[Ord. No. 2018-04, 10/9/2018[1]]
1. 
The intent of this Part is to:
A. 
Protect the emergency services of the Township from nuisance and provide the maximum possible efficiency of service to alarm device users.
B. 
Encourage the proper maintenance; care and management of alarm devices within the Township.
C. 
Provide a record of alarm devices located within the Township.
D. 
Promote the general peace, welfare and safety of the Township.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided for the repeal of former Part 3, Automatic Alarm Devices, adopted 7/26/1988 by Ord. No. 1988-6, as amended.
[Ord. No. 2018-04, 10/9/2018]
1. 
The following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this Part:
ALARM
A communication to a public safety agency indicating a crime, fire or other emergency warranting immediate action by that public safety agency has occurred or is occurring.
ALARM DEVICE
A device designated to automatically transmit an alarm:
A. 
Directly to a public safety agency; or
B. 
To a person that is instructed to notify the public safety agency of the alarm.
AUTOMATIC DIALING DEVICE
A device which is interconnected to a telephone line and preprogrammed to transmit the coded signal of an alarm to a dedicated telephone trunk line or to dial a predetermined telephone number to an alarm to a public safety agency.
DEDICATED TELEPHONE TRUNK LINE
A telephone line or lines which serve a public safety agency, which are dedicated to receiving transmissions from an automatic dialing device.
FALSE ALARM
The activation of an alarm device to which a public safety agency responds when a crime, fire or other emergency has not occurred.
PERSON
An individual, corporation, partnership, incorporated association or other similar entity.
PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCY
Any police department, fire department or emergency management service/ambulance company.
TOWNSHIP
Manchester Township, York County, Pennsylvania.
[Ord. No. 2018-04, 10/9/2018]
All persons owning or operating an alarm device upon real property within the Township shall register such system with the Township. Persons purchasing a property in the Township on which an alarm device is located shall not continue to operate the alarm device on the premises without registering the alarm device under the new owner's name within 30 days after the person obtains title to the property. Persons installing an alarm device after the effective date of this Part shall register such system prior to its installation. A fee for the registration of an alarm device to be paid by the registrant shall be in such amount as the Board of Supervisors of the Township shall, by resolution, from time to time establish.
[Ord. No. 2018-04, 10/9/2018]
1. 
All persons registering an alarm device with the Township shall furnish such information as shall reasonably be requested, including, but not limited to, the following:
A. 
The name of the owner or occupant of the real property upon which the alarm device has been or is being installed. If the owner or occupant shall be other than an individual, the owner or occupant shall also provide the name of an individual responsible to the owner or occupant for the operation of the alarm device (the "responsible agent").
B. 
The address of the real property upon which the alarm device has been or is being installed by street name and number and the telephone number of the owner, occupant and responsible agent.
C. 
Two backup or emergency telephone numbers where the owner, occupant and responsible agent can be reached or through which contact can be made when the real property is unoccupied, including the names of the persons to which such numbers are assigned.
D. 
The name, address and telephone number of the vendor or installer of the alarm device.
E. 
The name and address of the manufacturer of the alarm device.
F. 
A description of the alarm device installed, including the number and type of devices (including any outside surveillance cameras) used for the purpose of activating the system, the location of such devices, the mechanism for automatically deactivating the local alarm and the methodology used for transmitting or relaying the signal to the public safety agencies.
G. 
The name, address and telephone number of any monitoring or central station service to which the alarm device transmits a signal for relay to public safety agencies (including self-install systems such as those through cable or telephone providers).
2. 
The Township Manager or Police Chief or Fire Chief, or other designee, shall have the right to inspect any alarm device on the premises where it is intended to function prior to its operation and to cause an inspection of such system to be made at any time to determine whether it is being used in conformity with the terms of the permit and the provisions of this Part. In order to facilitate such inspections, the owner or responsible agent shall notify the Township when the alarm device has been installed and is operational.
[Ord. No. 2018-04, 10/9/2018]
All persons owning or operating a registered alarm device upon real property within the Township shall renew such registration on an annual basis. On or about December 1 of each year, the Township shall send to the owner or operator of each registered alarm device a renewal application updating the registration information required pursuant to § 10-304 hereof. A renewal registration fee is imposed, which shall be in such amount as the Board of Supervisors of the Township shall, by resolution, from time to time establish. The registrant shall file the renewal application with and pay the renewal registration fee to the Township on or before January 15 of each year.
[Ord. No. 2018-04, 10/9/2018]
It shall be unlawful for any person to own, operate, install or maintain an alarm device which automatically transmits an alarm telephonically or otherwise directly to any public safety agency. All calls for emergency services initiated by an alarm device shall be relayed by County Control to the appropriate public safety answering point or agency.
[Ord. No. 2018-04, 10/9/2018]
All local alarms owned, operated, installed or maintained within the Township shall be equipped with a mechanism which will automatically deactivate the signal emission from the alarm device after 10 minutes of operation.
[Ord. No. 2018-04, 10/9/2018]
1. 
All persons owning or operating an alarm device within the Township shall have the following duties and responsibilities with respect to such system:
A. 
To keep and maintain the system in good operating condition, order and repair.
B. 
To keep and maintain at the site of the alarm device a complete set of written operating instructions for such system.
C. 
To provide training and instruction to individuals customarily occupying the site of the alarm device in its proper operation.
D. 
To cooperate with the Township in preventing or minimizing the number of false alarms originating from the site of the alarm device.
E. 
To promptly notify the Township within five days when any change occurs with respect to any of the information required pursuant to § 10-304 hereof.
[Ord. No. 2018-04, 10/9/2018]
The initial permit fee and annual permit fee shall entitle the permit holder to unlimited actual alarm calls and three false alarm calls in a consecutive twelve-month period. Each false alarm call after three, in any given consecutive twelve-month period, shall require the payment of a fee in an amount as established from time to time by resolution of the Board of Supervisors of the Township to cover the expense of responding to said false alarm.
[Ord. No. 2018-04, 10/9/2018]
Any person who should violate any of the provisions of this Part shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $300 and costs of prosecution and, in default of payment of such fines and costs, to imprisonment for not more than 30 days, provided that each violation of any provision of this Part and each day the same is continued shall be deemed a separate offense.