Chula Vista Municipal Code Art. II Alarm Company Licenses and Duties

A. Pursuant to CVMC 5.02.020, every alarm company must have a valid business license issued by the City before conducting alarm-related business or providing alarm-related services in the City.

B. In addition to a City business license, every alarm company doing business in the City must possess a valid license issued by the state of California, Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, pursuant to the Alarm Company Act, Business and Professions Code Section 7590 et seq. A copy of this state license shall be submitted with the application for a City business license.

C. If a state alarm license is suspended, revoked or otherwise invalidated by the issuing authority, the alarm company must notify the alarm administrator in writing within three days and must cease business operations in the City.

• D. Violation of this section is punishable pursuant to Chapter 1.20 CVMC, General Penalty. (Ord. 3278 § 1, 2013).

Pursuant to CVMC 5.02.110, in cases where a business license is denied, the applicant shall have the right to appeal such denial of a license to the City Manager. Such appeal shall be in writing and shall be delivered to the office of the City Manager within 10 days of the notice of disqualification. The City Manager, or official designee, shall hear and determine the appeal within 60 days after it is filed. The hearing shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 1.40 CVMC, Administrative Procedure and Process. The determination of the City Manager or official designee shall be final. A fee as set forth in the master fee schedule shall be imposed by the City Manager as a condition to filing any appeal. The fee shall not be greater than the anticipated cost of processing and conducting the appeal, and if the appeal results in issuance of the license, the appeal fee shall be reimbursed to the applicant in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 1.40 CVMC. (Ord. 3278 § 1, 2013).

A. All alarm installation and/or monitoring companies shall ensure that their customer information is updated with the alarm administrator or designee at least monthly. This information shall include, but is not limited to:

1. Customer name and contact information (i.e., all phone numbers, email addresses);

2. Alarm site address and billing address;

3. Monitoring company name and contact information; and

4. Installation date, or date the alarm monitoring ended.

B. All alarm installation and/or monitoring companies shall ensure that an on-site inspection of the alarm system shall occur at least once every three years. The records of these inspections shall be made available to the alarm administrator upon request.

C. The alarm installation company shall provide written and oral instructions to each of its alarm users in the proper use and operation of their alarm systems. Such instructions will specifically include all instructions necessary to turn the alarm system on and off and to prevent false alarms.

D. Alarm installation companies shall not program alarm systems so that they are capable of sending one-plus duress alarms.

E. Alarm installation companies shall not install a device to activate a hold-up alarm, which is a single action, nonrecessed button.

F. Alarm installation companies shall, on new installations, use only alarm control panels that are listed with Underwriters’ Laboratories, Inc., or a nationally recognized testing organization.

• G. An alarm company shall not install or use automatic voice dialers which call 911 or the Police Department.

• H. After completion of the installation of an alarm system, an alarm company employee shall review with the alarm user a false alarm prevention checklist established by the alarm administrator.

• I. Every alarm system monitoring company shall:

  1. Report alarm activations or signals by using the telephone numbers designated by the alarm administrator.

  2. Attempt to verify every security alarm signal prior to requesting a police dispatch by making at least two phone calls to the alarm site and responsible party or parties, pursuant to CVMC 9.06.050.

     • a. This procedure does not apply to duress signals.

     • b. This procedure does not apply to cases in which the alarm system monitoring company detects a crime or attempted crime in progress through an alarm system’s audio or video.

  3. Communicate alarm dispatch requests to the Department in a manner and form determined by the alarm administrator. Such requests shall include, at a minimum:

     • a. Any available information (north, south, front, back, floor, etc.) about the location on all alarm signals related to the alarm dispatch request.

     • b. Type of alarm activation (silent or audible, interior or perimeter).

     • c. An alarm permit number when requesting an officer dispatch.

4. Communicate cancellations to the Department in a manner and form determined by the alarm administrator.

   5. Ensure that all alarm users of alarm systems equipped with duress, hold-up or panic alarm(s) are given adequate training as to the proper use of the duress, hold-up or panic alarm(s).

      • a. Alarm system training shall be provided to every alarm user and/or additional training provided in situations where the alarm user has incurred four or more false duress alarms in a 12-month period resulting from unintentional, intentional, or accidental activation.

   6. After an alarm dispatch request, promptly advise the Department if the monitoring company knows that the alarm user or a responder is on the way to the alarm site.

   7. Attempt to contact the alarm user or responder within 24 hours via mail, fax, telephone or other electronic means when an alarm dispatch request is made.

   8. Maintain, for a period of at least one year from the date of the alarm dispatch request, records relating to alarm dispatch requests.

      • a. Records must include the:

• i. Name, address, telephone number, and email address of the alarm user;

• ii. Alarm system zone(s) activated;

• iii. Time of alarm dispatch request;

• iv. Evidence of an attempt to verify.

b. The alarm administrator may request and an alarm system monitoring company shall provide copies of such records for individually named alarm users.

c. If the request is made within 60 days of an alarm dispatch request, the monitoring company shall furnish requested records within 10 business days of receiving the request.

d. If the records are requested between 60 days to one year after an alarm dispatch request, the monitoring company shall furnish the requested records within 30 days of receiving the request.

e. To the extent permitted under the law, the records described in this section shall be treated as confidential by the alarm system monitoring company and the City.

J. An alarm installation company and/or monitoring company that purchases alarm system accounts from another person shall notify the alarm administrator of such purchase and provide details as may be reasonably requested by the alarm administrator. (Ord. 3278 § 1, 2013).