Pasadena Municipal Code Ch. 5.24 Alarm Systems

This chapter shall be known as the "alarm systems ordinance."

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988)

The purpose of this chapter is to set forth provisions governing alarm systems within the city; to establish an application process for permits; to establish fees and assessments; to provide for revocation and nonresponse status; and to provide for punishment of violations of this chapter.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988; Ord. 6345, § 1, 1989)

For the purpose of this chapter certain words and phrases shall be construed as set forth in this section, unless from the context a different meaning is apparently intended:

A. "Alarm business" means any business which sells, installs, leases, maintains, repairs, replaces, alters, maintains, repairs, replaces, services, or monitors any alarm system.

B. "Alarm system" means any device which is used for the detection of an unauthorized entry into a building, structure or facility, or for alerting others to the commission of an unlawful act within a building, structure or facility, or both, and which emits an audible or visible signal that can be heard or seen by persons outside the protected premises or transmits a signal beyond the premises. Auxiliary devices installed by a telephone company to protect telephone company systems which might be damaged or disrupted by the use of an alarm system are not included within this definition.

C. "Alarm system user" or "alarm user" means the person having or maintaining a property, burglary, robbery or panic alarm. It means only the subscriber when the system is connected to a central monitoring station. It means only the self-monitored alarm user when the system is not connected to a central monitoring station.

D. "Applicant" means a person who files an application for a permit as provided in this chapter.

E. "Audible alarm system" means any device which is used for the detection of an unauthorized entry into a building, structure or facility or for alerting others of the commission of an unlawful act within a building, structure or facility, or both, and which emits an audible sound when actuated.

F. "Central Monitoring Station" means a commercial company whose primary business is monitoring alarm signals and performing contracted services for alarm users or alarm businesses.

G. "City" means the city of Pasadena.

H. "City manager" means the city manager of the city or a designated representative.

I. "Director of finance" means the director of finance of the city.

J. "False alarm" means an alarm system signal activated by causes other than the commission or attempted commission of an unlawful act which the alarm system is designed to detect, necessitating response by the police department where an emergency situation does not exist. An alarm signal activated by violent conditions of nature or other extraordinary circumstances not subject to the control of the alarm subscriber shall not constitute a false alarm.

K. "Finance department" means the finance department of the city.

L. "Monitoring" means the process by which an alarm system monitoring company or self-monitored alarm systems user receives signals from an alarm system or alarm device.

M. "Notice" means written notice, given by personal service or by United States mail, postage prepaid, addressed to the person to be notified at his/her last known address.

N. "Permittee" means any person granted a permit as provided in this chapter.

O. "Person" means a natural person, firm, partnership, association or corporation, including agents and representatives thereof.

P. "Police chief" means the police chief of the city.

Q. "Police department" means the police department of the city.

R. "Self-monitored alarm system user" means any person who does not engage in business or accepts employment to monitor property, burglary and/or robbery alarms, but elects to internally monitor its own property, burglary and/or robbery alarms located within the city.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988; Ord. No. 7406, § 2, 12-5-2022)

No person shall use an alarm system without first being granted an alarm system permit as provided in this chapter. The director of finance shall grant only one alarm system permit per location address.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988)

A. An application for an alarm system permit shall be submitted to the finance department and shall be accompanied by the requisite fee. The application fee shall not be refundable. The police chief may request that the application contain such information as is necessary to enforce this chapter. The application for an alarm system permit shall require the name, address and telephone number of the person to be notified to render repairs or service to the alarm system at any time of the day or night.

B. A permit application shall be granted by the director of finance only if the alarm system complies with the standards and regulations adopted as provided in this chapter.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988; Ord. No. 7406, § 2, 12-5-2022)

Whenever any change occurs in the written information required in a permit application, the applicant or permittee shall give written notice thereof to the director of finance within 20 calendar days after such change.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988)

Each alarm system permit shall be maintained on the premises where the alarm system is located. The director of finance may require each alarm system to have an identification tag and may establish requirements for its posting.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988)

A. The fee for a permit or renewal shall be established by resolution of the city council. The anniversary date for all such permits shall be February 1. Permits issued on February 1 shall expire 1 year after the date of issuance. Permits issued subsequent to any February 1 shall expire 1 year after the prior February 1. An application for renewal of a permit shall be processed in the same manner as an application for the initial permit.

B. An application to reinstate a revoked permit may be filed only after a 180-day period has elapsed after the date of revocation. Any permit issued after revocation shall be considered as a new permit.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988; Ord. No. 7406, § 4, 12-5-2022)

A. Alarm businesses and self-monitored alarm system users:

1. Shall be responsible for ensuring that the alarm system has an active alarm system permit prior to installation of the alarm system (regardless of whether who performs the installation) and at all relevant times thereafter; and

2. Shall not request a police response or request a central monitoring station to dispatch to an alarm signal that does not have an active permit.

B. Alarm businesses shall provide alarm system users with the proper alarm user permit information, including, but not limited to, a summary of the alarm systems ordinance, and the application form and fee information. Alarm businesses shall obtain such information from the director of finance.

(Ord. No. 7406, § 5, 12-5-2022)

This chapter shall not apply to audible alarm systems used in motor vehicles.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988)

The director of finance may prescribe standards and regulations for any alarm system used within the city. These standards and regulations shall become effective upon adoption by resolution of the city council. The police chief shall notify the director of finance when standards for alarms are violated by a permittee.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988; Ord. No. 7406, § 6, 12-5-2022)

Every person using an audible alarm system shall post a sign containing the name and telephone number of the person to be notified to render repairs or service and to secure the premises at any time (day or night) that the audible alarm system is actuated. The sign shall be posted adjacent to the audible alarm system in such a position as to be legible from the ground level. All audible alarm systems shall be designed to automatically shut off and reset after sounding for a maximum period of 15 minutes.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988; Ord. 6304, § 1, 1989)

The following shall constitute grounds for assessment, revocation, nonresponse status and/or misdemeanor charges, as determined by the director of finance:

A. The violation of any of the provisions of this chapter;

B. The failure of an applicant or permittee to comply with the standards and regulations for alarm systems;

C. The actuation of a false alarm more than 3 times in any 12 consecutive month period;

D. The use of an alarm system with a revoked permit, or without a permit;

E. The failure to timely pay any assessment or fee;

F. Knowingly making a false, misleading or fraudulent statement of a material fact in the application for a permit or in any report or record required to be filed with the city.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988; Ord. 6345, § 2, 1989)

A. The director of finance, upon the occurrence of the second and subsequent false alarm during any 12-month period, shall assess a fee on the permittee as adopted from time to time by resolution of the city council.

B. Failure to pay any assessment or fee in a timely manner as determined by the director of finance will result in a revocation of the alarm permit and placement on nonresponse status.

C. The director of finance shall notify the permittee by written notice of the revocation and nonresponse status of an alarm system, which notice shall state the reasons for such revocation and nonresponse status. This notice shall be effective immediately if personally served on the permittee or after 5 working days after the notice has been deposited in the course of transmission in the United States Postal Service.

D. Immediately upon such revocation and nonresponse status becoming effective, the permittee shall discontinue the use of any alarm system requiring a permit.

E. A list of all alarm systems on nonresponse status shall be maintained by the police department. The police department shall have the discretion not to respond to any alarm system actuation at locations on the nonresponse status list. The police department shall respond whenever sufficient information is provided, in its discretion, to indicate that an actual burglary, robbery or other emergency is occurring at the nonresponse status location. Such information must be provided by other than an alarm system actuation.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988; Ord. 6304, § 2, 1989; Ord. 6345, § 3, 1989; Ord. 6389, § 1, 1990; Ord. 6950, § 1, 2003; Ord. No. 7406, § 7, 12-5-2022)

If any permit is revoked, the permittee shall surrender the permit immediately to the director of finance.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988)

The determination of the director of finance with regard to matters of revocation or nonresponse status of an alarm system permit shall be appealable in accordance with those procedures codified in Sections 5.36.130 to 5.36.170, inclusive, of Chapter 5.36 of this code.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988; Ord. 6304, § 3, 1989; Ord. 6345, § 4, 1989)

A. The United States Government, the state of California, counties, municipal corporations, other governmental entities, and departments thereof, are exempt from the fees, assessments and fines provided for by this chapter.

B. Exemption from the fees, assessments and fines provided for by this chapter may be granted, upon application, to charitable, cultural or educational facilities and museums by the director of finance, who shall take into consideration the public interest served by the facility and the need for sensitive alarms to protect cultural or educational assets.

C. Notwithstanding the foregoing, such governmental entities and cultural or educational facilities are otherwise subject to this chapter and may have their alarm system permits revoked or placed on nonresponse status in accordance with this chapter.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988; Ord. 6345, § 5, 1989)

The information furnished pursuant to this chapter shall be confidential and shall not be subject to public inspection.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988)

A. Any person who willfully violates any provision of this chapter and is convicted of a misdemeanor shall be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000.00, or by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed 6 months, or both.

B. In addition to the penalty provisions in subsection A of this section, violation(s) of this chapter may be subject to the administrative proceedings set forth in Chapter 1.25 or 1.26 of this code.

(Ord. 6257, § 1, 1988; Ord. No. 7406, § 8, 12-5-2022)