[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee
of the Township of Chesterfield 6-23-1994 by Ord. No. 1994-6.
Amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is to provide standards
and regulations for various types of burglar, fire, smoke and other
emergency alarm systems within the Township.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to
any person who operates, maintains or owns any burglar, fire, smoke
or other emergency alarm system designed to summon the Police Department,
Fire Department or other municipal agencies to any location in response
to any type of alarm.
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated;
A device or an assembly of equipment which emits an audible
or silent response, which is intended to alert persons outside the
premises to the existence of a hazard or emergency or which is intended
to alert emergency agencies by automatically dialing an emergency
agency or which is connected to a business which offers the service
of receiving emergency signals and relaying them to an emergency agency.
Sunday through Saturday of each week.
January 1 to December 31 of any given year.
The Chief of Police of the Township of Chesterfield.
Any alarm or signal of an alarm system activated by or resulting
from inadvertence, negligence, intentional or unintentional act of
a person other than an intruder and shall include, as well, alarms
or signals caused by mechanical failure, malfunction or improper installation
of the alarm system.
Any volunteer fire company located within the Township of
Chesterfield.
Any type of alarm system which, when activated, produces
a signal which is not designed to alert emergency agencies by automatic
dialing or which is not connected to a business which offers the service
of receiving emergency signals, monitoring said signals and relaying
them to an emergency agency.
Any alarm which, when activated, indicates an immediate medical
emergency at an announced location.
Any natural person or individual or any firm, partnership,
association, limited partnership, proprietorship, corporation or any
other business entity or government agency or entity.
The Police Department of the Township of Chesterfield or
any other authorized law enforcement agency.
This chapter shall be enforced by the Township
of Chesterfield Police Department.
Permits shall be required for alarm systems
located in buildings of federal, state or local government agencies
or authorities or in public elementary or high schools. Said alarm
systems shall be exempt from the permit fee, but said alarm system
shall be subject to the fines and penalties herein provided.
A.
No person shall own, use, lease, operate or maintain
any alarm system within the Township of Chesterfield after the effective
date of this chapter unless such person shall have first obtained
from the Police Department an alarm user permit for such alarm as
provided herein.
B.
A permit shall be obtained from the Police Department
within 60 days after the effective date of this chapter for each alarm
system which was installed on or before the effective date of this
chapter.
A permit, in the form designated by the Chesterfield
Township Chief of Police, shall be completed and submitted with the
prescribed fee. The application shall contain the following:
A.
The name, address and day/night phone number of the
person applying for the permit.
B.
The address of the premises upon which the alarm system
is or will be located.
C.
The type of alarm system for which the permit is sought.
D.
The name, address and day/night telephone number of
two or more persons who may be contacted in the event of an activation
or emergency.
E.
Any other information relating to the alarm system
or the user as the Chief of Police may require.
A.
Every application for an alarm user permit shall be accompanied by a fee as set forth in § 110-64.
[Amended 3-25-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-4]
B.
Upon receipt of a properly completed and executed
permit application, the Chief of Police shall issue an alarm user
permit to the applicant. Alarm user permits shall not be transferable,
shall be kept on the premises where the alarm system is located and
shall be made available for inspection by the Police Department.
C.
Failure to obtain or renew a permit within the prescribed
period shall subject the alarm system owner to a fine of $50 for each
calendar week in which a permit is not obtained.
All alarm systems which are capable of producing
an audible signal shall be equipped with a time relay or battery design
to limit the sounding of the alarm to 10 minutes or less with an automatic
reset mechanism. In addition, permit applications for audible alarms
must include an authorization for the Chesterfield Township Police
Department and Fire Department to take whatever steps are necessary
to shut off an audible alarm where said alarm has been sounding for
more than 10 minutes. This authorization includes the right to enter
the premises where the permittee or individuals specified to be contacted
in an emergency are not present when the alarm is sounding.
A.
The Police Department shall cause an investigation
to be made and shall keep a record of all false alarms that occur
in the Township.
B.
The owner or operator of an alarm system within the
Township shall be subject to the following penalties for false alarms
that occur in any calendar year:
(1)
For the first and second false alarms in any given
calendar year, there shall be a written warning issued.
(2)
For the third false alarm in the same calendar year,
a fine of $50 shall be paid to the Township of Chesterfield.
(3)
For the fourth false alarm in the same calendar year,
a fine of $100 shall be paid to the Township of Chesterfield.
(4)
For the fifth false alarm and each false alarm thereafter
in the same calendar year, a fine of $250 shall be paid to the Township
of Chesterfield.
A.
The owner/operator of any alarm system shall be responsible
to provide the Police Department with its name, address and day/night
telephone number and a name, address and day/night telephone number
of at least two other persons who have access and control of the alarm
system and who may be contacted in the event of activation or emergency.
All applications for permits and all permit
information shall be maintained confidentially by the Township, and
no agent, servant or employee of the municipality, nor any third person,
shall be permitted to publish, disseminate or otherwise release any
information regarding applications or permits governed hereunder.
A.
The Police Department of the Township of Chesterfield
shall be under no obligation whatsoever for the installation, connection,
adequacy, operation or maintenance of any alarm system installed within
the Township of Chesterfield.
B.
The Township of Chesterfield shall not be liable for
any failure of such alarm system or equipment.
