(a) The purpose of this chapter is to protect the emergency services of the City of Steubenville from misuse, by responding to defective alarm systems, excessive false alarms and nuisance alarm activations.
(b) False alarm means the activation of an alarm system to or report of an emergency through mechanical failure, malfunction, improper installation or the negligence of the owner, lessee or subscriber of an alarm system or any of his/her employees, family, guests, agents, or tenants. False alarms include nuisance emergency reports whether initiated by equipment failure or human negligence, which results in an unnecessary emergency response. Nuisance emergency reports include calls intentionally generated wherein no emergency exists and the caller was aware no actual emergency existed at the time the call was placed or when the alarm system was activated.
(c) Alarm users shall be responsible for multiple false alarms sent by alarm systems on their premises under their control. False alarm fees shall be imposed based on the number of false alarms sent by the alarm system during a calendar year. A thirty (30) day grace period following the installation of a new alarm system, beginning on the activation date provided by the registered alarm business installing the alarm system will be given during which no alarm will be counted as false alarm for the purpose of imposing fees.
(Ord. 2011-6. Passed 3-1-11.)