CLARK COUNTY, Wash. — The Clark County Council voted on Friday to temporarily allow firework sales in the days leading up to the New Year's holiday.
The interim ordinance will allow fireworks to be sold starting at noon on Monday, Dec. 27 until 11 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31, according to a press release from the county. The ordinance only applies to the year 2021.
The county's regular code allows fireworks to be shot off from 6 p.m. Dec. 31 to 1 a.m. Jan. 1 each year, but does not allow for the sale of any fireworks leading up to the holiday. Firework sales are usually only legal from June 28 to July 4.
The council adopted an emergency ban on fireworks in June of this year due to fire risks amid unusually hot and dry weather conditions, preventing the usual week of legal firework sales. Retailers requested the ability to sell fireworks leading up to New Year's instead, according to the press release.
“I recommend all residents be aware of when and where fireworks discharge is allowed and to use fireworks safely,” County Fire Marshal Dan Young said in a statement. “While the sale of fireworks will temporarily be permitted over the course of several days, discharge is only allowed on New Year’s Eve from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. New Year’s Day."
The fine for fireworks discharge outside of those times is $500.
The county's firework rules apply in unincorporated parts of Clark County, but cities within the county can set their own rules. Vancouver has banned the use of fireworks at all times, and Ridgefield and La Center do not allow fireworks on Dec. 31.
