(a) The holder of a valid alarm permit shall be subject to warnings and civil penalties as set forth herein for excessive false alarm notifications. False alarm notifications are considered to be excessive when that system has more than three false alarms in a twelve-month period:
(1) The twelve-month period for alarm permits issued after September 1, 1994, shall begin on the date of issuance and renew on that date for each succeeding year the permit is held.
No. of False Alarm Notification | Action Taken | |
Commercial | Residential | |
1 | Warning Letter No. 1 | Warning Letter No. 1 |
2 | $50.00 civil penalty & Warning Letter No. 2 | $25.00 civil penalty & Warning Letter No. 2 |
3 | $100.00 civil penalty & Suspension of Permit for $50.00 civil penalty & those not required by law to have alarm systems | $50.00 civil penalty & Suspension of Permit |
4 (or more) | $200.00 civil penalty & Revocation of Permit for those required by law to have alarm systems | Revocation of Permit |
(2) Assessments of civil penalties will be mailed to the address where the alarm system is maintained and will be in the form of an invoice payable to the City of Heath. The invoice will be accompanied by a letter from the alarm administrator.
(b) Any person who operates a newly installed system will not be subject to False Alarm Notifications (F.A.N.) during the thirty days following the system completion provided a permit application is received by the Chief. The completion date shall be certified by a person currently licensed by the State of Ohio or County of Licking, if applicable, where the system is professionally installed, or the date of the purchase receipt for self-installed systems.
(c) Any person, operating a non-permitted alarm system will be subject to a citation and assessment of a fifty-dollar ($50.00) civil penalty for each F.A.N., without benefit of the notifications provided for in subsection (a) above. Subsequent submittal of an Alarm Permit Application may allow waiver of subsequent civil-penalty assessments, but each F.A.N., previously received, shall be counted in accumulating the three-notification total.
(d) Alarm activations, caused by actual criminal offense or with evidence of a criminal attempt, or fire/smoke shall not be counted, nor F.A.N., accumulated.
(Ord. 29-2022. Passed 5-2-22.)