[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Atlantic
City 9-16-1992 by Ord. No. 95-1992. This ordinance superseded former
Ch. 76, Alarms, adopted 8-14-1980 by Ord. No. 77-1980. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
Any central alarm monitoring station which monitors alarm equipment
located in the City of Atlantic City must register in writing with
the City of Atlantic City and thereafter report each alarm connected
to it which originates from the City of Atlantic City. A central alarm
monitoring station must call in all alarms reported that are registered
in the City of Atlantic City. Reporting of alarms must include the
alarm registration number and address of the property transmitting
the alarm.
All owners or lessees must equip audible alarms with a timing
device which will limit the period during which the alarm will sound
to 15 minutes.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 76-3, Alarm system registration,
was repealed 8-17-2022 by Ord. No. 45-2022.
Alarm equipment which utilizes voice recordings is prohibited
from dialing any telephone lines utilized by the City of Atlantic
City.
A.
"Alarm equipment supplier" is defined as any person, company, corporation
or organization who operates a central alarm and monitoring station
or who sells, installs, leases, maintains, repairs or services an
alarm system within the City of Atlantic City. Individual property
owners or lessees of alarm systems who maintain alarm systems for
their own use are not to be considered suppliers under this section.
B.
Any alarm equipment supplier must register with the City of Atlantic
City and obtain an annual mercantile license through the Department
of Revenue and Finance.
The mercantile license fee for an alarm equipment supplier shall
be $100.
Any alarm equipment supplier doing business in the City of Atlantic
City must provide the purchaser or lessee of said equipment with a
copy of this chapter and the forms necessary for registering with
the City of Atlantic City.
Each registered alarm equipment supplier shall make service
available on a twenty-four-hour-per-day basis, seven days a week,
to repair said alarm systems or to correct any malfunctions that may
occur.
At the time of installation, the alarm equipment supplier shall
furnish to any buyer or lessee written information as to how repair
service may be obtained at any time, including the telephone number
of the alarm system supplier or agent responsible for service. The
buyer or lessee and the alarm equipment supplier shall be responsible
for having the device disconnected or repaired immediately upon notice
that the alarm system is not functioning property.
When alarm systems fail to comply with the operational requirements set forth and the City of Atlantic City Communications Department has concluded that the alarm system should be disconnected in order to relieve the burden of responding to false alarms, the Supervising Telecommunicator is authorized to require that the owner or lessee or their representative disconnect the alarm system until it is made to comply with the operational requirements. Any notification requesting disconnection of an alarm system shall be by certified mail with return receipt requested. If disconnection of the defective alarm is not accomplished promptly and the Supervising Telecommunicator determines that the malfunctioning alarm system is repeatedly sending false alarms the violations and penalties stated in § 76-12 of this chapter will apply.
For the purpose of defraying the costs to the City of Atlantic City of responding to a false alarm, the owner or lessee of an alarm system shall, as a condition of operation, be permitted five false alarms in each calendar year. After that, such owner, lessee or user shall pay to the City of Atlantic City $50. for each false alarm originating from the system. This sum shall be and constitutes a civil claim by the city and does not affect the penalty provisions of § 76-12.
A.
Failure of any person, company, corporation or organization to comply with the requirements of this chapter, except § 76-11, shall, upon conviction in Municipal Court, be subject to a fine of $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second offense and $150 for a third and each offense thereafter. Each day's failure to comply with such provision shall constitute a separate violation.
B.
Repeated failure of an alarm equipment supplier to comply with the
requirements of this chapter may, after notice and an opportunity
to be heard, result in the suspension or revocation of the supplier's
mercantile license by City Council.
A.
All owners or lessees must vacate the City of Atlantic City's central
alarm system within 60 days from the effective date of this chapter.[1] Any owner or lessee who fails to vacate the City of Atlantic
City's central alarm system shall be fined $100 per day thereafter.
[1]
Editor's Note: This chapter provided that it shall take effect
upon its final passage and publication according to law.
Should any section, clause, sentence, phrase or provision of
this chapter be declared unconstitutional or invalid by a court of
competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the remaining
provisions of this chapter.
