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: The name, address, Fax and telephone number of the alarm business, it's business organization (Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, or Corporation), and Employer ID number (EIN); The number of active residential and nonresidential alarm customers in Prince George's County with which the alarm business conducts business; The name, address, and telephone number of the official responsible for the operation of the alarm business in Prince George's County; Background criminal history information; Complete list of associated (contracted) alarm businesses, including name, address, telephone number, and alarm business license number, that may alter, install, lease, maintain, monitor, repair, replace, sell at retail, service, or respond to an alarm system in Prince George's County; An alarm business that is incorporated in a state other than Maryland, must include on the alarm business license application form the name and address of the Resident Agent located in Maryland. 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 If the alarm business license has been revoked or suspended, a reinstatement fee of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) plus the regular fee must accompany a reinstatement application. An applicant must not conduct business in Prince George's County until the alarm business license is approved. An applicant must give written notice of any changes to the information contained in the application to the Chief within ten (10) days of the change. 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: Fails to perform installation, repairs, maintenance, or other work in a workmanlike manner; Regularly provides customers with faulty, defective, or malfunctioning equipment; Requests a police response to an alarm signal when the alarm user has not authorized the alarm business to make the request; Requests a police response to an alarm signal when the alarm business has been notified that the alarm user has not: Registered the user's alarm system as required under Section 9-211; Paid an alarm response fee due under Section 9-212 or appealed the false alarm; Conformed their alarm system to County installation standards under Section 9-202; Does not comply with procedures for requesting a police response to an alarm signal established under Section 9-223; Submits false information on an alarm business license application; Enters into a contract regarding their business in the County with an alarm business that does not have a valid alarm business license; Had a similar license suspended, revoked, or refused in another jurisdiction; Knowingly, after reasonable inquiry, has an officer, manager, agent, or employee involved in the sale, installation, monitoring, or maintenance of alarm systems who has been convicted of a felony, or a misdemeanor involving theft, within the past seven (7) years; or Violates any other provision of this Division; or any other law or regulation relating to the sale installation, monitoring, or maintenance of alarm systems. 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. Before requesting a police response to an alarm signal, an alarm business must attempt to verify every alarm signal, except a duress alarm activation, by a telephone call to the alarm user or other person(s) designated by the alarm user. An alarm business must not request a police response to an alarm signal until the alarm system has been properly licensed. An alarm business must provide the following information when contacting the Police Emergency Communications Center (ECC), to report an activated alarm signal and to request a police response: Name of the alarm business reporting the activated alarm, name or employee number of the alarm business employee making the report, and a toll-free call-back telephone number; Registration number issued to the alarm user; Location of the activated alarm, including complete business or homeowner's name, street address, and telephone number; Type of alarm (such as audible or silent, robbery, hold-up, duress, panic, burglary). If the alarm system is zoned, give the specific location of the alarm activation (such as interior, perimeter, vault, motion detection); Any available information about the nonresidential site (such as if the business is open or closed, guards on site, guard dogs, dangerous or special conditions within the location); Any available information about the residential site (such as if the homeowner is present or out of town, presence of pets, handicapped individuals, etc.); If a representative of the alarm user or alarm monitoring company is responding and their estimated time of arrival. An alarm monitoring business shall not request a police response to an alarm signal if the alarm business has been notified by the Chief that the alarm user has an unpaid alarm response fee due and has not appealed the false alarm, or if the alarm user has been notified that the alarm system does not conform to the installation standards under this Subtitle. An alarm monitoring business must cancel any request for police response immediately when the alarm business determines that the alarm signal is a false alarm. 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.