[HISTORY: Adopted by Township Council of
the Township of Byram 2-1-1988 by Ord. No. 14-1987. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Noise from alarms — See Ch. 171.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide minimum
standards and regulations for the use of privately installed burglary,
robbery and fire alarm systems, to require registrations, to establish
fines and to create an administrative apparatus.
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Any business operated by a person for a profit, which engages
in the activity of altering, installing, leasing, maintaining, repairing,
replacing, selling, servicing, monitoring or responding to a fire,
burglar or holdup alarm system or which causes any of these activities
to take place. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this chapter,
the term "alarm business" shall not include a developer or homeowner
who sells an alarm system as part of a sale or transfer of a residential
dwelling unit.
Any type of alarm-activating equipment which provides warning
of burglary, intrusion, fire, flood or like peril.
An assembly of equipment and devices (or a single
device such as a solid-state unit which plugs directly into a one-hundred-ten-volt
AC line) arranged to signal the presence of a hazard requiring urgent
attention and to which police and/or firefighters are expected to
respond. In this chapter, the term "alarm system" shall include but
not be limited to:
AUTOMATIC HOLDUP ALARM SYSTEMAn alarm system in which a signal transmission is initiated by the action of a robber.
BURGLAR ALARM SYSTEMAn alarm system signaling a robbery or attempted robbery.
HOLDUP ALARM SYSTEMAn alarm system signaling a robbery or attempted robbery.
MANUAL HOLDUP ALARM SYSTEMAn alarm system in which the signal transmission is initiated by the direct action of the person attacked or by an observer of an attack.
FIRE ALARM SYSTEMSAlarm systems which monitor temperature, humidity or any other condition of fire-hazard nature and not directly related to the detection of any unauthorized intrusion into a premises or an attempted robbery at a premises.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in
this chapter, the term "alarm system" shall not include self-contained
battery- or electrically-powered smoke-detector units which give out
an audible signal.
Any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation,
company or organization of any kind in possession or control of any
building, structure or facility wherein an alarm device or system
is maintained.
An alarm signal eliciting a response by police and/or firefighters
when a situation requiring a response by police and/or firefighters
does not in fact exist.
A.
Registration shall be required for each alarm system
within the Township of Byram on the effective date of this chapter.
Users of systems in place on that date shall complete the registration
form within 30 days after this chapter takes effect
B.
Registration form.
(1)
Any person utilizing an alarm system shall complete
and file with the Police Chief a registration form, which may be obtained
from the Police Chief, correctly containing the following information:
(a)
The full name of the applicant and his address, including
an address description which will permit the appropriate municipal
department to respond to the alarm.
(b)
The common name of the alarm premises.
(c)
The name and address of the person installing, maintaining
and/or owning the system.
(d)
A description of the system operation, including,
not by way of limitation, activation points of the system and the
mechanism or mechanisms by which the system becomes activated.
(e)
The name and address of the person or business entity
monitoring and initially responding to an activation of the alarm
system and the telephone number for such person or business entity.
(f)
The names and addresses and telephone numbers of three
persons to be contacted in case of alarm and/or malfunction.
(g)
Any additional relevant information specifically requested
by the Police Chief.
(2)
A copy of each registration form, after completion,
shall be filed with the Police Department.
C.
A registration fee as set forth in Chapter A287, Fees, shall be due and payable to the Township Clerk for dwelling units and for all applicants other than dwelling-unit applicants at the time the registration form is completed. If two separate systems or a single system with two separate functions is involved, then separate fees shall be required for each such system or function, which fee in no instance shall exceed the fee set forth in Chapter A287, Fees.
[Amended 2-4-2008 by Ord. No. 2-2008]
D.
If there has occurred any material change in the information
previously submitted with respect to any alarm system by the alarm
user, it shall be the duty of the alarm user, within 10 days of such
material change, to file a supplemental or revised registration containing
accurate current information.
E.
Failure to register an alarm system in accordance
with the requirements of this section shall result in a penalty of
$50.
A.
All alarm systems in commercial buildings shall be
equipped with batteries.
B.
Every burglar alarm must be provided with a device
which will automatically set or shut off the alarm within 15 minutes
after the time of activation.
C.
Every burglar alarm system in a private dwelling shall
be equipped with a time delay of at least 20 seconds.
D.
If the alarm system is tied into, monitored by, responded
to and/or serviced by a central station or answering service, upon
activation of said alarm system, the central station or answering
system shall verify the validity of the alarm prior to notifying the
Police Department of the same, unless the alarm pertains to fire,
in which case the Police Department shall be notified immediately
without verification.
E.
No police, fire or other public department or official
shall be responsible in any way for the resetting or maintenance of
any alarm system.
F.
A new homeowner, occupant or user possessing or using
an alarm system shall be responsible for notifying and recompleting
the application form relative to the system with the Police Chief
within 30 days of his, her or its purchase and/or transfer of title
of the property.
G.
The acceptance of any registration form by the municipality
does not constitute the municipality's acceptance or approval of the
alarm system involved and shall in no manner place upon the Police
Department, Fire Divisions, Township of Byram or any other agency
of the municipality any additional liabilities other than those statutorily
incurred.
H.
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to
any alarm system installed on the property occupied by any Township,
county, state or federal government agency or office.
I.
It shall be the responsibility of each and every alarm
user to complete the registration form in detail, and it shall be
the alarm user's responsibility to obtain the necessary information
in order to satisfactorily and substantively provide the information
required.
A.
In case of false alarms which summon the Police or
Fire Department to investigate, the Police Chief shall cause an investigation
to be made and shall keep a record of such false alarms on file. Such
records shall be prima facie evidence of the contents thereof.
B.
Penalties.
(1)
Investigation and record of alarms. In the case of
a false alarm, any person having knowledge thereof shall immediately
notify the Police Department.
(2)
Penalties. For such false alarms, the following penalties
shall be applied.
(a)
For the first and second false alarm in any given
twelve-month period, a warning shall be issued.
(b)
For the third false alarm in the same twelve-month
period, a fine of $50 shall be paid to the Township.
(c)
For the fourth and subsequent false alarms in the
same twelve-month period, a fine of $100 shall be paid to the Township.
