[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the
Town of Southold 1-19-1993 by L.L.
No. 1-1993. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is to establish
standards and controls of the various types of fire, intrusion, holdup
and other emergency signals from fire and police alarm services that
require Fire Department or police responses, investigation or safeguarding
of property at the location of an event reported by a signal which
is transmitted by telephone or radio to the Police or Fire Department
from a central station as hereinafter defined.
For the purpose of this chapter, the following
definitions shall apply:
Any fire or police alarm device or aggregation of fire or
police alarm devices installed on or within a single building or on
or within more than one building or area adjacently located on a common
site at a specific location.
Any facility operated by a private firm that owns or leases
a system of fire or police alarm devices, which facility is manned
by operators who receive, record or validate alarm signals and relay
information about such validated signals to the Police or Fire Department
when appropriate.
Any fire or police alarm device which is a telephone device
or telephone attachment that automatically or electronically selects
a telephone line connected to a central alarm station or police headquarters
and reproduces a prerecorded message to report a criminal act or other
emergency requiring the Police or Fire Department.
Any fire or police alarm device connected directly by leased
telephone wires from the specified location to police headquarters
or the Fire Department.
Any fire or police alarm device designed to be activated
by a fire, criminal act or other emergency at a specific location
or by a victim of a holdup, robbery or other emergency or criminal
act at a specific location.
Any signal activated by an emergency alarm to which the Fire
or Police Department responds which is not the result of a fire, holdup,
robbery or other crime or emergency.
Buildings owned by the fire districts of Fishers Island,
Orient, East Marion, Greenport, Southold, Cutchogue, Mattituck.
[Amended 4-11-2023 by L.L. No. 9-2023; 10-8-2024 by L.L. No. 17-2024]
Any device which, when activated by a fire, criminal act
or other emergency requiring Police or Fire Department response, transmits
a prerecorded message or other signal by telephone, radio or other
means to a central alarm station or directly to the Police or Fire
Department or produces an audible or visible signal designed to notify
persons within audible or visible alarm range of the signal.
Any entry into an area or building equipped with one or more
fire and police alarm devices by any person or object whose entry
actuates a fire or police alarm device.
The Town Board of the Town of Southold or its designated
agent.
Police headquarters and other enclosures housing privately
or publicly owned equipment serving the police.
All areas in the jurisdiction of the Southold Town Police
Department, including the incorporated Village of Greenport and Fishers
Island.
[Amended 10-8-2024 by L.L. No. 17-2024]
Any property owner or lessee of property in
the Town of Southold having on his or its premises a fire or police
alarm device or system of fire or police alarm devices shall apply
to the licensing authority for a permit to own or otherwise have such
device on his or its premises. The application shall contain provisions
relating to the device or system of devices installed or to be installed
on the premises. No such device may be installed on the premises of
the owner or lessee and no presently existing fire or police alarm
device complying with the provisions of this chapter shall be modified
after the effective date of this chapter prior to the licensing authority's
having issued a permit to such owner or lessee. Such permit shall
be valid for a period of one year from issuance and must be renewed
upon expiration.
[Amended 4-11-2023 by L.L. No. 9-2023; 10-8-2024 by L.L. No. 17-2024]
A.
Fire Departments
shall be exempt from all fees.
It shall be a violation of this chapter to intentionally
cause a false emergency alarm, and any person who does intentionally
cause a false emergency alarm shall be subject to the penalty provision
hereof.
[Amended 4-11-2023 by L.L. No. 9-2023; 10-8-2024 by L.L. No. 17-2024]
A.
Any owner or lessee of property having a fire or police
alarm device or system of fire or police alarm devices on his or its
premises, with the exception of all Fire Departments, on the effective
date of this chapter shall pay to the Town a charge for each and every
false emergency alarm to which the Fire or Police Department responds,
in each calendar year. False alarm fees to be set by Town Board resolution.
B.
All charges shall be paid to the Town Clerk. Failure
to pay any such charges shall subject such owner, lessee or user to
the penalty provisions of this chapter.
C.
The licensing authority shall promulgate rules, regulations
and standards which may be necessary for the purpose of assuring the
quality, efficiency and effectiveness of fire or police devices and
alarm installations owned, operated, maintained, installed, leased
or sold by a licensee pursuant to Article 6-D of the General Business
Law of the State of New York and to facilitate the administration
of this chapter. The Southold Police Department shall enforce the
provisions of this chapter. The aforesaid rules, regulations and standards
shall be set forth in writing, and copies shall be available for licensees.
If any part or parts of this chapter are for
any reason held to be invalid, such decision shall not affect the
validity of the remaining portions of this chapter. The Town Board
hereby declares that it would have passed the local law enacting this
chapter and each section, subsection, sentence, clause and phrase
thereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections,
sentences, clauses or phrases might be declared invalid.
[Amended 10-8-2024 by L.L. No. 17-2024]
Any person, firm or corporation who or which
does not pay any charge or fee established in this chapter or who
or which violates any provision of this chapter shall be subject to
a fine to be set by Town Board resolution for each offense. A separate
offense shall be deemed committed upon each day during which a violation
occurs or is committed, and such violation may constitute disorderly
conduct, in which event such person shall be a disorderly person.
