10.80 - Fire, Burglary, and Safety Alarm Regulations and Requirements § 10.80
Section 10.80: Fire, Burglary, and Safety Alarm
Regulations and Requirements
Subdivision 1. Purpose and Scope
A. This Section provides regulation for the use of fire, burglary, and safety
alarms, establishes users' fees, and establishes a system of administration.
B. The purpose of this Section is to protect the public safety services of the City
from misuse of public safety alarms and to provide for the maximum possible
service to public safety alarm users.
Subdivision 2. Definitions
The following terms, as used in this Section, shall have the meanings stated:
A. Public Safety Personnel: means duly authorized City employees or
employee.
B. Alarm User: means the person, firm, partnership, association, corporation,
company or organization of any kind in control of any building, structure, or
facility wherein an alarm system is maintained.
C. Public Safety Communications Center: is the City facility used to receive
emergency requests for service and general information from the public to be
dispatched to respective public safety units.
D. Alarm System: means and includes any alarm installation designed to be
used for the prevention or detection of burglary, robbery or fire on the
premises which contain an alarm installation. Automobile alarm devices shall
not be considered an alarm system under the terms of this Section.
E. False Alarm: means an alarm signal eliciting a response by public safety
personnel when a situation requiring a response does not, in fact, exist, and
which is caused by the activation of the alarm system through mechanical
failure, alarm malfunction, improper installation or the inadvertence of the
owner or lessee of an alarm system or of such owner or lessee's employees
or agents. False alarms do not include alarms caused by climatic conditions
such as tornadoes, thunderstorms, utility line mishaps, violent conditions of
nature or any other conditions which are clearly beyond the control of the
alarm manufacturer, installer or owner.
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§ 10.80
Subdivision 3. User Fees
A. A public safety alarm system which reports more than three (3) false alarms
to the City during the twelve (12) month period following the date of March 1
in any year and which has received notice of such violations will cause the
alarm user to be charged a user fee as may be established and categorized
by resolution of the Council.
B. Any alarm user which is required by the City to pay a user fee as the result
of a false alarm may make a written appeal of the false alarm charge to the
City Manager or his/her designee within ten (10) days of notice by the City of
the false alarm charge. Following review and determination by the City
Manager or his/her designee such decision may be appealed to the City
Manager who will have authority to make a final determination as to whether
the appellant is to be charged with a false alarm.
Subdivision 4. Payment of Fees
A. Payment of user fees provided for herein shall be paid to the City Treasurer
within 30 days from the date of notice by the City to the alarm user. Failure
to pay the fee within thirty (30) days' notice will cause the alarm user to be
considered a delinquent and subject to a penalty of a full ten (10) percent of
the fee.
B. All delinquent charges for user fees computed as provided in Subparagraph
A, above, shall be certified by the City Clerk to the County Assessor who shall
prepare an assessment roll each year.
Subdivision 5. Alarm Report
When an alarm user has incurred five (5) false alarms or more within one calendar
year, the alarm user shall submit a written report to the City Manager or his/her
designee within ten (10) days after being charged with the fifth false alarm,
describing actions taken or to be taken to discover and eliminate the cause of the
false alarm. Failure to submit the written report required by this Section will be
considered a violation of this Section.
Subdivision 6. Administrative Rules
The City Manager his/her designee shall promulgate such rules as may be
necessary for the implementation of this Section and the administration thereof.
Subdivision 7. Confidentiality
A. All information submitted in compliance with this Section shall be held in
confidence and shall be deemed a confidential record exempt from discovery
to the extent permitted by law.
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§ 10.80
B. Subject to requirements of confidentiality, the City Manager or his/her
designee may develop and maintain statistics for the purpose of ongoing
alarm Systems evaluation.
Subdivision 8. Communications Center
A. No automatic dialing devices shall be connected to the public safety
communications center through any telephone line. Use of automatic dialing
devices will be considered a violation of this Section.
B. The City Manager or his/her designee shall have the authority to promulgate
rules and regulations for the efficient operation of the public safety
communications center.
Subdivision 9. Unlawful Act
It is unlawful for any person to violate the provisions of this Section.
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