[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Carmel 12-30-1992 by L.L. No. 6-1992. Amendments noted where applicable.]
For the purpose of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:
ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY
The Town Comptroller's office of the Town of Carmel.
[Added 1-19-1994 by L.L. No. 1-1994]
ALARM PERMIT
The written authorization of the permitting authority granted to any person, business, firm, corporation or other entity to install or maintain in a residence or place of business any police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices.
ALARM PERMIT YEAR
The period from January 1 until the next succeeding December 31, except for the first year during which an alarm permit is issued, which year shall commence on the date of permit issuance and shall end on the next succeeding December 31.
CENTRAL ALARM STATION
Any facility operated by a private person, firm or entity which facility receives, records or validates alarm signals and notifies the Police Department and/or Fire Department when appropriate.
FALSE ALARM
Any signal actuated by a police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police or fire alarm devices which is not the result of natural disaster, act of God, a criminal act, fire or other emergency requiring police or fire response. The term "false alarm" shall include human error and equipment malfunction causing the alarm to be activated and which results in police and/or fire response.
PERMITTING AUTHORITY
The Building Department of the Town of Carmel.
[Amended 1-19-1994 by L.L. No. 1-1994]
POLICE AND/OR FIRE ALARM DEVICE
Any device which, when activated by fire or any other emergency, transmits a signal, alert, prerecorded message or other indication directly to any law enforcement facility and/or any centrally stationed monitoring facility for the purposes of eliciting response by law enforcement, fire department or any other emergency response personnel.
[Amended 2-1-2017 by L.L. No. 2-2017]
It shall be a violation of this chapter for any person, business, firm, corporation or other entity to install or maintain in a residence or place of business any police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices without having obtained an alarm permit from the permitting authority.
[Amended 1-19-1994 by L.L. No. 1-1994]
All applications for alarm permits shall be submitted to the administrative authority on a form to be supplied by the administrative authority. Said application shall include a description of the police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices installed or maintained or to be installed and such other information as shall be required by the administrative authority.
The fees for alarm permits shall be established annually by resolution of the Town Board of the Town of Carmel and shall be on file in the office of the Town Clerk.
It shall be a violation of this chapter for any police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices to be connected to the Police Department. Any such police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices must be connected to a central alarm station or other answering service.
It shall be a violation of this chapter for any automatic telephone-dialing device to be connected to the telephone lines of the Police Department. Any such automatic telephone-dialing device must be connected to a central alarm station or other answering service.
No person, business, firm, corporation or other entity shall install, cause to be installed or maintain in a structure, building or establishment in the Town of Carmel a police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices with an external audible and/or visible alarm unless said police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices has an automatic cutoff system or feature which terminates the audible and/or visible alarm within 15 minutes after it has been activated.
[Amended 1-19-1994 by L.L. No. 1-1994; 5-15-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996]
A. 
The Police Chief of the Town of Carmel shall cause to be kept an up-to-date and accurate log of all false alarms occurring in the Town and shall transmit a report of such false alarms to the permitting authority and the Town Board on a monthly basis or, in the Police Chief's discretion, on a more frequent basis. Any person, business, firm, corporation or other entity who has installed or maintains a police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices in a structure, building or establishment in the Town of Carmel shall pay to the permitting authority, upon demand, a fine for each and every false alarm originating from their structure, building or establishment in any alarm permit year in accordance with a schedule of fines which shall be established annually by resolution of the Town Board of the Town of Carmel and shall be on file in the office of the Town Clerk.
B. 
Any person, business, firm, corporation or other entity who wishes to appeal the fines imposed pursuant to Subsection A of this section may do so in writing to the Alarms Appeal Board within 30 days of the notification of the imposition of said fines. The Alarms Appeal Board shall consist of three members appointed by the Town Board to serve at its pleasure. One member shall be an active member of one of the Fire Departments which service the Town and the other two members shall be representatives of the general public. The Alarms Appeals Board, upon appeal, shall have the authority to affirm, amend, modify or waive the fines imposed by the permitting authority. All Board decisions shall be in writing and shall be filed with the Town Clerk.
[Amended 8-12-1998 by L.L. No. 7-1998]
C. 
Any failure by such person, business, firm, corporation or other entity to pay the aforementioned fines within 30 days of the demand therefore, provided an appeal to the Alarms Appeal Board has not been filed, shall be deemed a violation of this chapter and shall be punishable in accordance with the provisions of § 37-14 of this chapter. If an appeal has been filed with the Alarms Appeal Board, then the 30 days shall commence upon filing of the decision of the Board with the Town Clerk.
In order to provide for the orderly institution of the requirements of this chapter, any person, business, firm, corporation or other entity which has a police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices in use on the effective date of this chapter shall obtain an alarm permit no later than 60 days from the effective date of this chapter. Any police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices currently in use which would be prohibited under the provisions of this chapter must be removed no later than 60 days from the effective date of this chapter.
None of the provisions of this chapter shall apply to a police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices installed in any Town-owned building, Fire Department-owned building or Volunteer Ambulance Corps-owned building. None of the provisions of this chapter apply to public or private school buildings.
Any person, business, firm, corporation or other entity who does not pay any fee or charge established in this chapter or who violates any provisions of this chapter shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $250 for each offense. Each week of continuing violation shall constitute a separate additional violation.