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A Short Fireworks Season Begins After State Law Changes

Photo of fireworks.
istock.com/Justin Bartels

New statewide restrictions on fireworks means a much smaller window for setting off the colorful explosives this July Fourth and Pioneer Day.

 

Independence Day fireworks are only permitted beginning Monday through 11 p.m. Thursday.

 

Utah State Fire Marshall Coy Porter helped negotiate the new fireworks regulations over the winter with state lawmakers after Fourth of July fireworks triggered dozens of fires last year.

 

One of the windswept blazes scorched a Cottonwood Heights home and burned down a neighbor’s shed. Last year fireworks were allowed for an entire week over Utah’s July holidays, Independence Day and Pioneer Day.

 

“Those seven days are now four — two days before the holiday, the day of and one day after,” said Porter.

 

New restrictions apply around canyons and waterways. Fines and penalties for violating the rules have also increased. And some jurisdictions, like Park City, have blanket prohibitions. Meanwhile, state and federal lands officials have already banned fireworks on public lands in Utah.

 

That’s why Porter recommended checking local community web pages or the state fire marshal web page for details.

 

“We do list the dates, the times,” he said. “And there’s also a link to the restriction maps city by city.”

 

Porter also had this advice: “The biggest thing is just ensure that you’re purchasing your fireworks at a regular stand. Those are inspected by the local fire departments.”

 

Grocery-store parking lot vendors sell fireworks that are designated “safe and sane.”

 

Link to 2018 Firework Restricted Areas.

 

 

Credit Salt Lake County Government

 

 

Judy Fahys has reported in Utah for two decades, covering politics, government and business before taking on environmental issues. She loves covering Utah, where petroleum-pipeline spills, the nation’s radioactive legacy and other types of pollution provide endless fodder for stories. Previously, she worked for the Salt Lake Tribune in Utah, and reported on the nation’s capital for States News Service and the Scripps League newspaper chain. She is a longtime member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors. She also spent an academic year as a research fellow in the Knight Science Journalism program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In her spare time, she enjoys being out in the environment, especially hiking, gardening and watercolor painting.
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