Utah’s eclectic history as a state is perhaps only matched by its ludicrous amount of beauty. Despite sitting on what is effectively a wide swath of desert, it’s not difficult to find the majesty that both man and nature can create almost anywhere you go in Utah. Whether that’s the awe-inspiring vista of Zion National Park or the casual charm of Salt Lake City’s historic Avenues, there’s a little something for everyone in the “Crossroads of the West.”
That beauty probably helps to explain why Utah has added nearly 1 million residents in the past 20 years, with no signs of stopping. And although one would think it’s the big city (SLC) that’s feeding that growth, it’s actually Utah’s mid-sized and smaller cities that are experiencing the real growth spurt. Thankfully, the influx of new people hasn’t stemmed the state’s slowly declining property crime rates, but it certainly hasn’t helped the slowly increasing violent crime rates, either.
On both ends, Utah is a bit “weird”, which is to say its property crime rate is higher than the national average (1 in 34 chance of becoming a victim), but its violent crime rate, though rising, is still far below the national average (1 in 424 chance of becoming a victim). That said, finding a good home security provider in Utah may help protect you and your property against the growing unknowns.
Home Security Provider Requirements for Utah
Utah has a somewhat long history of being friendly to businesses and safe for residents. At times, those two concerns can come into odds with each other. At the end of the day, however, the consumer usually wins. This is thankfully the case when it comes to home security in Utah.
Utah has several laws in place that put stringent requirements on alarm companies. The most important of these is one that requires a “demonstration of clear criminal history” for alarm company agents. This includes the issuance of a license and license renewals.
The state even has a special name for the law: Burglar Alarm Licensing Rule, which provides a long list of requirements a company and anyone hired by the company must meet. This list includes, but is not limited to, such things as:
- Fingerprinting
- No record of criminal history
- A Utah ID card
- A photo ID
- 6,000 hours in the alarm business (to start a new business)
- Work completed illegally will not be accepted as legitimate experience
As far as disqualifying criminal convictions, Utah’s list is extensive. In fact, almost anything, including convictions involving “pornography” or drunk driving, can cause an applicant to get rejected for licensure.
Additionally, companies can lose their license for varying forms of “unprofessional conduct.” That conduct can include failing to display a license, employing an individual who does not meet the hiring standards dictated by law, using deceptive business practices, or even having a false alarm rate that is 100% above the average for the area.
Utah is a great place to purchase and use a home security system. The state government dictates so many rules and regulations on the industry that it’s easy to feel bad for company owners and workers who have to deal with them. It must certainly feel like walking on eggshells. Nevertheless, if it keeps the alarm company providers in Utah on the straight and narrow, you’ll find no complaints from us!
Erecting Home Security Cameras
In Utah, recording laws are relatively easy to understand: You are free to put up security cameras, but you must be careful when using hidden security cameras. In fact, you can’t even put up a hidden security camera in your own home.
There are ways to workaround the definition of “hidden” camera. The best way is to place signs indicating that a security camera is present and monitoring. As for outside of your home, you are free to put cameras around the perimeter of your house, so long as you are not invading anyone else’s privacy. You can record your property, the street, or even the sidewalk, but not someone else’s house or property. Basically, anything public is okay, anything private that doesn’t belong to you is not okay.
Safety During Natural Disasters
Utah residents are likely to experience frigid temperatures, intense snowstorms, and flooding. Interestingly, terrible weather is not extremely common in the state, and the worst month for severe weather tends to be August, where rain, thunderstorms, and even tornados can occur.
Utah residents must make winter and summer weather safety a priority. For winter, this means having all of the necessary safeguards in place to ride out strong winter storms. Spare food and water should be in place, warm clothes should be ready if needed, and emergency backup power sources should be purchased. Whether you’re using wood or a gas generator, the backup power may be essential to staying safe during the winter if the power goes out.
During the summer, if a flood warning occurs for your area, make sure you know the proper escape routes. If no escape route is possible, stay in the upper levels of your home. In case of a tornado, bunker down in a storm shelter or basement area with no windows, and hide under and behind heavy furniture. As with winter storms, make sure you have emergency food, water, clothing, and energy sources.
Utah can at times feel like one of the last true untouched regions in mainland USA. But with its current population growth rate, that’s not likely to remain true for long. As more people move in, home security will be all the more important for residents, both new and old.