Rohnert Park Municipal Code Ch. 9.65 Alarm Systems

It is the policy of the city to provide a quick and efficient response to all emergency calls for aid requiring police or fire services. Property owners and residents within the city may utilize an alarm system that transmits a request for aid directly to the department of public safety, for cases of burglary, robbery, fire or other emergency.

In some cases the alarms are false alarms and public resources are diverted to the source of the alarm only to find that they have responded to a false alarm. Because the response by the city results in a considerable expenditure of city employee time and is an expense to the city both in manpower and materials, and is a public nuisance, the city council has determined that those causing false alarms shall be subject to fine if the number of responses exceed a certain amount annually. To minimize the occurrence of false alarms, all alarm systems within the city shall be subject to registration with the department of public safety.

(Ord. 522 § 2, 1990)

(Ord. No. 935, § 2, 6-11-2019)

"Alarm" means an alarm signal from a residence or business location in the city of Rohnert Park which ends at the city department of public safety offices, or at a central alarm company office which in turn relays it to the department of public safety offices and which causes city personnel to respond, or through whatever means results in the response of department of public safety personnel.

"Emergency" means an incident which reasonably requires a response by public safety personnel. A response due to a failure, malfunction or other error, whether human or mechanical, which results in the transmission of an alarm to department of public safety offices is not an emergency. In the event that a question of whether a response by city personnel was a response to an emergency the determination of the director of public safety shall be final.

"False alarm" means an alarm to which city personnel or equipment have responded because of a report that an emergency existed and which did not require a response because the incident for which the alarm was given did not occur.

(Ord. 522 § 2, 1990)

Alarm systems which transmit a false alarm to the department of public safety offices of the city of Rohnert Park and which result in the city dispatching public safety personnel and city equipment to a location are a public nuisance.

(Ord. 522 § 2,1990)

Any response by city personnel to a false alarm shall subject the persons responsible for the alarm system at such location to a fine in accordance with the fine schedule adopted pursuant to Section 9.65.080. However, a fine shall not be imposed for the response to such false alarm if there has been no other false alarm caused by the alarm system at that location in the previous three hundred sixty-five days. Fines imposed shall be subject to collection in the manner set forth in Chapter 1.27 of this Code, and shall be in addition to any other remedy available to the city under the code or any other applicable law.

(Ord. 522 § 2, 1990)

(Ord. No. 935, § 2, 6-11-2019)

For new alarm system installations or reactivations of alarm systems that have been inactive, there will be a thirty day grace period from the date of activation during which period responses to false alarms will not be subject to fine under this chapter.

(Ord. 522 § 2, 1990)

(Ord. No. 935, § 2, 6-11-2019)

Any person who has registered an alarm system for a particular property, or contracts with an alarm company for service at that property, or is the lessee or occupant of a property and installs or maintains the alarm system at such property, shall be held responsible for the alarm system on such property and shall be subject to enforcement under this chapter.

(Ord. 522 § 2, 1990)

(Ord. No. 935, § 2, 6-11-2019)

Each active alarm system in the city shall be registered with the department of public safety on an annual basis, not later than January thirty-first of each calendar year. Additionally, all new alarm system installations and all alarm systems that are reactivated after any period of inactivity shall be registered with the department of public safety within thirty days of activation. Registration shall require submission of an application and payment of an initial application or renewal fee in an amount established by resolution of the city council. Failure to timely register an alarm system shall subject each responsible person to a late fee in accordance with the fine and fee schedule adopted pursuant to Section 9.65.080.

(Ord. 522 § 2, 1990)

(Ord. No. 935, § 2, 6-11-2019)

Fines for violation of this chapter shall be set forth in a fine and fee schedule adopted by resolution of the city council. The fine and fee schedule shall set forth a fine amount for each false alarm to which city personnel and equipment respond. Failure to pay any fine or fee required pursuant to this chapter within thirty days shall subject the responsible person to late fees, and the amount of which shall be established in the fine and fee schedule adopted by resolution of the city council.

(Ord. 522 § 2, 1990)

(Ord. No. 935, § 2, 6-11-2019)