Subdivision 3. Alarm Business License

Any person engaging in an alarm business in Prince George's County must apply to the Chief of Police for a license to operate as an alarm business. Such application must be signed by either the owner of the business for a sole proprietorship, one partner for a partnership, or a corporate officer for a corporation, and must be approved by the Chief.

The license application must include:

License applications must be accompanied by a biennial, nonrefundable processing fee of Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00), which will be due and payable biennially on the anniversary of the issuance of the alarm business license. If the alarm business license has been revoked or suspended, a reinstatement fee of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) plus the regular fee must accompany a reinstatement application.

Should an alarm business license be suspended, revoked, or refused, the alarm business must notify, by first class mail, within five (5) days, each of its alarm users that the alarm business is unable to request Prince George's County Police dispatch to the user's alarm system for the duration of the suspension, revocation, or refusal. The alarm business must also provide the Chief, by first class mail, within five (5) days, a list containing the name and complete address of the alarm business's registered alarm users.

A licensed alarm business must not enter into a contract regarding their business in the County with an alarm business that does not have a valid County alarm business license.

The owner, partner, or corporate officer of an alarm business must conduct a criminal history background check on all employees of the alarm business involved in the sale, installation, monitoring, or maintenance of an alarm system. The background check must cover the past seven (7) years.

Any licensee or applicant who requests a hearing before the Chief to show cause why an alarm business license should not be revoked or suspended or the license application should be granted or renewed must include an appeal filing fee of $150.00.

An alarm business without a current County license must not request a police response to an alarm signal from an alarm system in the County.

The Chief of Police may refuse to grant a license under this Division to an alarm business, and may suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew the license of an alarm business, if he finds that the alarm business:

Before revoking, suspending, or refusing to grant or renew a license under this Section, the Chief must give the licensee an opportunity for a hearing to show cause why the license should not be revoked or suspended, or the license application should be granted or renewed. The licensee or applicant must be given fifteen (15) days written notice of the hearing, by personal service or certified mail delivered to the last address provided by the licensee or applicant. The notice must specify the time, date, and place of the hearing, and must contain sufficient information to give the licensee or applicant notice of the nature of the complaint. The notice must specify that the licensee or applicant has a right to representation by counsel and that the licensee's license may be suspended or revoked or the applicant's license may not be granted or renewed by the County.

Any appeal of a decision of the Chief to suspend, revoke, or deny an alarm business license must be made to the Prince George's County Board of Administrative Appeals within ten (10) days after notification of the Chief's decision.

An alarm business that installs, causes to be installed, permits to be installed, alters, maintains, repairs, replaces, services, or monitors any alarm system must ensure that an alarm user has obtained a permit for the alarm system before the alarm system is activated or placed into service.

The alarm business must provide a certification to the alarm user that the system has been installed or currently meets the alarm system requirements of Division 2, Subdivisions 1 and 2 of this Subtitle. This certification, which must be submitted with the permit application, must also state that the person designated by the alarm user as responsible for alarm system operation has received training sufficient to prepare the alarm user to operate the system without false alarms caused by improper operation and that the alarm user has been informed that they must obtain a permit from the Chief of Police before police dispatch may be requested by an alarm monitoring business.

An alarm business that sells at retail any alarm system or equipment to an alarm user must provide the purchaser the proper alarm user permit information, including, but not limited to, a summary of the alarm user law, the application form and fee information, and the requirement that a certification from a licensed burglar and holdup alarm contractor must accompany the permit application.

Procedures to request police response.

An alarm monitoring business must notify the alarm user or his designee in writing within seventy-two (72) hours after the alarm business requests police response to a signal from the user's alarm system.

The alarm monitoring business must keep a record of the date and time for each alarm signal which required a police response and the date, time, and method by which the registered alarm user or designee was notified. Such records must be retained for at least one (1) year and must be made available for inspection within five (5) days, upon request by the Chief or a representative designated to inspect such records.