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Code of the Township of Abington                                    [ Back to Table of Contents ]

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PART II GENERAL LEGISLATION: Chapter 56, ALARM SYSTEMS

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the Township of Abington 5-14-1987 by Ord. No. 1630. (This ordinance also provided for the repeal of former Ch. 80, False Alarms.) Amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Fire Department -- See Ch. 12.

Fire police force -- See Ch. 14.

Police Department -- See Ch. 34.

Fire prevention -- See Ch. 85.

Noise -- See Ch. 106.

56-1. Title.

This chapter shall be known as the "Alarm Systems Ordinance."

56-2. Definitions and word usage.

A. The following definitions shall apply in the interpretation and enforcement of this chapter:

ALARM EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER -- Any person, firm or corporation who sells or leases and/or installs automatic protection devices or audible alarm systems.

ALARM USER -- Any individual, partnership, unincorporated association, corporation, trust or other legally recognized entity in control of any premises having an audible alarm system or automatic protection device which notifies the Police Department or Fire Department either directly or indirectly and requires the response of the Police, Fire Department or rescue companies.

ANSWERING SERVICE -- A service whereby trained employees, in attendance at all times, receive prerecorded messages or signals from automatic protection devices reporting an emergency at a stated location and have the duty to relay immediately by live voice any such emergency to the Police Department, Fire Department or rescue company.

AUDIBLE ALARM -- Any device, bell, horn or siren which is attached to the interior or exterior of a building and emits a warning signal audible outside the building and is designed to attract attention when activated by a criminal act or other emergency requiring police, fire fighters or rescue company to respond.

AUTOMATIC PROTECTION DEVICE -- An electrically operated instrument, composed of sensory apparatus and related hardware, which automatically transmits a prerecorded voice alarm over regular telephone line by direct or indirect connections to the Police Department, Fire Department, central station protective system or answering service upon receipt of a stimulus from a sensory apparatus that has detected a physical force or condition inherently characteristic of a fire, intrusion or other hazard.

CENTRAL STATION PROTECTIVE SYSTEM -- A protective system or group of such systems operated privately for customers by a person, firm or corporation which maintains supervisors and accepts recorded messages or signals from automatic protection devices at a central station having trained operators and guards in attendance at all times that have the duty to take appropriate action upon the receipt of a message or signal, including the relaying of messages by a designated or direct trunk line to the communications center of the Police Department.

FALSE ALARM -- Any signal activated by an automatic protection device, any audible alarm or any other kind of direct or indirect signal given the police or fire communications center to which police or fire fighters or rescue companies respond, which signal or alarm is not the result of a burglary, fire, robbery or similar emergency.

FIRE DEPARTMENT -- Any Fire Department or fire company which responds to alarms within the Township of Abington.

PERSON -- Any individual, partnership, corporation, association or other legally recognized entity.

POLICE DEPARTMENT -- The Police Department of the Township of Abington.

SECRETARY -- The Secretary of the Township of Abington.

TOWNSHIP -- The Township of Abington, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

TREASURER -- The Treasurer of the Township of Abington.

B. In interpretation of this chapter, the singular shall include the plural, and the masculine shall include the feminine and the neuter.

56-3. Timing mechanisms required.

Owners or lessees of premises equipped with audible alarms must equip such audible alarms with a timing mechanism that will disengage the audible alarm after a maximum period of 15 minutes and remain disengaged until the alarm is serviced or reset. Audible alarm without such a timing mechanism shall be unlawful in the township and must be deactivated by the owners or lessees of the premises within 60 days from the effective date of this chapter.

56-4. Remote-controlled fences and gates.

Owners or lessees of premises equipped with gates, fences or other similar apparatus designed to prevent entry which are electronically controlled from a location, such as a residence or other principal building, shall ensure that when an audible alarm or automatic protection device is activated, the gate, fence or other apparatus shall open to allow entry of the police, fire department or rescue company.

56-5. Mandatory registration of devices; exceptions.

A. It shall be unlawful for property owners, lessees of a property or a person otherwise occupying any premises within the township to put an automatic protection device or audible alarm system into operation on his premises or to allow an automatic protection device or audible alarm system to be put into operation on his premises without first registering the alarm system with the township.

B. Within 30 days after the effective date of this chapter, every alarm user shall register each alarm system he operates within this township with the township. This subsection does not require that alarm equipment suppliers register under this section when such alarm equipment supplier leases or provides services to alarm system users. If an alarm equipment supplier does, however, use an alarm system to protect its own premises, it shall register such system as required in this section.

C. Alarm user registration procedure.

(1) The alarm user making the registration required in Subsection A of this section shall complete the registration form provided by the township which shall include the alarm user's name, the address of the residence or business or businesses in or upon which the alarm system has or will be installed, the alarm user's telephone number, the type of alarm system, the alarm equipment supplier selling, installing, monitoring, inspecting, responding to and/or maintaining the alarm system, the central station protective system utilized, if any, and the name and telephone number of at least two other persons who can be reached at any time and who are authorized to respond to an alarm system and who shall respond and open the premises in which the system is installed.

(2) If the alarm system is to be leased or rented from or is to be serviced pursuant to a service agreement by a person other than the person making application for an alarm user permit, the name, address and telephone number of that person must be stated in the application.

(3) Each person submitting an application for an alarm user permit shall submit a signed statement in the following form:

I/We, the undersigned applicant(s) for an alarm user permit, intending to be legally bound hereby, agree with the Township of Abington that neither I/we nor anyone claiming by, through or under me/us, shall make any claim against the Township of Abington, its officials or agents for any damage caused to the premises at which the automatic protective device or audible alarm system is situated at a time when said premises are or appear to be unattended or when, in the discretion of said employees, the circumstances appear to warrant a forced entry.

D. Any alarm user who installs an automatic protection device or audible alarm system 30 days or more after the effective date of this section shall submit with the registration a certificate of a licensed alarm equipment supplier stating that in the opinion of such alarm equipment supplier the automatic protection device or audible alarm system complies with this chapter.

E. Any alarm user who has registered under this chapter shall promptly notify the Township of Abington of any change in the information supplied on the alarm user permit application.

56-6. False alarms.

A. In order to defray the costs to the township resulting from responding to false alarms, the following fees shall be imposed against the alarm user after response to each false alarm:

Number of False Alarms

Within 12 Calendar Months Fee

3 $ 35.00

4 to 5 50.00

6 or greater 100.00

B. After the alarm user has accumulated two responded false alarms, the Police Department shall bill the alarm user. The alarm user shall promptly forward payment to the Treasurer of the township within 10 days of the date of the bill.

56-7. Violations and penalties.

A. Any person who shall fail to comply with the requirements of written notice of a violation of any provision of this chapter within 10 days of a receipt of such notice, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, shall be liable, on conviction thereof, to a fine or penalty of not more than $300. Such fine or penalty shall be collected as like fines or penalties are now by law collected. Such notice shall continue in force and effect until there is full compliance with the requirements stated therein, and each and every failure to comply with such notice within 24 hours after the 10 days allowed for such compliance shall constitute a separate offense.

B. Any person who shall misuse or falsely activate an alarm system shall be liable, on conviction thereof, to a fine or penalty of not more than $300. Such fine or penalty shall be collected as like fines or penalties are now by law collected. Each misuse or false activation shall constitute a separate offense.

C. Any alarm user who has installed or who has permitted to be installed an alarm system in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter shall be liable, on conviction thereof, to a fine or penalty of not more than $300, together with the costs of prosecution. Such fine or penalty shall be collected as like fines or penalties are now by law collected. Each day that a violation continues after due notice has been given constitutes a separate offense.