Home / Local guide
Columbus security guide · occupancy, leftover keypads, permits
Columbus home security guide: occupancy, leftover keypads, and permits
The quote starts with house, condo, apartment, larger lot, extra unit, or leftover keypad — not the look of the brick. Then we tell you if your ZIP needs a permit, and ADT monitors 24/7.
Say how you live before we count the doors
Columbus mixes single-family streets in German Village and the Short North, stacked units downtown, extra units behind Clintonville lots, larger New Albany and Lewis Center lots, and resales with a leftover keypad in Dublin. 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 Short North or Victorian Village house is doors, a garage, and often a leftover panel. A downtown condo is indoor contacts the board will actually allow. A rental near UofL adds extra keys — promotional offers are for homeowners. A New Albany or Lewis Center 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*.
Occupancy cards we actually quote
House
German Village, Short North, Clintonville, Victorian Village, Grove City. Front door, garage walk-through first. Doorbell if packages sit on the porch. Skip the twelve-camera list on a modest lot.
Condo
Downtown, Short North, and 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.
Larger lot
New Albany, Lewis Center, Powell, Dublin. Longer driveway, weaker Wi-Fi at the back fence, garage as the everyday door. Count the walk-through. Cellular backup still matters when AEP Ohio drops.
Extra unit
Garage apartment, in-law suite, or backyard unit — common on German Village, Clintonville, and Short North 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.
Leftover keypad
Dublin, New Albany, Lewis Center, Westerville 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.
City of Columbus charges $15 a year. Neighboring cities run their own desks.
City of Columbus: the License Section has suspended the Alarm User and False Alarm programs as of June 1, 2024 until new legislation — confirm (614) 645-8366. Dublin bills chargeable false alarms after two in six months ($75 / $75 / $85 / $105). Townships may use Ohio Revised Code 505.511 after three false alarms. Bexley, Upper Arlington, Westerville, Grove City, and 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 an extra unit has its own key — that is a second door list, not a footnote. Ask about cellular backup so the panel still reaches ADT if AEP Ohio or Wi-Fi drops.
What to have ready before you call
- ZIP and city — Dublin is not Columbus Division of Police, Westerville is not the City of Columbus License Section by default
- House, condo, apartment/rental, larger lot, extra unit, or leftover keypad
- Whether you own the home (promotional offers are for homeowners)
- A rough door and window count, including the garage and any extra unit
- Cameras yes or no, plus any HOA or board camera rules
- A photo of any leftover keypad
Call (380) 600-9919. You hear the monthly price, the $99 install, the 36-month agreement, and the permit office before anyone schedules a truck.