525.171 FALSE ALARMS.

   (a)   Any premises located within the City may be equipped with an emergency alarm consisting of equipment, mechanical or electrical, arranged to signal the occurrence of an unauthorized entry or other activity requiring urgent attention to which the Police Department and/or the Fire Department is expected to respond.

   (b)   As used in this section, “false alarm” means an emergency alarm, activated by inadvertence, negligence or unintentional acts, including, but not limited to, malfunction of the alarm system, to which the Police Department and/or Fire Department responds. The definition excludes false alarms cause by: malfunction, testing or repairing of telephone equipment or lines; malfunction, testing or repairing of the normal power supply source for alarms installed on residential subdivisions; acts of God, such as earthquake, flood, windstorm, thunder or lightning; an attempted illegal entry of which there is visible evidence; or the user acting under a sincere belief that a need exists to call the Police Department and/or Fire Department. Multiple alarms received by the Dispatch Center before the system can be deactivated within a reasonable period of time shall be considered a single alarm.

   (c)   False alarm charges shall be made to the person in control of the property on which an emergency alarm is installed as follows, unless waived, in writing, for good cause by the Police Department. Annually means per calendar year.

      (1)   Residential users. A warning shall be issued and no charge shall be made for the first four false alarms annually. A charge of twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be made for the fifth false alarm annually and all subsequent false alarms.

      (2)   Business users. A warning shall be issued and no charge shall be made for the first two false alarms annually. A charge of fifty dollars ($50.00) shall be made for the third false alarm annually and all subsequent false alarms.

   (d)   If there is a response by the Police Department or the Fire Department to a false alarm resulting from improper equipment, installation and/or servicing by the alarm business and/or agent, the alarm business may be charged a civil penalty of one hundred dollars ($100.00) per false alarm by the Safety Director of his or her designee.

   (e)   A grace period of sixty days from the effective date of this section shall not be included in the charges set forth in this section.

(Ord. 01-020. Passed 3-6-01.)