§ 6-6. Service charge assessment for false alarms; revocation and reinstatement of alarm user permits.

(a)

Civil penalties for false alarms. Each service charge incurred for false alarms at the premises described in the alarm user's permit shall be paid within 30 days from the date of receipt of the invoice for same. A charge will be billed, pursuant to the schedule given in subsections (c) and (d) of this section, for each occurrence and will be owed by the alarm user to the town and collected from the alarm user as a civil debt.

(b)

Excessive false alarms. It is hereby found and determined that three or more false alarms initiating a response from the county sheriff's office, the responding volunteer fire department, or other emergency department within any permit year is excessive and constitutes a nuisance, the cost of which should not be borne by the public.

(c)

Service charge for false burglar or emergency service alarms, apart from false fire alarms.

(1)

The third through fifth false burglar or emergency service alarms within a 12-month permit year will be assessed a service charge of $50.00 per occurrence.

(2)

The sixth and seventh false burglar or emergency service alarms within a 12-month permit year will be assessed a service charge of $100.00 per occurrence.

(3)

The eighth and ninth false burglar or emergency service alarms within a 12-month permit year will be assessed a service charge of $250.00 per occurrence.

(4)

The tenth and subsequent false burglar or emergency service alarms within a 12-month permit year will be assessed a service charge of $500.00 per occurrence.

(d)

Service charge for false fire alarms.

(1)

The third through fifth false fire alarms within a 12-month permit year will be assessed a $200.00 service charge per occurrence.

(2)

The sixth and seventh false fire alarms within a 12-month permit year will be assessed a $300.00 service charge per occurrence.

(3)

The eighth and subsequent false fire alarms within a 12-month permit year will be assessed a $500.00 service charge per occurrence.

The service charge shall be considered a bill owed by the alarm user to the town and may be collected from the alarm user as a civil debt. Each service charge incurred for false fire alarms at the premises described in the alarm user's permit shall be paid within 30 days from the date of mailing of the invoice.

(e)

Permit year. For the purposes of this section, a permit year runs from January 1 through December 31.

(f)

Prohibited acts. It shall be unlawful for an alarm user to fail to reimburse the town in accordance with the provisions of this chapter for responses by the county sheriff's office, the Wesley Chapel Volunteer Fire Department, the Stallings Volunteer Fire Department, or the Providence Volunteer Fire Department to any excessive false alarms.

(Ord. No. O-2000-02, § 6, 5-8-2000; Ord. No. O-2009-01, 2-9-2009)