Ordinances
City of Wheat Ridge Ordinances
The following are City Ordinances of interest related to smoking on City Property and those that apply to the use of direct alarm services and false alarms reported to the Police Department.
Smoking on City Property
Ordinance 1584 addressed smoking on City Property as follows:
The City Council finds, determines and declares that it is in the best interest of the people of this City to protect nonsmokers from involuntary exposure to environmental smoke in most areas open to the public, public meetings, food service establishments, and places of employment. The City Council further finds , determines and declares that a balance should be struck between the health concerns of nonconsumers of tobacco and marijuana products and the
need to minimize unwarranted governmental intrusion into, and regulation of, private spheres of conduct and choice with respect to the use or nonuse of tobacco and marijuana products in certain designated public areas and in private
places. Therefore, the City Council hereby declares that the purpose of this Article is to preserve and improve the health, comfort, and environment of the people of this City by limiting exposure to tobacco and marijuana smoke.
Some restrictions are as follows but additional information can be found in Ordinance 1584
In order to reduce the levels of exposure to environmental smoke, smoking shall not be permitted and no person shall smoke in any indoor area, including but not limited to:
- Public meeting places
- Elevators
- Government-owned or operated means of mass transportation, including , but not limited to, buses , vans , and trains
- Taxicabs and limousines
- Grocery stores
- Gymnasiums
- Jury waiting and deliberation rooms;
- Courtrooms
- Child day care facilities
- Health care facilities including hospitals, health care clinics , doctor's
offices, and other health care related facilities
Direct Alarm Systems
Section 19-115 Direct alarms prohibited: exceptions.
a) It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, lease, install, maintain or have in operation on his premises in the City, any direct alarm device.b) The provisions of subsection (a) shall not apply to nursing homes, day care centers, hospitals, schools, or treatment centers, or where the use of such device is required by virtue of federal, state or city regulations, law or ordinance such as an FDIC-insured institution or where the chief of police in his discretion determines that a pattern of crimes or the reoccurrence of criminal activity justifies installing direct alarm devices in specific locations until the chief further determines that the criminal pattern or reoccurring criminal activity has ceased, or that maintenance of such direct alarm devices is no longer necessary.
False Alarms
Section 19-118 Charges for false alarms.
No alarm user shall be charged for any of the first twelve (12) false alarms in any one (1) calendar year, provided that not more than three (3) such false alarms occur in any calendar month. The first false alarm after twelve (12) in any one (1) year or three (3) in any calendar month shall result in a charge being imposed in the amount of twenty-five dollars ($25.00), the second false alarm shall result in a charge of fifty dollars ($50.00) and all subsequent false alarms shall result in a charge of one hundred dollars ($100.00).
For additional City ordinances, please visit Ordinances and Resolutions.