(A) Except as provided in divisions (B), (C) and (D) of this section, the holder of an alarm permit or alarm site, responded to upon call, shall pay a fee for each false alarm notification emitted from an alarm system as follows:
(1) Beginning January 1 of each year, three false alarms will be answered free of charge;
(2) Each false alarm thereafter will be billed at the rate per response as provided for in § 13.00(B) of the Fee Schedule, as set forth in Appendix 1 of this code.
(B) If a person notifies the Chief of Police and applies for an alarm permit before a new alarm system is put into service, no service fee will be assessed during the first 60 days after the system is put into service, and alarm notification during that period will not be counted in determining when a service fee shall be assessed.
(C) If the responding police or fire officer determines that an alarm notification was caused by unauthorized intrusion, attempted unauthorized intrusion, robbery, attempted robbery, an attempt to take a person hostage, or fire (to include smoke), that notification will not be counted in determining when a service fee will be assessed.
(D) An alarm notification will not be counted in determining when a service fee will be assessed if the permittee can prove that the alarm notification was the result of severe weather conditions, such as tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or other weather condition that causes physical damage to the alarm site, or the result of a malfunction in the operation of telephone lines for the transmission of alarm signals, proof of the latter being documented in the form of telephone company work orders or time stamped records from the alarm company showing the periods of interrupted service.
(Ord. 806, passed 11-17-97)