County Code Sec_11

ARTICLE IV. ALARMS

Sec. 11-47. False Alarms.

(a) Any person who, without just cause therefore, calls or summons by telephone or otherwise, any firefighting apparatus or medical apparatus or equipment, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

(b) Any person who maliciously activates, without just cause, a manual or automatic fire alarm in any structure used for public assembly or for public use, including but not limited to, schools, theaters, stores, office buildings, shopping centers and malls, coliseums and arenas, regardless of whether fire and rescue apparatus responds or not, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

(c) Before any fire alarm, or fire suppression system receives maintenance, testing, or expansion, or is activated for fire drills, the owner or operator of the alarm or suppression system shall notify the York County Department of Public Safety. Failure to do so is punishable by an administrative penalty not to exceed one hundred dollars to be billed to the owner or operator by the County, and paid within thirty (30) days after billing. Any such penalty remaining unpaid at the expiration of the thirty (30) day period may be collected by the County by civil process in the manner applicable to contract obligations generally.

(d) Any false alarm from a fire alarm caused by mechanical failure, or by lack of maintenance as required by the fire prevention code or caused by a failure to comply with recommendations by the fire official issued in accordance with the fire prevention code, or caused by lack of proper maintenance or mechanical failure, shall be subject to the following:

(1) For each false alarm after three (3) false alarms originating from the same premises within a ninety (90) day period, there is hereby imposed on the owner or tenant of the premises an administrative penalty in the amount of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each such false alarm. In no event shall a penalty of more than three hundred dollars ($300.00) per day be levied for false alarms originating from the same premises.

(2) The County shall bill the owner or tenant responsible for the false alarm the appropriate amount of penalty as set forth above. All such penalties shall be paid within thirty (30) days of billing. Any such penalty remaining unpaid at the expiration of the thirty (30) day period may be collected by the County by civil process in the manner applicable to contract obligations generally.

(3) If an owner or tenant fails to take corrective action regarding alarm system problems upon notification by the Fire Official and as required under the fire prevention code the person to whom which the notice is served shall be in violation of the fire prevention code and thus guilty of a Class I misdemeanor.