Alarm Ordinance
The Town of Matthews enacted this ordinance to reduce the number of 'false' alarm calls received by our police and fire departments. Annually, our departments respond to more than 2,000 alarm calls, more than 70% of those being 'false alarms'. The ordinance (
click here) requires all alarm systems to be registered with the town. To download a registration form,
click here; there is no cost to register.
- Payment Of Fines: The ordinance also assesses fines for 'excessive' false alarms. Fines must be paid within 30 days of the Invoice date, and may either be mailed, as directed on the Invoice, or paid on-line through
this link.
Child Safety (Helmet) Ordinance
This ordinance (
click here) requires all children & youth under the age of 16 to wear approved safety helmets anytime riding a wheeled instrument (bike, skateboard, etc.) upon a sidewalk, street or any public property.
Noise Ordinance
This ordinance (
click here) sets the community standards for reasonable noise levels, designates absolute (decibel) limits for certain sounds, and established a permit process through which citizens can obtain permits for special events utilizing amplified sound systems.
Peddlers, Solicitors & Itinerant Merchants
This ordinance (
click here) requires any person or business wishing to sell products or services door-to-door or at any temporary location (i.e. parking lots) to first obtain a permit from the town council. Applicants must submit to a criminal history check and permits issued, which include a photo of the permit holder, must be worn or immediately presented when approaching any citizen.
To view all town ordinances, simply click this link: All Other Ordinances
New NC State Law
December 1, 2009 a state law went into effect (G.S. 20-137.4A) making it unlawful for any person to use technology that provides access to digital media including, but not limited to, a camera, electronic mail, music, the internet, text messaging, or games, associated with any mobile phone, while operating a vehicle on a public street, highway, or public vehicular area. A violation is an infraction and punishable by a fine of $100 plus court costs.
To search for other North Carolina state laws, you can go to the General Assembly's official web-site:
http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/statutes/statutestoc.pl