Family-owned
A Greater Cincinnati company that has grown through craft, not through a roll-up. Decisions are made by people who also pick up the tools.
The company
M. Alan Associates has been a leader in integration technologies since 1989. Family-owned. Residential and commercial. Still on the job after the paint dries — and watching cameras after midnight.
Who we are
Clients benefit from a straightforward approach: listen first, document clearly, specify products we will still service in ten years, and stay on site from pre-wire through programming.
We are no strangers to demanding whole-home integrations or to projects with a defined budget. The standard does not change with the square footage.
A Greater Cincinnati company that has grown through craft, not through a roll-up. Decisions are made by people who also pick up the tools.
Estates, renovations, and new construction at home. Boardrooms, huddle spaces, executive suites, and signage at work.
Home base is Cincinnati — showroom and office by appointment only. Our crews take projects in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Utah, and California. We work in all 50 states, with a partner dedicated to each one. Permits follow that state’s license and code — see State compliance below.
State compliance
Codes are not interchangeable. Line-voltage, fire alarm, burglar alarm, and solar each have their own license in most of these states. We pull the permit in a name that can legally sign it — our crew, or the partner dedicated to that state — and we design to the code that inspector will use.
Ohio
No statewide burglar-alarm license. Commercial fire alarm is an OCILB Fire Protection Contractor plus State Fire Marshal certification. Burglar, CCTV, and monitoring companies register with Private Investigation and Security Guard Services when the scope requires it. Cincinnati and other cities register electrical contractors on their own. Design is to the Ohio Building Code and the NEC.
Kentucky
Line-voltage and fire-alarm work follows the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. There is no statewide burglar-alarm license; cities and counties set alarm registration. Permits and inspections stay with the local building department.
Indiana
No statewide electrician license. Electrical, low-voltage, and alarm permits are issued by the city or county. Solar interconnects through the serving utility, with the local electrical permit still required.
Tennessee
Work over the state threshold uses a Board for Licensing Contractors classification — CE for electrical, CE-D for limited sound, signal, and alarm work under 70 volts. An alarm company must have a Designated Qualifying Agent through the Alarm Systems Contractors Board.
Florida
State-licensed through the Electrical Contractors’ Licensing Board. EC covers unlimited electrical, including alarm. EF is Alarm Systems I, including fire. EG is Alarm Systems II, excluding fire. A registered ER electrical license does not authorize alarm work. Outdoor equipment and solar are specified to the Florida Building Code, including wind design where the county requires it.
Texas
Security, access, and cameras are licensed by DPS Private Security under Occupations Code Chapter 1702, typically a Class B company license. Fire alarm is separate: a Texas Department of Insurance certificate under Insurance Code Chapter 6002. Line-voltage electrical is TDLR. Coastal counties add windstorm documentation when the attachment requires it.
Colorado
Cabling under 50 volts is generally outside the state electrical license. Line-voltage and solar use a DORA electrical contractor. There is no statewide alarm license; Denver, Colorado Springs, and other cities register that work locally. Interconnection is with the serving utility.
Utah
Electrical contracting is DOPL E200. Solar photovoltaic contracting is DOPL S202, or an electrical contractor where the scope allows. Interconnection is with Rocky Mountain Power or the municipal utility. Local building permits still apply.
California
A contract over $500 needs a CSLB license. C-7 covers communications, sound, and AV at 91 volts or less, and does not cover burglar or fire alarm. Burglar and monitored security need a BSIS Alarm Company Operator. Fire alarm is generally C-10. Solar is C-46 or C-10, designed to Title 24 and the fire setbacks in the residential and fire codes, and interconnected under the utility’s Rule 21.
In the other 41 states, the partner dedicated to that state holds the license the work requires. We do not pull a permit in a name that cannot sign it.
The promise
If a system needs a binder to operate, we designed it wrong. Our work is successful when a guest can dim the dining room and a child can start a movie without calling anyone.
Work with usGood to know
No. The shop is in Cincinnati, by appointment only. We staff projects in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Utah, and California. We work in all 50 states, with a partner dedicated to each — including Sheep Dog One for monitoring and security.
Both. In partnership with Sheep Dog One, we offer 24/7 monitoring. AI flags what is worth a look. Live technicians verify the event and respond. We also handle data center security and site security assessments.
SDO is our security partner — sheepdogone.com. Together we cover camera monitoring, data center security, and site assessments, with a partner dedicated to each state.
Before drywall. Pre-wire, keypad elevations, rack location, speaker and camera placements — all cheaper and cleaner if we are on the job with the electrician and the builder.
Often. We will walk it, tell you what is worth keeping, and what is fighting the house. No obligation to rip out a working rack just to put our name on it.
Yes — under the license that scope requires. Ohio fire alarm is OCILB and the State Fire Marshal; Florida alarm work is an EF, EG, or EC; Texas security is DPS Chapter 1702 and fire alarm is TDI Chapter 6002; California low-voltage is a C-7, burglar alarm is a BSIS alarm company license, and solar is C-46 or C-10. Where we are not the qualifying contractor, the partner dedicated to that state is. Details are on this page under State compliance.
Homeowners, architects, interior designers, custom builders, and facility managers. Residential estates and workplaces. Same process either way.