[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Meeting of the Town of Bethlehem 3-14-1995. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
It is the intent and purpose of this chapter to provide minimum
standards and regulations applicable to users and installers of burglar,
fire, holdup and automatic telephone dialer alarms within the Town
of Bethlehem and to provide penalties for noncompliance.
The following definitions apply to this chapter:
An assembly of equipment and devices (or a single device,
such as solid-state unit, which may operate from a one-hundred-ten-volt
AC line) arranged to signal the presence of a hazard requiring urgent
attention to which police or fire departments or other emergency personnel
are expected to respond. This includes all burglar alarms, fire alarms,
holdup alarms and automatic telephone dialer alarms, except smoke
detectors which do not signal outside an alarmed premises or alarm
systems on motor vehicles.
Any person, firm or corporation on whose premises any alarm
system is maintained within the Town of Bethlehem.
An alarm system which automatically sends over regular telephone
lines, by direct connection or otherwise, a prerecorded voice message
indicating the existence of the emergency situation that the alarm
system is designed to detect.
The activation of an alarm system through mechanical failure,
malfunction, improper installation or the negligence of the owner
or lessee of an alarm system or his employees or agents. This does
not include alarms caused by stormy weather, earthquakes, power outages
or other normally infrequent violent conditions or acts of God. Excluded
from this section are false alarms that are transmitted with criminal,
malicious or mischievous intent.
Any person, firm or corporation installing an alarm system within
the Town of Bethlehem shall register with the Bethlehem resident state
trooper at least 10 days prior to the anticipated installation. All
existing alarm systems shall be registered with the Bethlehem resident
state trooper within 60 days of the effective date of this chapter.
Alarm users having existing automatic telephone dialing devices
shall comply with C.G.S. § 7-282b, as the same may be amended
from time to time.
Automatic telephone dialing devices shall be programmed to a
central station and shall not terminate at either the Bethlehem resident
state trooper's office or state police barracks. An automatic
telephone dialing service shall not be programmed to dial 911.
All alarm systems, as defined in this chapter, which sound an
audible signal which may be heard outside of the protected premises
shall be equipped with a device which shall limit the duration of
such signal to not more than 30 minutes.
[Amended 12-20-1999]
A maximum of three false alarms per calendar year shall be allowed from any alarm system or any person, firm or corporation. All new systems installed in accordance with this chapter shall be exempt from the penalty provisions for a period of one month from date of installation. Alarms originating from any building owned or operated by the Town of Bethlehem shall be exempt from the requirements of §§ 54-3 through 54-6. The resident state trooper and the Fire Marshal shall submit the names of owners of alarms having more than three false alarms in a calendar year to the First Selectman, who will then consider taking action in accordance with Chapter 1, General Provisions, Article I, Citation Hearing Procedure.
A.
Any person, firm or corporation found to be in violation of § 54-5 shall be subject to a fine of $100.
B.
Any person, firm or corporation found to be in violation of § 54-7 herein shall be subject to a fine of $100 for each violation.
[Amended 9-19-2019]
C.
Any person, firm or corporation found to be in violation of any other
provision herein shall be subject to a fine of $100.
[Amended 9-19-2019]
D.
Any person, firm or corporation who fails to pay any fine assessed in accordance with this section within 30 days after its assessment shall be subject to an additional fine of $150. For the purposes of this Subsection D, each delinquent fine shall be a separate offense.
[Amended 9-19-2019]
E.
Said fines shall be paid in person or by mail to the Town of Bethlehem.
