Alarm Ordinance

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PALM SPRINGS MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION: 5.02.075 False alarm response fees.

(a) In addition to the fees stated herein, an alarm user may become
liable to the city for a civil penalty for police and/or fire departments
responding to repeated false fire, emergency medical, and/or burglary alarms
emitted by the user's alarm system. A false alarm response civil penalty, in
amounts as the council may establish by resolution, shall be paid to the
city by the alarm user for every false fire, emergency medical, and burglary
alarm occurring on the second and any subsequent false alarms received from
any one source or from any one alarm system within any consecutive three
hundred sixty-five day period. No false alarm civil penalty shall be charged
for false fire, emergency medical, and/or burglary alarms occurring within
thirty days following initial installation of any new alarm system provided
the system otherwise complies with the requirements of this chapter. A
higher civil penalty may be established for each additional false fire,
emergency medical, robbery, and/or burglary alarm received during any
consecutive three hundred sixty-five day period. Multiple false fire,
emergency medical, and/or burglary alarm calls received in any one
twenty-four hour period shall be considered a single event for the purpose
of assessing a civil penalty.

(b) A false robbery alarm response civil penalty, in amounts as the
council may establish by resolution, shall be paid by the alarm user to the
city for every false robbery alarm occurring on the second or any subsequent
false robbery alarm received from any one source or from any one alarm
system within any consecutive three hundred sixty-five day period. A higher
civil penalty may be established for each additional false robbery alarm
received during any consecutive three hundred sixty-five day period as
determined by the police chief.

(c) Any fire, emergency medical, and/or burglar alarm which causes
more than eight false alarms, or robbery alarm which causes more than four
false alarms, may be declared a nuisance, and will be subject to revocation
of permit as specified in Section 5.02.080 of this chapter. False alarms
responded to beyond eight for fire, emergency medical, or burglary and four
for robbery will continue to be billed at the rate specified on the city of
Palm Springs alarm application permit, and the police department will no
longer be required to respond to burglar alarms at such address and the fire
department will no longer be required to respond to fire or emergency
medical alarms at such address once the police and/or fire department has
sent a letter, return receipt requested, to the owner or occupant of the
building advising of the cessation of such service and the police and or
fire department has received the return receipt.

(d) A response to a non-permitted fire, emergency medical, burglar,
or robbery alarm, whether false or valid, shall result in a non-permitted
alarm civil penalty. If an alarm user's permit is applied for within thirty
days of the response to a non-permitted fire, emergency medical, burglar, or
robbery alarm, the non-permitted alarm civil penalty shall be waived.
However, if an alarm user's permit is not applied for within thirty days of
the response, each additional response to a non-permitted location, whether
false or valid, will result in a higher civil penalty, as set forth on the
city of Palm Springs alarm application permit. Should a non-permitted false
fire, emergency medical, burglar alarm frequency reach more than eight or a
non-permitted false robbery alarm reach more than four in any three hundred
sixty-five day period, the person responsible for such alarm location shall
be notified by certified mail that the police and or fire department will no
longer respond to alarms at that location.

(e) All fees established and/or levied by this section shall be paid
to the city within thirty days from the date of the invoice by the holder of
the alarm user's permit or the owner of the premises upon which the alarm
system is located if no permit has been issued for the alarm system.

(f) All unpaid fees shall accrue interest at five percent.

(g) The chief of police or the fire chief may suspend a fee required
to be assessed for a second false alarm occurring with any three hundred
sixty-five day period pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) or (b) of
this section, if the person liable for such assessment successfully
completes a diversion program. (Ord. 1683 2, 2006; Ord. 1678 5, 2005;
Ord. 1655 2, 2004: Ord. 1430 1 (part), 1993)

BAIL SCHEDULE (Effective 8/3/2015):

PSMC 5.02.075 False Alarms Police
Permitted Alarms (Ord. 1678)
1st in 365 days No Charge
2nd in 365 days $150.00
3rd in 365 days $200.00
4th in 365 days $250.00
5th or more $250.00

Non-Permitted Alarms
1st in 365 days No Charge
2nd in 365 days $150.00
3rd in 365 days $200.00
4th in 365 days $250.00
5th or more $250.00