122.03 ALARM SYSTEMS.

   (a)   Authority to Install Alarm System. Any residence or lawful business located within the City may be equipped with an alarm system, except as provided in subsection (b)(1) hereof. All alarm systems shall comply with the requirements of this chapter.

   (b)   Automatic Dialing Alarm Systems.

      (1)   No person shall install or operate an automatic dialing alarm system, except that automatic dialing alarm systems which have been installed and which comply with the requirements of current law as of the effective date of this section may continue to operate as long as they continue to comply with subsections (b)(2) through (b)(7) hereof.

      (2)   The City may subscribe to one (1) or more telephone lines for burglar alarm, fire alarm or similar purposes. A person may, upon proper application and compliance with applicable laws, be granted a permit to install a device or devices which automatically select the designated telephone line for the purpose of playing a recorded message or to otherwise report an intrusion or other emergency.

      (3)   No person shall use or cause to be used any telephone device or telephone attachment that automatically selects any telephone line allocated by the telephone company to the City or any of its departments or divisions except a telephone line which has been designated by the City for such purposes.

      (4)   The message of an automatic dialing alarm system shall comply with the following:

         A.   Length of message - fifteen (15) seconds maximum.

         B.   Message shall not be repeated more than three (3) times for each dialing;

         C.   Contents - message shall first state: "This is a recording." Balance of message shall be appropriate to the purpose for which the alarm is installed and shall be subject to approval of the Chief of Police and/or the Chief of Fire. The entire message shall be intelligible.

      (5)   Each automatic dialing alarm system shall be programmed to first dial the police station or fire station on the designated line. The alarm system shall next dial a number selected by the applicant, such second number being that at which a person having a key to the building where the alarm is installed can normally be found. The alarm system shall next dial a third number subject to approval by the Chief of Police or the Chief of Fire. No more than three (3) such dialings may be programmed except under unusual circumstances and upon approval by the Chief of Police or the Chief of Fire. No enforcement agency other than the Shaker Heights Police Department or Fire Department may be selected.

      (6)   The cost of providing the services described above, including any fee or payment charged by the telephone company, shall be paid by the applicant.

      (7)   The fee to be charged by the City under subsection (b)(6) hereof shall be determined on an annual basis by dividing the cost of phone service to the City by the number of holders of permits for automatic dialing alarm systems, adding fifteen percent (15%) for administration and rounding off to the next highest dollar; except the minimum charge shall be five dollars ($5.00) per month per subscriber. All fees shall be payable on a calendar-month basis in advance. Delinquency in excess of ten (10) days shall result in cancellation of the permit or permits.

   (c)   Alarms Connected Directly to Police Station or Fire Station.

      (1)   Alarms may be connected directly to the Police Station or Fire Station only to the extent that the City has entered into an agreement with an alarm provider to provide such service.

      (2)   All alarms connected directly to the Police or Fire Stations shall be subject to the requirements of this Chapter and to any ordinances applicable to alarm systems.

   (d)   General Alarm System Requirements.

      (1)   Every alarm system shall meet the applicable standards of the Underwriters' Laboratories and/or National Fire Protection Association and/or other recognized industry standard. A user or provider may be required to submit evidence of the reliability and suitability of the alarm system.

      (2)   The sensory mechanism shall be adjusted to suppress false indications of fire or intrusion, so that the alarm system will not be actuated by impulses due to transient pressure change in water pipes, short flashes of light, wind noises such as the rattling or vibrating of doors or windows, vehicular noise adjacent to the installation, or other false readings.

      (3)   Each alarm system shall be maintained in good repair.

      (4)   Each provider shall furnish to each user current written operating and maintenance instructions.

      (5)   Each provider shall furnish the Chief of Police with a copy of the instructions described in subsection (d)(4) hereof. If the Chief of Police finds such to be incomplete, unclear or otherwise inadequate, he may require the provider to have the same revised to meet his approval and then promptly have copies distributed to persons for whom installations have been made.

      (6)   Each provider shall provide for receiving calls for service, directly or through an agent, on a twenty-four (24) hour basis, seven (7) days a week, and shall respond to such calls within eight (8) hours of the time they are received.

      (7)   At the time of installation, each provider shall furnish written information as to how service can be obtained at any time, including the telephone number to call for service. Each user shall repair the alarm system as soon as practical after that person knows or should know of a malfunction.

      (8)   The Chief of Police and the Chief of Fire or their respective designees may, at reasonable times and upon oral notice, enter upon any premises within the City to inspect the installation and operation of an alarm system or to post the notices described in subsection (d)(9) hereof.

      (9)   The Chief of Police or the Chief of Fire or their respective designees may order a user or provider to repair an alarm system and may order that the alarm system be disconnected until the repair has been completed. An order may be accompanied by one or more notices placed conspicuously on or about the premises.

   (e)   Permit. A permit for the installation of a local alarm which, when activated, sounds a horn, bell, buzzer or other type of audible alarm, shall be required if the sound created by the alarm is audible beyond the premises being served. The Chief of Police shall issue a permit for such an alarm, upon the payment of a fee of twenty dollars ($20.00), provided the intensity of sound does not exceed sixty-five decibels at any location outside the premises being served, and such alarm shall have an automatic cut-off device as provided herein. Each such local alarm shall be equipped with an automatic cut-off device which deactivates the alarm noise within ten minutes of the first noise emitted by the alarm. Water flow alarms shall be exempt from the provisions of this subsection (e) hereof. (Ord. 07-64. Enacted 6-25-07.)