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New Jersey Licensing law well worth the wait

New Jersey Licensing law well worth the wait

TRENTON, N.J. - A long awaited set of regulations governing New Jersey’s alarm licensing law has finally been adopted by the state, six years after a plan to license alarm installers was first passed. Now installers have until July 13 to file for a license under a grandfather clause that allows companies installing burglar alarms for several years to receive a three-year license in New Jersey. Despite the state signing a bill into law in 1998 requiring the licensing of alarm companies, little action had been taken by the state to move forward on the licensing policy. Items such as education and insurance requirements, background checks and signage on alarm vehicles had yet to be worked out. “The regulations were never proposed until just last year,” said Beverly Lynch, executive director of the New Jersey Burglar & Fire Alarm Association and current lobbiest for the association. Changes in the state’s administration and waiting for the advisory committee to make recommendations on the regulations were among many factors contributing to it being pushed to the back burner, said Lynch. But now New Jersey’s licensing requirement is back on track. “There are a lot of states in the country that have licensing, but New Jersey, with a dense population never had any,” said Chris Mosley, president of the New Jersey Burglar & Fire Alarm Association and president of Complete Security Systems. “Anybody with a toolbox and a trunk in their car could be in business.” Since the licensing regulations were formerly adopted on March 15, the NJBFAA has been busy. The biggest sources of confusion, according to David Berger, a member of the associations board of directors and Northern New England sales manager for Vector Security, is that New Jersey has two licensing requirements now in the security industry. The first license to hit the books in the state covers the fire suppression market and commercial grade fire systems, while the most recent license covers burglar alarms, fire alarms and locksmiths. “In the long run we’re going to be okay, but right now it’s a very confusing time in New Jersey,” said Berger. “Our membership meetings for the last quarter have been about how to fill out the application.” For more information or to download a licensing application, visit www.njbfaa.org.

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