5.60.030 Alarm—Registration required.

It is unlawful to have or to maintain an alarm system on any premises in the county unless the owner or tenant of the premises has obtained an annual alarm registration from the sheriff’s office. An alarm registration fee of twenty dollars ($20) shall be charged for such alarm registration annually; provided, that no fee shall be charged for an alarm registration for an alarm system which serves the primary residence of an owner or tenant who is economically disadvantaged as herein defined and who presents proof thereof.

The application for such alarm registration shall be made on forms approved by the sheriff. All alarm users in Clark County must obtain an alarm user registration number from the Clark County sheriff’s office alarm center before activation of their alarm system.

Such alarm registration shall expire on the last day of the month which is one (1) calendar year from the day it was issued. A new alarm registration and fee shall be required one (1) year from the date of registration. The alarm registration is non-transferable and the fee therefore is non-refundable, provided that if sale of the premises served by the alarm closes within thirty (30) days of issuance of the alarm registration or annual renewal of the alarm registration, the permit fee shall be refunded to the payee.

In the event that the owner or tenant of the premises fails to obtain an alarm registration for an alarm system, or to pay the alarm registration fee or late payment penalties as provided for by ordinance codified in this chapter, the sheriff, alarm administrator or his or her designee may issue a citation providing for a penalty of one hundred dollars ($100) and ordering the person having or maintaining the alarm to disconnect such alarm and may direct that the sheriff’s office will not respond to such alarm activation at such alarm site until the alarm registration has been obtained and the required fee and/or late penalties paid. PROVIDED, no disconnection or non-response shall be ordered for any alarm site required by law to have an alarm system in operation.

It shall be the responsibility of the person obtaining the alarm registration to update the information provided on the annual alarm registration application/renewal form within ten (10) days of any change in such information including the installation of a major alarm system upgrade. Any alarm audible upon abutting property for a period in excess of fifteen (15) minutes is declared to be a public nuisance and may be summarily abated by any member of the sheriff’s office. Any alarm installed after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section shall have an automatic shut off feature so that the alarm will not sound for more than fifteen (15) consecutive minutes. All existing alarms shall be provided with such a feature in not less than one hundred eighty (180) days from the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter.

If there is reason to believe that an alarm system is not being used or maintained in a manner that ensures proper operation and suppresses false alarms, the alarm administrator may require a conference and an on site inspection with an alarm user and the alarm servicing company responsible for the repair of the alarm system to review the circumstances of each false alarm and determine the best course of action to prevent further occurrence. All costs of inspection and corrective actions shall be the responsibility of the individual having or maintaining the alarm on said alarm site or of the operator of the alarm service. (Sec. 4 of Ord. 1994-11-42; amended by Sec. 4 of Ord. 2004-01-03)