[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Barrett 10-9-1991 by Ord. No. 109; amended in its entirety 4-25-2018 by Ord. No. 193. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
The Supervisors find and declare that:
A. 
The majority of emergency alarms to which emergency personnel respond are false. Such alarms are nuisances resulting in an enormous waste of manpower and potentially causing serious injury to those police officers or other emergency personnel who may be responding. Further, when emergency personnel are responding to a false alarm, they are not available to be protecting the citizens of Barrett Township.
B. 
The danger to citizens and emergency personnel created by nuisance alarms is unnecessary and hazardous.
C. 
The unnecessary waste of tax dollars through responses to nuisance alarms must be eliminated.
D. 
Nuisance alarms have created conditions causing danger and annoyance to the general public.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ALARM SYSTEM
Any device designed or used for detection of intrusion into a building, structure or facility or for alerting persons in the attempt or commission of a crime or any emergency situation involving potential death or serious injury and which is directly connected to an audible alarm or the transmission of a related signal or message which is used to evoke an emergency response to any address or separate component of any system.
NUISANCE ALARM
The activation of an alarm system due to other than the said purpose for which the alarm system is designed. Any activation of an alarm system caused by any malfunction caused by violent natural catastrophic condition, including electrical storms or power outages or conditions beyond the control of the permittee, will not constitute a nuisance alarm. A nonemergent alarm, dispatching the Barrett Township Volunteer Fire Company, that is not the result of a fire emergency (i.e., cooking smoke, steam, fog dirt/dust, unmaintained heads and other similar false activations).
A. 
Every applicant for an alarm permit shall file with the Barrett Township Zoning Officer, on forms provided by the Township, a written application stating:
(1) 
The name;
(2) 
9-1-1 physical address of the premises where the proposed alarm system will be (or is) located;
(3) 
Telephone numbers where the applicant can be reached at all times;
(4) 
A description of the property or properties where the proposed alarm system shall be installed;
(5) 
The location, road, name of development and name which is conspicuously displayed on the premises;
(6) 
A description of the type or types of alarm system to be used including name and model number of the manufacturer;
(7) 
The name of the person or company who will install the alarm system at the location; and
(8) 
The name, address and telephone number of any person or company who will be available to be contacted in the event of an alarm activation.
B. 
In the case of more than one building site in which the alarm systems shall be installed, the applicant must provide the Township with information concerning how the alarm for each building shall be distinguishable from the other alarms in said buildings. In the event the name, mailing address or telephone number of the person to be contacted changes, the applicant shall supply corrected information to Barrett Township within five days of the change. If requested by Barrett Township, the persons listed shall be required to be present at the alarm location within a reasonable length of time after being advised that the Barrett Township Volunteer Fire Company or other emergency departments have received any signal or message of an alarm activation.
A. 
Alarm permits shall not be transferable from one individual or entity to another or from one location to another without the express written authorization from Barrett Township. In the event that the premises in which the alarm system has been installed is to be conveyed or transferred to another individual, it shall be the responsibility of the permittee to notify Barrett Township of the intended conveyance of the premises and to notify the new owner of his or her responsibility to apply for a new alarm permit.
B. 
Any individual who obtains title to premises in which an alarm system has been installed and permit issued by Barrett Township shall notify Barrett Township and make application for an alarm permit in accordance with § 181-3 above.
A. 
Every person applying for an alarm permit under the provisions of this chapter shall pay a fee of $50 to obtain an alarm permit prior to the installation of the new alarm system on the premises.
B. 
Any individual who owns or obtains title to premises in which an alarm system has already been installed shall pay the fee of $35 to register their name, address, telephone number and individual to be contacted in case of the activation of the alarm system.
C. 
All fees shall be payable to Barrett Township.
A. 
Any person who fails to make application or register with Barrett Township prior to the installation of an alarm system on the premises shall, upon conviction in a summary proceeding in accordance with§ 181-7 below, be guilty of a summary offense and shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000, plus costs of prosecution. In default of payment thereof, the defendant may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days. Each day or portion thereof that such violation continues or is permitted to continue shall constitute a separate offense, and each section of this chapter that is violated shall also constitute a separate offense.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
B. 
Any person who owns or acquires title to premises in which an alarm system has already been installed and fails to register with Barrett Township shall, upon conviction in a summary proceeding in accordance with § 181-7 below, be guilty of a summary offense and shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000, plus costs of prosecution. In default of payment thereof, the defendant may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days. Each day or portion thereof that such violation continues or is permitted to continue shall constitute a separate offense, and each section of this chapter that is violated shall also constitute a separate offense.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
C. 
When the Barrett Township Volunteer Fire Company or other emergency personnel responds to a nuisance alarm, the property owner shall, for the first nuisance alarm, receive a written warning and, for each nuisance alarm thereafter, receive a fine as follows:
(1) 
Second nuisance alarm per 360-day period: $250, plus court costs;
(2) 
Third and subsequent nuisance alarms per 360-day period: $500 for each occurrence, plus court costs.
D. 
Any fines collected will be distributed equally to Barrett Township and the Barrett Volunteer Fire Company.
The Fire Chief and/or the Assistant Fire Chief or other emergency departments will submit all incident reports to the Zoning Officer for enforcement action to be taken. Violations of this chapter shall be enforced by action brought before a Magisterial District Judge in the same manner provided for the enforcement of summary offenses under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure. The Barrett Township Zoning Officer is hereby designated as a law enforcement officer for purposes of enforcement of this chapter. The owner of premises on which two or more nuisance alarms occur shall, upon conviction in a summary proceeding, be punishable by a fine as set forth in § 181-6 above.
All information furnished and secured pursuant to this chapter shall be confidential in character and shall not be subject to public inspection, and shall be so kept in order that the contents thereto shall not be known except to persons charged with the administration of this chapter.
A. 
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this chapter is for any reason held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this chapter. The Supervisors hereby declare that they would have passed this chapter and each section or part thereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections or parts thereof be declared invalid.
B. 
Ordinance Numbers 109 and 110 are hereby amended and restated in their entirety as set forth in this chapter. All ordinances or parts of ordinances conflicting or inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter are hereby repealed.
C. 
This chapter shall become effective five days from the date of its adoption. Owners of alarm systems existing at the time of adoption of this chapter shall have a period of 60 days to comply with all provisions hereof.