[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of Colebrookdale Township as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 12-6-2004 by Ord. No. 11-2004]
A. 
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:
ALARM
An audible signal emitted by a warning device indicating that a crime, fire or other emergency situation warranting immediate action by the Police Department or Fire Company has occurred or is occurring. This definition shall include, but shall not be limited to, those alarm devices which provide for a telephoned warning message to the Berks County Communication Center.
ALARM DEVICE
An electrical (or electronic) or mechanical device designed to automatically transmit an alarm by wire, telephone, radio or other means:
(1) 
To a person who is instructed to notify the Berks County Communication Center of the alarm; or
(2) 
To activate a bell or sounding device to be heard outside a building which is intended to alert the police or others to the existence of a crime, fire or other emergency situation warranting police or Fire Company action.
COMMUNICATION CENTER
Berks County Communication Center.
FALSE ALARMS
An alarm to which the Police Department or Fire Company respond resulting from activation of an alarm device when a crime, fire or other emergency warranting immediate action by the Police Department or Fire Company has not in fact occurred.
FIRE COMPANY
Any Fire Company which responds to a false alarm emanating from within Colebrookdale Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, and all members of the Fire Company.
PERSON
An individual, corporation, partnership, incorporated association or other similar entity.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Colebrookdale District Police Department and all members thereof.
TOWNSHIP
Colebrookdale Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania and its duly authorized agents, servants, or employees.
B. 
In this article, the singular shall include the plural; the plural shall include the singular; the masculine shall include the feminine and the neuter.
A. 
If an alarm device is connected to a system required to transmit a message to the Berks County Communication Center, the duration of such message shall not exceed 30 seconds. The contents of the message shall be intelligible and in a format approved by the Berks County Communication Center.
B. 
An alarm device need not contain a delay service which causes a delay to occur between the time the alarm device receives a triggering stimulus and the time the alarm device transmits an alarm.
C. 
An alarm device connected to a system required to transmit a message to the Berks County Communication Center shall be designed to dial only specific telephone numbers designated by the Berks County Communication Center.
D. 
If an alarm device is designed so that at the time an alarm is triggered, a bell, siren or sound-making device is activated on or near the premises on which the alarm device is installed, said alarm device shall be designed to deactivate the bell, siren or other sound-making device after five minutes of operation. Preexisting units must be modified for a five minute device unless said unit cannot be modified without replacement.
E. 
All alarm devices shall meet the applicable standards of the Underwriters Laboratories and/or the National Fire Protection Association, and/or other recognized industry standards, and shall be permitted under this ordinance if in conformity thereto.
F. 
The sensory mechanism used in connection with an alarm device must be adjusted to suppress false indications of fire or intrusion, so that the alarm device will not be activated by impulses due to transient pressure change in water pipes, short flashes of light, wind noises such as the rattling or vibrating of doors or windows, vehicular noise adjacent to the premises, or other forces unrelated to genuine alarm situations.
G. 
The alarm device must be maintained by the owner or occupant of the property protected by such alarm device in good repair to assure reliability of operation.
A. 
False alarms. No person owning or occupying any property within the Township shall cause or allow to be caused a false alarm.
B. 
Penalty for false alarms. The penalty for causing or permitting a false alarm shall be as prescribed in the Pennsylvania Criminal Code, 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 7511(c)(10), as amended from time to time.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
C. 
When a false alarm occurs, the Township shall within 45 days from the date of the false alarm, notify the person who owns or occupies the property from which the false alarm emanated or other person causing said false alarm, that a false alarm occurred and whether a false alarm charge is due and, if so, the amount thereof. Such notice shall be in writing and mailed to the property owner or occupant and/or person causing said false alarm at his last known address by regular mail, postage prepaid. Failure of the Township to mail notice of assessment of a false alarm charge within 45 days from the occurrence of a false alarm shall preclude the Township from assessing a false alarm charge for said false alarm.
D. 
A false alarm charge shall be due and payable at the office of the Township 30 days from the date of the mailing of the notice of assessment of the charge. If there is no response after 30 days, a second notice will be sent, regular mail, requiring payment to the Township within seven days. If there is no response after the seven-day grace period, a third and final notice will be sent certified mail, requiring payment to the Township within seven days.
E. 
Failure of a person who owns or occupies the property from which the false alarm emanated or the person who caused the false alarm, to pay a false alarm charge on or before the date due shall constitute a violation of the ordinance, and shall subject said person to the penalties set forth in § 130-7 hereof.
No person shall conduct or test any alarm device without first obtaining permission from the Township. Where the equipment is keyed through an intermediary, no such permission is necessary unless the alarm or signal is to be relayed to the Berks County Communication Center.
Administration and enforcement of this article shall be functions of the Township and shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:
A. 
Authority to order the disconnection of an alarm device until such device is made to comply with operational standards set forth herein, but only when evidence of failure to comply with said standards imposes a burden upon the Township as a result of false alarms.
B. 
Authority, at reasonable times and upon written notice, to enter upon any premises within the Township to inspect the installation and operation of an alarm device.
Whenever, under the provisions of this article, the Township is empowered to make a decision with respect to the installation, operation, maintenance, or disconnection of any alarm device, any person aggrieved by such decision may, within 10 days following receipt of notice of the decision, file a written appeal therefrom with the Board of Commissioners of the Township, whereupon the Board of Commissioners shall promptly conduct a hearing and affirm, modify or reverse the decision appealed. The decision of the Board of Commissioners shall be final.
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000, and/or to imprisonment for a term not to exceed 90 days.
Ordinance No. 11-88 is hereby specifically repealed, and all other ordinances or parts of ordinances which are inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.
If any sentence, clause, section, or part of this article is for any reason found to be unconstitutional, illegal or invalid, such unconstitutionality, illegality or invalidity shall not effect or impair any of the remaining provisions, sentences, clauses, sections or parts of this article. It is hereby declared as the intent of the Board of Commissioners that this article would have been adopted had such unconstitutional, illegal or invalid sentence, clause, section or part thereof not been included herein.