Chapter 3 — REGULATIONS

Sections:

4-6200 - ALARM COMPANY OPERATOR REGISTRATION.

It shall be unlawful for any person to own, manage, conduct or carry on the business of selling, leasing, installing, servicing, maintaining, repairing, replacing, moving, removing or monitoring of an alarm system in any building, place or premises within the county without first having registered his full name and having filed with the Sheriff's Department a copy of his state-issued identification card; provided, however, such registration shall not be recorded for any business which only sells or leases such alarm systems from a fixed location unless the business services, installs, monitors or responds to such alarm systems at the protected premises. Registration shall be accomplished by furnishing the full name of the business. There will be no charge for such registration.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6201 - ALARM AGENT REGISTRATION.

It shall be unlawful for any person to engage directly in the selling, leasing, maintaining, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving or installing of an alarm system in or around any building, place or premises within the county without first having registered his full name and having filed with the Sheriff a copy of his state-issued identification card; provided, however, nothing in this division shall require a person to be so registered in order to install, service, repair, alter, replace or move an alarm system on the premises owned or occupied by that person; and, further provided, nothing in this division shall require a person to so register

when that person is merely a salesman for any business which is not required to obtain an alarm business permit, under the provisions of this division, if such salesman does not engage in any other activity related to alarm systems apart from selling. When registration is required, there will be no charge for registration.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6202 - NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES.

Any alarm business registered with the Sheriff's Department shall, within thirty (30) days, report to the Sheriff any change of business name, address or ownership.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6203 - ALARM USER'S PERMIT.

(a)

No person shall install, cause to be installed, use, maintain or possess an alarm system on the premises owned or in the possession or control of such person within the county without first having obtained an alarm user's permit from the Sheriff of San Joaquin County, in accordance with this section.

(b)

The application for an alarm user's permit shall be submitted on a form prescribed by the Sheriff and shall include the address of the premises wherein the system is to be located and the name, address and telephone number of the applicant and the person(s) who will respond to an alarm and provide access during any hour of the day or night, and any such additional information that the Sheriff shall deem necessary for the evaluation and proper processing of the permit application. There shall be no fee for the permit. Permits are nontransferable.

(c)

Any permittee who operates or maintains more than one (1) alarm system upon any particular property may, at the permittee's option apply for a single permit for that particular property or for separate permits for each alarm system operated or maintained; provided, however, that if such permittee chooses to secure separate permits for each alarm system, a separate application shall be submitted for each such system.

(d)

Nothing in this division shall be construed to require any Sheriff's Department response to alarm devices. The issuance of the alarm user's permit does not entitle the holder to any special level of Sheriff's Department service to an alarm device. All Sheriff's Department responses to alarm devices will be made in accordance to the alarm response policy established by the Sheriff.

(e)

Whenever any change occurs relating to the written information required by this division, the permittee shall give notice of such changes to the Sheriff's Department within five (5) days.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6204 - FEE EXEMPTIONS.

The United States Government, the state of California, counties, municipal corporations and departments thereof are exempt from fees required in this chapter.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6205 - EXPIRATION OF PERMITS.

Permits for residences shall automatically expire upon change of ownership of the real property where the alarm is located. Permits for business alarm systems shall automatically expire upon change of ownership of the business. Permits are nontransferable.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6206 - NOTICE OF NAME OF SERVICEMAN OR OCCUPANT.

Every person maintaining an alarm system shall either post or file with the Sheriff's Department a notice containing the names and telephone numbers of persons to be notified in case of emergency or alarm activation or to render service to the system during any hour of the day or night. The person's name shall include the occupant of the premises or alarm business, or the agents responsible for the maintenance of the system. If posted, such notice shall be placed near the front door of the structure containing the alarm system or at the front gate if the structure is fenced; the notice shall be posted in such a position as to be clearly visible and legible from the ground level adjacent to the structure or fence. It shall be the duty of the alarm user to maintain such notice current, whether posted or filed, with the Sheriff's Department.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6207 - AUDIBLE ALARMS.

For every audible alarm, the alarm user thereof must post or file with the Sheriff's Department the name and telephone numbers of persons to be notified in case of emergency or alarm activation or to render service to the system during any hour of the day or night. An audible alarm shall terminate its operation or audible alarm and automatically reset within thirty (30) minutes of being activated.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6208 - FALSE ALARMS.

(a)

False alarms as defined in this chapter will be subject to review according to a false alarm policy established by the Sheriff. In accordance with Section 4-6303, a service fee may be charged by the Sheriff's Department for each false alarm. It shall be unlawful to activate an alarm designed to communicate an emergency situation for non-emergency purposes. Emergency, for the purpose of this chapter, shall mean the commission of a felony crime.

(b)

Failure to pay the required service fee will be a violation of this chapter, and in addition, may result in civil collection.

(Ord. 3711; Ord. 4212 (part), 2004)

4-6209 - STANDBY POWER BACK-UP SOURCE.

(a)

No alarm system shall be installed or connected on or after the date the ordinance codified in this division becomes effective which does not have a standby backup power supply which will automatically assume the operation of the alarm system should any interruption occur in power to the system. The transfer of power from the primary source to the backup source and reverse must occur in a manner which does not activate the alarm. The backup power supply shall be capable of powering the alarm system on a continuous basis for a minimum of at least four (4) hours.

(b)

On or after one (1) year from the effective date of the ordinance codified in this division, no owner of an alarm system within the County of San Joaquin shall have in operation any alarm system unless such alarm system is equipped with a standby power backup source as required by this chapter.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6210 - RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALARM SERVICE, AUDIBLE OR SILENT.

(a)

In a case of either an audible or silent alarm, the person named in the posted notice or a person whose name is on file with the Sheriff's Department as a designated responding party as required under this section shall, upon notification, proceed immediately to the location of the activated alarm and provide access to the premises to allow the Sheriff's Department or properly secure such premises.

(b)

All alarm service companies which contract to provide alarm response services shall maintain service personnel on duty twenty-four (24) hours a day to provide for such responses.

(Ord. 3711; Ord. 4212 (part), 2004)

(Ord. No. 4396, 6-24-2010)

4-6211 - MONITORING ALARM SERVICES.

Every alarm business which monitors an alarm system located within San Joaquin County shall maintain on file a current listing of all such alarm systems, including the name, address and telephone number of the individual or individuals from whom entry to the premises can be obtained. Said information shall be available to the Sheriff's Department upon request of any authorized representative thereof.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6212 - ALARM AGENTS—REGISTRATION IN POSSESSION.

Every person engaged in installing, repairing, servicing, altering, replacing, moving or removing an alarm system as defined in Section 4-6100 on any premises within the county other than those owned or occupied by said person, shall carry on his person at all times, while so engaged, a valid state of California Alarm Agent's Registration Card, and shall display such identification to any Sheriff's Deputy or authorized county representative upon request.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6213 - AUTOMATIC CALLING DEVICES.

No person shall use or operate, attempt to use or operate, or cause to be used or operated any device or combination of devices that is arranged, adjusted or programmed so that it will, upon activation, either mechanically, electronically, or by other automatic means, initiate, call and deliver a recorded message to any telephone number assigned to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department Communications (Dispatch) Center without the prior written consent of the Sheriff, nor shall any person so arrange, adjust or program such device without such permission.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6214 - AUDIBLE ALARMS—NOT TO BE SIRENS.

It shall be unlawful to install an intrusion detection device or alarm system that upon actuation emits the sound of a siren. Any alarm system which emits the sound of a siren, and was installed and in operation prior to the date the ordinance codified in this division becomes effective, shall have that part of the system which emits the sound of a siren disconnected within one (1) year from the date the ordinance codified in this division becomes effective.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6215 - INSTRUCTION ON OPERATION OF ALARM SYSTEMS.

It shall be the responsibility of the company installing an alarm system to instruct and reinstruct his subscriber and/or the occupant of the premises wherein the system is installed in the proper use and operation of the device or alarm, whether silent or audible, specifically including all necessary instruction in turning off said alarm and avoiding false alarms.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6216 - INTRUSION DETECTION DEVICES TERMINATING AT COUNTY FACILITIES.

Any intrusion detection device or alarm system which when activated causes an alarm to be sent directly to the Sheriff's Department Communications (Dispatch) Center or any other Sheriff's Department terminal or telephone, either by self-dialing prerecorded notification units, telephone lines, radio waves, or any other means, must meet the standards for installation and equipment as established by the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., or other approved testing laboratory. The Sheriff may limit the number of approved intrusion detection devices terminating directly into the Sheriff's Department when such devices would interfere with the normal functions of the Sheriff's Department. Due to the special nature of the service

provided by the Sheriff's Department, any alarm system which is connected directly to the Sheriff's Department Communications (Dispatch) Center will be subject to special permit and service fees.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6217 - TESTING OF ALARMS.

No alarm system connected directly to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department Communications (Dispatch) Center shall be tested or demonstrated without first obtaining permission from the Sheriff or his authorized representative. Permission is not required to test or demonstrate alarm devices not directly connected to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department Communications (Dispatch) Center unless such testing or demonstration would result in Sheriff's Department response.

(Ord. 3711)

4-6218 - CONFIDENTIAL OF INFORMATION.

The information furnished and secured pursuant to this division shall not be subject to public inspection, and shall be kept so that the contents thereof shall not be known except to persons charged with the administration of this chapter.

(Ord. 3711)