Title
Amending Chapter 329.02 of the Saint Paul Legislative Code pertaining to False Alarm Fee Increases.
Body
THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAINT PAUL DOES ORDAIN:
SECTION 1
Sec. 329.02. - Use of alarm systems.
(A) Alarm system user's permit:
(1) Permit required; term. Upon the effective date of this section, every alarm system user shall obtain, for each alarm system, approval from the license inspector for an alarm system user permit. A permit when issued shall be valid for one (1) year and must be renewed by the alarm system user each year thereafter. If a property alarm system user changes, the new property alarm system user is required to obtain a new permit for their use of the property's alarm system.
(2) Fees; exemption.
Annual fee: The annual fee required shall be found in Chapter 310 of the St. Paul Legislative Code. Additional fees may be required under the provisions of subsection (B)(2) below.
Additional fee for late application: A ten dollar ($10.00) charge will be added to the fees provided herein for any alarm system user who fails to obtain an alarm system user permit within thirty (30) days after the effective date of this section, or who is more than thirty (30) days delinquent in renewing an alarm system user permit, or who is a new alarm system user and is more than thirty (30) days delinquent in obtaining a new permit.
An alarm system user which is a political sub-division of the federal or state government, including the city, shall be subject to all the provisions of this section but shall be exempted from the annual permit fee requirements hereunder.
(3) Application: requirements . Any person, employee, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company, or other entity applying for an alarm system user permit shall supply to the license inspector, on a form to be provided, the following information:
(a) The names and addresses of the alarm users, alarm owners (if different than the alarm user) and the alarm company;
(b) The place where the alarm system will be installed and maintained;
(c) The type and brand name of the alarm system being installed and/or used;
(d) The name, address, phone number and business name of the installer of the alarm system, if the permit applicant is the party who is responsible for having the alarm system installed; otherwise, whatever information the applicant has available to provide;
(e) The name, address and phone number of the company monitoring the alarm system;
(f) A list of the name/s/, address/es/ and telephone number/s/ of person/s/ designated by the alarm users as the contact person/s/ for the purposes of alarm-related matters and who can provide twenty-four-hours-a-day availability and has the ability to control the alarm; and
(g) A declaration that the alarm system does not utilize an automatic dialing device.
(4) Issuance of permit . Upon approval, by the director of the department of safety and inspections or the director designee, of an initial or renewal application and payment of the required fees, the department of safety and inspections shall issue a permit and send it to the applicant by United States mail.
(5) Denial of permit . In the event the license inspector determines the application for grant, issuance or renewal does not meet all the requirements of law, the license inspector shall recommend denial and follow the procedures set forth in section 310.05.
(6) Permit to be displayed . The permit shall be physically displayed upon the premises where the alarm system is used, shall be readily visible from the exterior thereof, and shall be available for inspection by the license inspector or by any Saint Paul police officer.
(B) Public nuisance; false alarms; operating without a permit;
(1) Public nuisance. It shall be a public nuisance for any person to maintain or have actual physical control over any alarm system that:
(a) Emits, by an annunciator, an audible or visual alarm system signal more than twenty (20) minutes of continuous duration;
(b) Emits, through the reactivation of annunciator over an alarm system, an audible or visual signal which occurs more than twice in a one-hour period; or
(c) Signals a false alarm.
(2) False alarms; fee schedule . Any person found to be in violation of this subsection shall be issued a warning for the first two (2) violations thereof. A fee shall be paid by the alarm system user to the City for each false alarm in excess of two (2) one (1) per calendar year. The fee shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00) fifty dollars ($50.00) seventy five dollars ($75.00) for the third second false alarm, fifty dollars ($50.00) one hundred dollars ($100.00) one hundred dollars ($100) for the fourth third, seventy-five ($75.00) one hundred twenty five dollars ($125.00) two hundred dollars ($200) for the fifth fourth, one hundred dollars ($100.00) two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) three hundred dollars ($300.00) for the sixth fifth, and one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) three hundred dollars ($300.00) four hundred dollars ($400) for the seventh sixth, and five hundred dollars ($500) for the seventh. The fee for each false alarm thereafter shall be one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) three hundred dollars ($300.00) five hundred dollars ($500).
(3) Use of alarm system without a permit . When the police respond to an alarm at a location and it is determined there is no alarm permit for that location, the alarm system user may be issued a citation by the Saint Paul Police Department for violation of use of an alarm system without a permit. Anyone using an alarm system without a permit must follow section 329.03 329.02 (A) to acquire a permit. Permit holders who are more than thirty (30) days delinquent in renewing their permit will be considered to be using without a permit.
(C.F. No. 1776, § 1, 9-20-04; C.F. No. 07-149, § 85, 3-28-07; C.F. No. 08-214, § 1, 3-26-08)
SECTION 2 (or last section which ever is latter)
This Ordinance shall take effect and be in force thirty (30) days following its passage, approval and publication.