Monte Sereno Municipal Code Ch. 4.13 Alarm Systems

The following terms shall, for purposes of this Chapter, have the meanings ascribed to them in this section.

A. "Alarm Sounding" shall mean an alarm signal activated intentionally or through inadvertence to which personnel of the City Police respond and concerning which a report is made to the City. Mechanical malfunctions will be considered alarm soundings.

B. "Alarm System" shall mean any device designed to detect an unauthorized entry on or into any building, place or premises or to signal an attempted robbery or burglary at a protected premises, or both, and when activated, emits a sound and/or transmits a signal or message to a central alarm station or directly to the Santa Clara County Communications Center.

Excluded from this definition are the following:

1. Devices which are designed solely to alert someone physically located within the protected building, place or premises and do not register alarms audible or visible on the outside.

2. Auxiliary devices installed by the telephone company to protect telephone company systems which might be damaged or disrupted by use of an alarm system.

3. Fire alarm systems and alm systems which monitor temperature, humidity or any other condition not directly related to the detection of an unauthorized intrusion into premises or an attempted robbery or burglary at a premises.

Each alarm system shall be granted an alarm sounding period of twelve (12) months which will begin on the date of the first alarm sounding occurring within said system. Succeeding alarm periods shall begin on the anniversary of the first alarm sounding. A service charge shall be imposed by the City upon the fourth alarm sounding within the twelve (12) month period and any additional alarm sounding reported beyond the fourth alarm sounding reported in that period in an amount set by the city council by resolution.

(Ord. 129 § 1, 2002)

An Officer of City Police responding to each emergency alarm as defined herein shall attempt to ascertain by investigation whether said alarm was activated with or without reasonable cause therefor. The officer shall forward a report of this investigation to the City Manager of the City, or such other person as may be designated by the City Manager, stating his/her conclusions and the factual basis for such conclusions.

Upon receipt of the report described in Section 4.13.030, the City Manager or other authorized person may cause a written notice to be served by mail or personally upon the responsible occupant of the premises on which the alarm was located. Said notice shall indicate that an alarm sounding was made from said premises and that steps should be taken by the owner to prevent future such alarms. Said notice also shall state that in the event of a fourth alarm sounding occurring on the premises in the same alarm sounding period as the first, a service charge shall be assessed against owner for every such subsequent alarm sounding occurring within the same alarm sounding period.

In the event that the owner of the alarm system is not also the responsible occupant of the premises wherein such alarm system is installed, then the responsible occupant shall, upon receipt of notice, immediately:

A. Inform the owner of the alarm system and cause the notice to be delivered to the owner, and

B. Notify the officer of the identity of the owner of the alarm and that the notice has been delivered to the owner.

In the event of failure of the responsible occupant, when not the owner, to comply with the above notification procedure, then the responsible occupant shall bear the responsibility of the owner of the alarm as provided in this Chapter.

Any person violating any of the provisions of this Chapter is guilty of an infraction. Failure to pay a service charge imposed pursuant to Section 4.13.020 shall constitute a violation of this Chapter.