No Person shall create an intentional false alarm. In addition to criminal sanctions established by 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 7511 (false alarms), it shall be a violation of this Ordinance to create an intentional false alarm and such violation shall be a summary offense and, upon conviction before a Magisterial District Judge, be punishable with a fine of $500 per violation, together with costs of prosecution and in default thereof shall undergo imprisonment for a period not to exceed 30 days.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Paradise 6-15-2020 by Ord. No. 264. Amendments noted where applicable.]
An accidental false alarm occurs when the owner or authorized persons on a property, upon which an alarm system/device is installed, emits an alarm to which the Fire Department responds and for which there is neither an emergency situation requiring a response nor a sudden emergency power outage requiring a response (Accidental False Alarm).
Accidental False Alarms are deemed a violation of this chapter and shall be subject to the following ticket fines for each violation per calendar year:
When an Accidental False Alarm occurs, the Fire Department shall record the date and time of such accidental false alarm and the location of each false alarm and forward immediately to the Township's Zoning Officer. The Township shall within 10 working days of such accidental false alarm send a written notice to the owner of the property upon which such alarm is installed for the purpose of notification of the accidental false alarm. Such notice by the Township to the property owner from which the Accidental False Alarm emanated shall be in writing and mailed to the owner of said alarm at his/her/its last known mailing address as shown in the Monroe County Tax Records. Included with this written notice shall be a ticket bill in the prescribed amount as outlined above should an Accidental False Alarm charge be due. Failure on the part of the Township to issue such notice to the owner of the alarm device, within 10 working days after the date of such false alarm, shall preclude the Township from assessing a false alarm charge for said Accidental False Alarm and issuing a citation thereon. An Accidental False Alarm charge shall be due and payable at the Township Office 10 days from the date of mailing of such notice of assessment of a charge for violation of this Ordinance.
Failure of the owner of an alarm device having caused an Accidental False Alarm or of a person, other than the owner, causing a false alarm, to pay a false alarm charge on or before the date due shall cause the Township to issue a summary offense citation for violation of this Ordinance. Any Person who shall violate or fail to meet any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction of a summary offense, before a Magisterial District Judge be punishable by a fine of not more than $600, together with the costs of prosecution, and in default thereof shall undergo imprisonment for a period not to exceed 30 days.
The fees, fines, and/or costs assessed by the Township of Paradise for the administration and enforcement undertaken pursuant to this chapter shall be established but may be amended herein by the governing body by resolution from time to time.
The proper officers of the Township are hereby authorized and directed to take all such actions, execute, deliver, file, and/or record all such documents, publish all notices and otherwise comply with the provisions of this Ordinance insofar as the transaction contemplated by this chapter, in the name and on behalf of the Township.
In case any one or more of the provisions, sections, subsections, sentences, or clauses of this Ordinance is held, for any reason, to be invalid, or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality, or unenforceability shall not affect any other provision of this Ordinance, and this Ordinance shall be construed and enforced as if such invalid, illegal, or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein.
All Ordinances and parts of Ordinances heretofore adopted, to the extent that the same are inconsistent in any manner herewith, are hereby repealed.
This Ordinance shall take effect on the earliest date permitted by law.