Chapter 2A

Alarm System Regulations

2A-1. Findings and declarations.

2A-2. Purpose.

2A-3. Scope.

2A-4. Definitions.

2A-5. Registration of alarm systems.

2A-6. General provisions regarding installation, activation and operation of alarm system.

2A-7. Confidentiality.

2A-8. Exceptions.

2A-9. Penalties for owners and users of alarm systems or devices.

2A-10. Penalty for intentional false alarm.

2A-11. Severability.

2A-12. Effective date.

Sec. 2A-1. Findings and declarations.

The township committee does hereby find and declare that:

(a) The occupants of numerous residential and commercial establishments in the township have found it desirable to make provision for the installation upon their premises of alarm systems for emergencies such as burglary and fire.

(b) There have been a substantial number of false alarms associated with the alarm systems which have been installed within the township so that the number of false alarms has resulted in a situation that, if not remedied, will lead to an unnecessary drain upon the manpower, time, space, facilities and finances of the township, its police and fire departments and the deterioration of the quality of services to persons subscribing to alarm system services and inequities among the alarm businesses operating in the township.

(c) The public interest, therefore, requires the enactment of rules, regulations, standards and procedures to regulate and control the alarm business in the township. (Ord.No.83-24, 1.) Return to Top

Sec. 2A-2. Purpose.

This chapter has as its purpose the regulating and control of the installation, operation and maintenance of private alarm systems within the township in order to insure that the quality of alarm services rendered to the public will be maintained at a high level and to alleviate conditions otherwise leading to an unnecessary drain on the manpower, time, space, facilities and finances of the Township of Princeton and its police and fire departments. (Ord.No.83-24, 1.) Return to Top

Sec. 2A-3. Scope.

The provisions of this chapter shall apply to any person, other than the municipality, who sells, installs, operates, maintains or owns any alarm device or local alarm designed to summon the police department, fire department or other municipal agency to any location in response to any type of alarm signal. (Ord.No.83-24, 1.) Return to Top

Sec. 2A-4. Definitions.

(a) Alarm Business. Any business operated by a person, partnership, corporation, etc., for profit which engages in the activity of altering, installing, leasing, maintaining, repairing, replacing, selling, servicing or responding to a fire or burglar alarm system, or which causes any of these activities to take place. Excluded from this definition, however, are retail establishments which sell alarm systems over the counter and do not services same.

(b) Alarm Device. Any type of alarm activating equipment which provides warning of burglary, intrusion, fire, flood or like peril.

(c) Alarm System. The installation in one or more buildings of one or more alarm devices for the express purpose of giving visual and/or audible warning of an emergency such as burglary, intrusion, fire, flood or like peril.

(d) Alarm User. Any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company or organization of any kind in control of any building, structure or facility wherein an alarm device or system is maintained.

(e) False Alarm. An alarm signal eliciting a response by police or firefighters or other public officials when a situation requiring a response by police or firefighters or other public officials does not in fact exist (but excluding an alarm signal caused by violent conditions of nature or other extraordinary circumstances not reasonably subject to control by the alarm business or alarm user).

(f) Independent Smoke Detector. A device giving an audible alarm indicating smoke and/or fire within a structure and not connected to an alarm system or to any external sounding device outside of the structure. (Ord.No.83-24, 1.) Return to Top

Sec. 2A-5. Registration of alarm systems.

No person shall install, operate or maintain any alarm system unless the alarm system has been registered with the police department annually. This registration shall take place between January 1 and January 31, annually, except, if a person installs an alarm system any time thereafter, said system shall be registered within thirty days of said installation. An alarm system shall be deemed registered at such time as a registration form supplied by the police department is completed as to all information requested herein. Among the information to be provided on the registration form is the following:

(a) The name, address, telephone number of the owner of the property upon which the alarm system is installed;

(b) The name and telephone number of the installer of the system;

(c) The type of system;

(d) A list of names, addresses and telephone numbers of the person(s) to be contacted in the event of an alarm or in an emergency situation determined by the police department;

(e) The names, addresses and telephone numbers of the persons or company maintaining the alarm system.

If the following annual registration or renewal of said registration there is any material change in the information previously submitted with respect to any alarm system, it shall be the duty of the user of the alarm system, within ten days of such material change, to file a supplemental or revised registration containing accurate, current information. The sale of a property with an alarm system shall be deemed material change and the name, address and telephone number of the new owner shall be filed with the police department. An annual fee in the amount of twenty-five dollars shall accompany each registration and annual registration and renewal form. (Ord.No.83-24, 1; Ord.No.90-35, 1; Ord.No.93-25, 1.) Return to Top

Sec. 2A-6. General provisions regarding installation, activation and operation of alarm system.

(a) Each alarm system shall be installed utilizing discrete circuitry for multi-purpose alarm systems to insure appropriate emergency response.

(b) Any alarm system which requires for its operation electricity supplied by a public utility may be equipped with a battery rendering it operable in the event of a power outage if so desired by the property owner. Such a battery back-up system shall only be required for any alarm system which will trigger itself automatically in the event of a power outage.

(c) Every burglar and fire alarm system installed in residential one and two family dwelling units and having audible devices installed on the exterior shall be provided with a device which will automatically shut off the exterior alarm after fifteen minutes of activation.

Every burglar alarm system installed in non-residential buildings and having audible devices installed on the exterior shall be provided with a device which will automatically shut off the exterior alarm after fifteen minutes of activation.

(d) Every burglar and fire alarm system not fitted with an external key switch shall be equipped with a time delay of at least fifteen seconds which may include an audible signal of the same length of time, said time delay to be designed to prevent accidental activation of the system. The fifteen second signal, if utilized, shall be audible only within the structure and not externally.

(e) No alarm system may be connected directly to the police department.

(f) No person shall instal, cause to be installed, or permit to be installed, any alarm device, by whatever name known, which automatically selects a telephone line dedicated to the police department or fire department for the purpose of playing a recorded message to report any emergency.

(g) In the event an alarm system, other than a fire or holdup alarm system, is tied into and/or serviced by a central station or answering service, upon activation of said alarm system, the central station or answering service shall verify the validity of the alarm prior to notifying the police department of same.

(h) No police, fire or other public department of official shall be responsible in any way for the resetting or maintenance of any alarm system.

(I) No alarm business or person owning, using or possessing an alarm system shall cause or permit the giving of repeated false alarms, whether intentional, accidental or otherwise.

(j) Any alarm business or person owning, using or possessing an alarm system who may want to know about a response to any alarm by the police department shall contact the department. The police department will not contact automatically any such person or answering service to advise them concerning the result of the department's response to any alarm.

(k) An alarm business having knowledge of same shall be responsible for notifying the police department when one of its customers using or possessing an alarm system sells his property. The alarm business shall notify the police department as to the name of the new owner and whether or not the new owner is continuing with an alarm device or system within the property.

A homeowner possessing or using an alarm system shall also be responsible for notifying the police department of the sale of his property. The homeowner shall notify the police department as to the name of the new owner and whether or not the new owner is continuing with an alarm system with the property. (Ord.No.83-24, 1; Ord.No.90-35, 2; Ord.No.91-3 1.) Return to Top

Sec. 2A-7. Confidentiality.

All information submitted in compliance with this chapter shall be held in the strictest confidence and shall be deemed a record exempt from public disclosure pursuant to state statute. Any violation of confidentiality shall be deemed a violation of this chapter. (Ord.No.83-24, 1.) Return to Top

Sec. 2A-8. Exceptions.

The provisions of this ordinance shall not apply to any alarm system installed on property occupied by any township, county or state or federal government agency or office, nor to an independent smoke detector as defined in section 2-48.4(f) of this Code. This exemption shall not apply, however, to any school facilities. (Ord.No.83-24, 1; Ord.No.85-5, 1; Ord.No.90-35, 3.) Return to Top

Sec. 2A-9. Penalties for owners and users of alarm systems or devices.

(a) Any person who fails to register or annually review said registration form required by the provisions of this ordinance is subject to a fifty dollar fine.

(b) Any owner or user of an alarm system which experiences more than three false alarms within any one-year period shall be required to modify or improve said system with a retrofit which will incorporate into said system a mandatory audible fifteen-second signal which shall be designed to prevent accidental activation of the system, and shall also be subject to a one hundred dollar fine for each false alarm after three up to ten. Any owner or user of an alarm system which experiences more than ten false alarms within one-year period shall be required to disconnect said system for the remainder of the one-year period or for ninety days, whichever is greater; provided that said system is not utilized by a school, hospital or bank. Any owners or users of alarm systems for schools, hospitals or banks will continue to have false alarms after ten answered and responded to by the township police department. All false alarms over ten, however, for said owners and users shall be subject to continued fines of one hundred dollars per false alarm after ten false alarms.

(c) Any owner or user of an alarm system who installs such a system not in compliance with this ordinance is subject to a fine of fifty dollars. Additionally, said owner or user may be required to remove such an alarm system.

(d) Any owner or user of an alarm system shall be notified by the township police department once two false alarms have occurred with said system. (Ord.No.83-24, 1; Ord.No.90-35, 4; Ord.No.93-25, 2.) Return to Top

Sec. 2A-10. Penalty for intentional false alarm.

Any person who intentionally causes the giving of a false alarm shall be in violation of this ordinance and subject to a penalty of no less than two hundred dollars and no more that five hundred dollars for each such offense. (Ord.No.83-24, 1.) Return to Top

Sec. 2A-11. Severability.

If any section, division, clause or provision of this chapter shall be adjudged invalid, such adjudication shall apply only to the section, paragraph, subdivision, clause or provision so adjudged and the remainder of this ordinance shall be deemed valid and effective. (Ord.No.83-24, 1.) Return to Top

Sec. 2A-12. Effective date.

This ordinance shall take effect twenty days after its passage and publication, as provided for by law.

Return to Top

Return to Alarm Menu