                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

REGULATION OF ALARM COMPANY OPERATORS (§ 15.2-911)

A. Any locality may by ordinance regulate the installation and maintenance of
alarm systems operated by alarm company operators.

B. As used in this section:
			&#8220;Alarm company operator&#8221; means and includes any business operated
for profit, engaged in the installation, maintenance, alteration, or servicing
of alarm systems or which responds to such alarm systems. Such term, however,
shall not include alarm systems maintained by governmental agencies or
departments, nor shall it include a business which merely sells from a fixed
location or manufactures alarm systems unless such business services, installs,
monitors or responds to alarm systems at the protected premises.
			&#8220;Alarm system&#8221; means an assembly of equipment and devices
arranged to signal the presence of a hazard requiring urgent attention and to
which police or firefighters are expected to respond. Such system may be
installed, maintained, altered or serviced by an alarm company operator in both
commercial and residential premises.
			&#8220;Battery-charged fence security system&#8221; means a system intended
for security that includes a fence, a battery-operated energizer connected to
the fence and designed to periodically deliver voltage impulses to the fence, a
battery-charging device used exclusively to charge the battery, and any other
ancillary components and attached equipment. &#8220;Battery-charged fence
security system&#8221; does not include fencing engineered to exclude or contain
deer or livestock.

C. 1. Any battery-charged fence security system shall (i) interface with a
monitored alarm device in a manner that enables the system to transmit a signal
intended to alert the owner or law enforcement; (ii) have an energizer powered
by a commercial storage battery that provides not more than 12 volts of direct
current and meets the standards set forth in the International Electrotechnical
Commission Standard 60335-2-76; (iii) be located behind a nonelectric perimeter
fence or wall that is at least five feet tall; (iv) be on property not zoned for
residential use; (v) not be taller than 10 feet or two feet taller than the
height of the perimeter fence or wall, whichever is taller; (vi) be marked with
warning signs posted conspicuously on the fence at 30-foot intervals that state
&#8220;Warning &#8211; Electric Fence&#8221;; and (vii) include a mechanism that
allows first responders to deactivate the system during an emergency.

   2. A locality may require: (i) a person who provides or operates a
   battery-charged fence security system to comply with this subsection; (ii) a
   person who provides or operates a battery-charged fence security system to
   comply with the ministerial requirements of an alarm company operator,
   including a permit or registration and payment of any accompanying fee, prior
   to providing or operating such battery-charged fence security system; and
   (iii) an installer, on completion of a newly installed battery-charged fence
   security system, to submit to the locality an affidavit that includes the
   address of the installation, name of the installer, date of the installation,
   and an affirmation that the criteria in this subsection are satisfied.

   3. A locality may inspect a newly installed battery-charged fence security
   system after receipt of an affidavit to ensure the system meets the
   requirements of this subsection. If the battery-charged fence security system
   fails to comply with the criteria set forth in this subsection, the locality
   may issue a citation describing the specific noncompliance and requiring the
   battery-charged fence security system to come into compliance within a
   reasonable period of time. The locality may also impose a penalty not to
   exceed $500 for the first instance if the battery-charged fence security
   system is not made compliant within the specified period of time.

   4. If a battery-charged fence security system meets the requirements of
   subdivision 1, then a locality shall not establish or otherwise impose any
   product, installation, or operational requirements, fees, or approvals for a
   battery-charged fence security system nor prohibit the use of such a system.

HISTORY: 1978, c. 587, § 15.1-28.2; 1997, c. 587; 2022, cc. 43, 44.