[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Quogue 10-21-1983 by L.L. No. 9-1983. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire Department — See Ch. 33.
Police Department — See Ch. 47.
Building construction and fire prevention — See Ch. 73.
Noise — See Ch. 111.
[Amended 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards and controls for the various types of fire, intrusion, holdup and other emergency signals from fire and police alarm devices that require Fire Department or police response, investigation or safeguarding of property at the location of an event reported by a signal which is transmitted to a central alarm station or to another recipient off the premises.
For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:
ALARM INSTALLATION
Any fire, police or panic alarm device or aggregation of fire, police or panic 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.[1]
CENTRAL ALARM STATION
Any facility operated by a private firm which is manned by operators who receive, record or validate alarm signals and relay information to the Police or Fire Department when appropriate.
DIAL ALARM
Any fire or police alarm 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 Police or Fire Department response.
DIRECT ALARM
Any fire or police alarm device connected directly by leased telephone wires from the specific location to police headquarters.
EMERGENCY ALARM
Any fire or police alarm device designed to be actuated 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.
FALSE EMERGENCY ALARM
Any signal actuated by an emergency alarm to which the Police or Fire Department responds, which is not the result of a fire, holdup, robbery or other crime or emergency.
FIRE OR POLICE ALARM DEVICE
Any device which, when actuated 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 to another recipient off the premises or produces an audible or visible signal designed to alert persons off the premises within audible or visible alarm range of the signal.
[Amended 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
INTRUSION
Any entry into an area or building equipped with one or more police and fire alarm devices by any person or object whose entry actuates a police alarm device.[2]
POLICE HEADQUARTERS
Police headquarters and other enclosures housing privately or publicly owned equipment serving the Police or Fire Department.
VILLAGE or VILLAGE OF QUOGUE
The Incorporated Village of Quogue and, for purposes of fire alarms, any fire protection district covered by the Village of Quogue Fire Department.
[1]
Editor's Note: The former definition of "business licensee," which immediately followed this definition, was repealed 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993.
[2]
Editor's Note: The former definition of "licensing authority," which immediately followed this definition, was repealed 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993.
[Amended 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
An alarm installation shall not be installed, operated or maintained on premises within the Village of Quogue unless the owner of such premises shall first obtain and maintain in effect an alarm permit for such alarm installation issued by the Mayor of the Village of Quogue.
[Amended 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
A. 
A written application for an alarm permit shall be filed with the Village Clerk. Such application shall contain the following information:
(1) 
The name, permanent residence address and telephone number of all owners of the premises.
(2) 
The address of and telephone number at the premises where the alarm installation is to be installed, operated or maintained.
(3) 
The type of alarm installation.
(4) 
The name, address and telephone number of the alarm installer.
(5) 
The name, address and telephone number of the alarm maintenance company.
(6) 
The name, address and telephone number of the central alarm station.
(7) 
The name, address and telephone number of a designated caretaker who shall be responsible for resetting an activated alarm and for admitting the responding Police or Fire Department if the owner or lessee of the property is absent.
(8) 
Such other reasonable information as the Mayor may deem necessary to facilitate enforcement of this chapter.
B. 
The filing fee for filing an application for an alarm permit (including renewal of an alarm permit) shall be $10 or such other amount as the Village Board of Trustees may hereafter fix and establish from time to time by resolution.
C. 
No alarm permit shall be issued unless the alarm installation complies with the provisions of this chapter.
D. 
Any applicant whose application for an alarm permit has been denied by the Mayor may appeal from such denial by filing a written request for an appeal hearing before the Village Board of Trustees. At the appeal hearing, the Village Board of Trustees shall give the appealing party an opportunity to be heard.
[Amended 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
A. 
All alarm permits heretofore issued (issued prior to the effective date of Local Law No. 4 of 1993) shall expire on December 31, 1993. All alarm permits hereafter issued (issued after the effective date of Local Law No. 4 of 1993) shall be annual permits (on a calendar-year basis) and shall expire on December 31 of each year.
B. 
No alarm permit shall remain in effect beyond December 31 of any year unless renewed for the succeeding calendar year. The procedure set forth in § 66-4 shall apply to renewal of an alarm permit.
C. 
The Village Clerk may give written notice to holders of alarm permits regarding expiration and renewal thereof. Such written notice may be by electronic mail to persons who have provided electronic mail addresses to the Village.
[Amended 12-19-2014 by L.L. No. 3-2014]
D. 
An alarm permit shall expire upon a change of ownership of the premises. An alarm permit shall not be transferred or assigned to any person other than the person to whom the permit was issued.
E. 
An alarm permit shall not cover any subsequent modification of the alarm installation and shall expire upon any such modification. An alarm installation shall not be modified unless an alarm permit covering such modification shall have first been obtained.
F. 
An alarm permit shall expire upon removal of the alarm installation.
[Amended 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
A. 
If any material change occurs with respect to the information set forth in the application for an alarm permit, the owner of the premises shall file with the Village Clerk a written supplement setting forth such change. Such supplement shall be filed within 10 days after such change occurs.
B. 
A change of designated caretaker shall constitute a material change.
C. 
A change of central alarm station shall constitute a material change.
D. 
A change of alarm maintenance company shall constitute a material change.
E. 
There shall be no fee for filing a supplement.
[Amended 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
A. 
The Village Board of Trustees may from time to time by resolution promulgate rules, regulations and standards for the purpose of assuring the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of alarm installations and to facilitate administration of this chapter.
B. 
A violation of any such rules, regulations and standards shall constitute a violation of this chapter.
[Amended 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
A. 
The Village Board of Trustees, after a hearing at which the holder of an alarm permit shall be given an opportunity to be heard, may revoke an alarm permit for violation of any of the provisions of this chapter.
B. 
The holder of an alarm permit shall be given written notice of the time and place of any such hearing, which notice shall include or be accompanied by a statement reciting the ground or grounds for revocation to be considered at such hearing.
A. 
No direct or dial alarm shall be permitted to be connected to police headquarters or the Fire Department. Such alarm which is connected directly to police headquarters or the Fire Department shall be disconnected no later than December 31, 1983. In addition, any police or fire alarm device which is a telephone device that automatically dials the Quogue Village Police Department or Fire Department and reproduces a prerecorded message which reports a criminal act or fire requiring Police and/or Fire Department response will, from this date forward, be prohibited.
B. 
Any person, business, firm, corporation or other commercial entity, which operates, maintains, installs, leases or sells said device for use in the Village of Quogue, will be in violation of this chapter.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 66-9, Records to be kept, was repealed 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993. This local law also renumbered former §§ 66-10 and 66-11 as §§ 66-9 and 66-10, respectively.
[Amended 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
An alarm installation may be connected to a central alarm station which is manned at all times by a trained operator who receives, records and validates alarm signals and relays information about such validated signals to the Quogue Village Police Department or the Quogue Village Fire Department. The operator of any central alarm company which calls police headquarters or the Fire Department to report an active alarm will identify himself by name and the name of the company and will provide accurate directions to the protected premises at which the alarm is sounding and type of emergency, if known. The central alarm company shall further provide the name of a caretaker who is responsible for resetting an activated alarm if the property owner or lessee of the property is absent.
[Added 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
An alarm installation may be connected to another recipient off the premises (a recipient other than a central alarm station), provided that the owner of the property having the alarm installation obtains an alarm permit for such connection prior to such connection.
A. 
Applications for such permits shall provide the name of the recipient and the address of the location off the premises where the recipient will receive alarm signals.
B. 
Said recipient or a designated caretaker shall have the capability of responding to the property having the alarm installation within a reasonable time and the capability of resetting an activated alarm. If said recipient does not have such capability, then the application for such permit shall provide the name, address and telephone number of a designated caretaker having such capability.
C. 
If said recipient or the designated caretaker calls police headquarters or the Fire Department to report an alarm, he shall identify himself (by name and status, and also by providing the name of the designated caretaker when applicable) and shall provide accurate directions to the premises at which the alarm is sounding and type of emergency, if known.
Any property owner or lessee of property in the Village of Quogue shall, prior to the installation of any audible signal designed to alert persons within audible range of the signal, obtain a permit for the same.
A. 
Any such alarm device which operates on house current must be equipped with a standby battery power supply sufficient for at least 24 hours.
B. 
Any such alarm device will incorporate a device whereby the system will automatically shut off and/or reset the audible alarm after the alarm has sounded for a maximum period of 15 minutes.
C. 
All property owners or lessees having such an alarm device on their premises shall provide the Police Department and Fire Department with the name of a person who can respond to the premises within a reasonable time. Said person shall have the capability of securing or, in the case of fire, opening up said premises for inspection by the Fire Department.
D. 
Every such audible alarm device must be equipped with a device to silence the audible alarm at the location of the alarm installation.
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 provisions hereof.
[Amended 1-15-1988 by L.L. No. 5-1988; 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
Any owner of property having an alarm installation on such premises and any lessee of such premises or other user of such alarm installation shall pay to the Village a charge for false emergency alarms to which the Police or Fire Department responds, as follows:
A. 
All false emergency alarms, except fire.
[Amended 12-17-1993 by L.L. No. 9-1993; 12-19-2014 by L.L. No. 3-2014]
(1) 
For the first false alarm in a calendar year: no charge.
(2) 
Second false alarm in a calendar year: $50.
(3) 
Third false alarm in a calendar year: $75.
(4) 
Fourth false alarm in a calendar year: $100.
(5) 
Fifth false alarm in a calendar year: $150.
(6) 
Sixth and each subsequent false alarm in a calendar year: $200.
B. 
False fire alarms.
[Amended 2-17-2000 by L.L. No. 2-2000; 11-16-2007 by L.L. No. 1-2007; 12-19-2014 by L.L. No. 3-2014]
(1) 
For the first false alarm in a calendar year: $50.
(2) 
Second false alarm in a calendar year: $250.
(3) 
Third false alarm in a calendar year: $500.
(4) 
Fourth and each subsequent false alarm in a calendar year: $1,000.
C. 
The above charges shall be paid to the Village Treasurer. Failure to pay any such charge shall subject such owner, lessee or user to the penalty provisions of this chapter.
D. 
Failure to pay any such charge shall constitute a ground for denial and/or revocation of an alarm permit for the alarm installation on such premises.
E. 
An excessive number of false emergency alarms to which the Police or Fire Department responds shall constitute a ground for denial and/or revocation of an alarm permit for the alarm installation on such premises.
F. 
Any charges under this section that are applicable to a calendar year and remain unpaid as of the following April 1 may be added to the real estate tax bill for the applicable property, provided that the Village has served prior written notice upon the owner of such property in accordance with the following provisions:
[Added 12-19-2014 by L.L. No. 3-2014]
(1) 
Such notice shall inform the owner that unpaid charges applicable to a calendar year which remain unpaid as of the following April 1 may be added to the real estate tax bill for such property. Such notice shall also inform the owner as to the amount unpaid as of the date of the notice.
(2) 
Such notice may be served upon the owner of such property as shown on the most recent tax assessment roll by regular mail addressed to such owner at the address shown on the most recent tax assessment roll. Such notice may be served upon the last known owner of such property by regular mail addressed to such owner at the last known address. Such notice may also be served by certified mail or by personal service.
(3) 
Such notice shall be served upon the owner as set forth above not later than May 1 following the applicable calendar year.
[Amended 7-16-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
A. 
It shall be the duty of every owner of property having an alarm installation on such premises to maintain such alarm installation in good working order and condition. Such owner shall be responsible for all malfunctions of such alarm installation.
B. 
It shall be the duty of every owner of residential property having an alarm installation on such premises to install and maintain on such property a sign displaying the correct street number (house number) of the residence. Such sign shall be located at the driveway entrance to such property and shall comply with § 196-42A of Chapter 196.
C. 
It shall be the duty of every business or commercial entity installing and/or maintaining an alarm installation in the Village of Quogue to keep complete and accurate records with respect to installation and/or maintenance of such alarm installations.
D. 
It shall be the duty of every business or commercial entity installing security or fire alarm systems to obtain and maintain in effect a license therefor from the Secretary of State of the State of New York.
[Amended 3-20-1987 by L.L. No. 1-1987; 7-3-2003 by L.L. No. 2-2003]
A. 
Any person committing an offense against any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be guilty of a violation pursuant to the Penal Law of the State of New York, punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000 or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 15 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment. The continuation of an offense against the provisions of this chapter shall constitute, for each day the offense is continued, a separate and distinct offense hereunder.
B. 
For each and every violation of this chapter, the person or persons responsible for, causing, permitting, assisting in or refusing to abate or correct such violation shall be subject to a civil penalty not exceeding $1,000 for each and every such violation. The continuation of a violation of this chapter shall constitute, for each day the violation is continued, a separate and distinct violation hereunder.