Most fire alarm systems are required to have an approved 'off premises' central station monitoring service in place prior to final inspection and permit close-out.

ALL fire alarm systems within buildings have fire sprinkler systems MUST have 'off premises' central station monitoring service.

At the current time, the latest adopted NFPA-72 codes (2004 Ed.), in Florida requires at least one (1) dedicated telephone landline for 'primary connection', with almost all jurisdictions expecting two (2) telephone landlines; one dedicated to the fire alarm ONLY (primary) and a second line as backup or secondary. There are alternatives for the secondary or backup line such as cellular telephone systems but they are not accepted in most jurisdictions yet.

These telephone landlines add additional initial cost for installation and additional recurring or monthly costs to the cerntral station monitoring costs.