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Seattle security guide · houses, condos, leftover keypads
Seattle home security guide: systems, cameras, and coverage
The quote starts with house, condo, ADU, or rental — not the look of the siding. Then we tell you if your ZIP needs a permit, and ADT monitors 24/7.
House, condo, or leftover keypad — say which one you have
Seattle mixes single-family streets in Ballard and Queen Anne, stacked units on Capitol Hill, backyard ADUs on Fremont lots, and resales with a leftover keypad in Bellevue. That mix is a living fact, not the product. The product is a professionally installed, ADT-monitored home security system. On the call we ask house vs condo vs apartment, ZIP, leftover keypad yes/no, and cameras yes/no.
A Ballard or Queen Anne house is doors, a garage, and often a leftover panel. A Capitol Hill condo is indoor contacts the board will actually allow. A rental near downtown adds extra keys — promotional offers are for homeowners. A Bellevue or Redmond lot is a longer driveway and weaker Wi-Fi at the back fence. We will not copy one kit onto the other. Packages start at $53.99/mo*.
The kit after you name how you live
House
Ballard, Queen Anne, Green Lake, West Seattle. Front door, garage walk-through first. Doorbell if packages sit on the porch. Skip the twelve-camera list on a modest lot.
Condo
Capitol Hill and downtown stacked units. Boards often kill hallway cameras. A panel and contacts inside the unit plus ADT 24/7 is still a complete system. Staffed desks help with boxes. They do not call ADT at 2 a.m.
Apartment / rental
Ask who can authorize the install. Indoor contacts still work. Outdoor video is often a no. Extra keys belong on the call — say who can disarm the panel. Promotional offers are for homeowners.
Leftover keypad
Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond closes. Photograph the panel before you pull it. Reactivation is often faster than a rip-out. Builder leftover keypads are not ADT. Count the garage walk-through.
ADU / extra unit
Backyard cottage, basement suite, or garage apartment — common on Fremont, Ballard, and West Seattle lots. That is a second door list, not a footnote. Say who keeps a key. One ADT watch can cover both if we count the openings.
Seattle does not sell you a subscriber permit. We still name the false-alarm desk.
The City of Seattle does not issue a subscriber alarm permit. Under SMC 6.10 and 10.08, the alarm company is billed $115 if Seattle Police arrive on a false burglar alarm, $230 on a false panic, and $30 if the dispatch is canceled in time. A waiver is available once every 84 months after a city workshop. Bellevue charges $25 to register (CryWolf, 855-694-8280) with $100 / $200 false-alarm bills. Other cities confirm from the ZIP — we do not invent a dollar amount.
A leftover keypad on a resale is worth a photograph before you pull it. Reactivation is often faster than a rip-out. Say whether a backyard ADU has its own key — that is a second door list, not a footnote.
What to have ready before you call
- ZIP and city — Bellevue is not Seattle Police, Edmonds is not SMC 6.10
- House, condo, apartment/rental, leftover keypad, or ADU
- Whether you own the home (promotional offers are for homeowners)
- A rough door and window count, including the garage and any ADU
- Cameras yes or no, plus any HOA or board camera rules
- A photo of any leftover keypad
Call (425) 600-9043. You hear the monthly price, the $99 install, the 36-month agreement, and the permit office before anyone schedules a truck.