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View recently adopted ordinances as of January 13, 2009 NOT YET CODIFIED OR INTEGRATED IN THIS SITE. (pdf file)

Ordinances enacted through January 13, 2009

Copyrighted by SANTA CLARA COUNTY CODE & Municipal Code Corporation, 1998.

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CHAPTER I.
DEFINITIONS

Sec. B21-1. Definitions.

For the purpose of this division, certain words and phrases shall be construed herein as set forth in this section unless it is apparent from the context that a different meaning is intended.

(1) County. "County" means the County of Santa Clara.

(2) False alarm. A "false alarm" means a police alarm system activated through unexcused inadvertence, negligence or malfunction of any segment of the alarm system where a police emergency situation does not exist and where an alarm report is received by the Sheriffs Department from any source which results in a response to the premises on which the alarm system is located.

(3) False alarm period. "False alarm period" means the one-year period which commences with the date of the first false alarm. Succeeding false alarm periods shall begin on the anniversary date of the first alarm period.

(4) Notice. "Notice" means written notice, given by personal service to the addressee, or given by the United States mail, postage prepaid, addressed to the person to be notified at his/her last-known address. Service of such notice shall be effective upon the completion of personal service, or upon the placing of said notice into the custody of the United States Postal Service.

(5) Premises. "Premises" shall be those buildings, structures, vehicles or other facilities to be protected by a police alarm system and shall not include smaller or discrete subdivisions within such buildings, structures or facilities.

(6) Person. "Person" means natural person, firm, partnership, association or corporation.

(7) Police alarm system. "Police alarm system" means any mechanical or electrical device which is designated or used for the detection or warning of unauthorized entry into a building, structure or facility, or for alerting others of the commission of an unlawful act within a building, structure or facility, or both, and which transmits a signal or message to the County Communications Center when actuated. Alarm systems include but are not limited to automatic dialing devices, hard line alarms and commercial alarm services.

(8) Police emergency. "Police emergency" means the unauthorized violent breaking, and/or entering, damaging or burglary of a building, structure, vehicle or other facility, or the commission of a violent act likely to produce immediate bodily harm, or an attempt or serious threat of any of the acts described herein.

(9) Owner. "Owner" means the person actually responsible for the operation and maintenance of the police alarm system.

(10) Hard line. The phrase "hard line" means a telephone or other line leading directly from the premises protected by a police alarm system or from a commercial alarm service to the County Communications Center, where said line is used solely to report the existence of a police emergency. Hard line includes but is not limited to Ademco alarm systems.

(11) Commercial alarm service. The phrase "commercial alarm service" means a business providing among its services the receiving on a continuous basis of emergency signals from a police alarm system, and the subsequent immediate relaying of said messages to the County Communications Center.

(12) Automatic dialing devices. The phrase "automatic dialing devices" means an alarm system which automatically sends over regular telephone lines, by either direct connection or otherwise, a prerecorded message indicating the existence of a police emergency that the alarm system is designed to detect.

(13) County Communications Center. The phrase "County Communications Center" means the office of the County responsible for receiving signals and messages from police alarm systems and dispatching assistance to the location of such signals.

(Ord. No. NS-632.2, § 1, 5-26-81; Ord. No. NS-632.3, § 1, 2-28-84)

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