Maryland County Commissioners Section 236E

      (a)      (1)      In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.

            (2)      "Alarm system contractor" means:

                  (i)      A person engaged in installing, maintaining, monitoring, altering, or servicing alarm systems; or

                  (ii)      An agency that furnishes the services of a person engaged in installing, maintaining, monitoring, altering, or servicing alarm systems.

            (3)      (i)      "Alarm user" means a person in control of an alarm system within, on, or around any building, structure, facility, or site.

                  (ii)      "Alarm user" includes the owner or lessee of an alarm system.

            (4)      (i)      "False alarm" means any request for immediate assistance by a law enforcement agency, fire department, or emergency services agency, regardless of cause, that is not in response to an actual emergency situation or threatened suggested criminal activity.

                  (ii)      "False alarm" includes:

                        1.      Negligently or accidentally activated signals;

                        2.      Signals that are the result of faulty, malfunctioning, or improperly installed or maintained equipment; and

                        3.      Signals that are purposely activated to summon a law enforcement agency, fire department, or emergency services agency in a nonemergency situation.

                  (iii)      "False alarm" does not include:

                        1.      Signals activated by unusually severe weather conditions or other causes beyond the control of the alarm user or alarm system contractor; or

                        2.      Signals activated during the initial 60-day period following new installation.

      (b)      (1)      An alarm system that is activated a second time within a 12-hour period when the premises are unoccupied shall be deemed a false alarm under this section if:

                  (i)      Access to the building is provided to the alarm system contractor; and

                  (ii)      An alarm system contractor or an employee of an alarm system contractor responds.

            (2)      If access to the building is not provided to the alarm system contractor, and the contractor does not respond to an alarm system that is activated a second time within a 12-hour period when the premises are unoccupied, each subsequent alarm shall be counted as a false alarm.

      (c)      The Board of County Commissioners of Washington County may adopt regulations for:

            (1)      Registering alarm system contractors operating in the county;

            (2)      Registering alarm users in the county;

            (3)      Providing penalties for failure to register as an alarm system contractor or alarm user;

            (4)      Providing civil citations and penalties for false alarms, notwithstanding Title 9, Subtitle 6, Part II of the Criminal Law Article;

            (5)      Providing exemptions from the issuance of civil citations and penalties for false alarms;

            (6)      Authorizing the designated county enforcement agency to maintain a record of the alarm system contractor, monitoring service, and manufacturer of each security system in operation in the county;

            (7)      Authorizing the designated county enforcement agency, if it finds a pattern of false alarms attributed to a particular manufacturer's model or to installation by a particular alarm system contractor, to inform:

                  (i)      The manufacturer of the model or the alarm system contractor that installed the alarm system; and

                  (ii)      The appropriate State or national licensing agency or the certification standards entity; and

            (8)      Establishing fees for registering an alarm system contractor or alarm user.