada's code. A car alarm can only be charged as a general noise disturbance under § 38-61, punishable under § 38-33 by the § 1-5 fine schedule (up to $2,650, up to 364 days jail, or both). Vehicle alarms carry no separate administrative false-alarm fee because § 34-71 excludes them from that ordinance entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I get fined if my car alarm keeps going off in Arvada?
Does Arvada's noise ordinance mention car alarms directly?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Arvada
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