With Memorial Day weekend kicking off the start of the summer travel season, Clark County, the city of Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and partnering agencies are asking the public to follow the rules regarding fireworks.
The only type of consumer fireworks allowed in Clark County and the local cities are those labeled “safe and sane” that have been tested and approved by area fire departments for sale at licensed stands for one week each year from June 28 through July 4. All fireworks, including “safe and sane” ones, are a concern during the spring and summer months when the threat of wildland fire is highest in Southern Nevada. Neighborhood concerns about noise, litter, and the use of illegal fireworks purchased outside the Las Vegas Valley are common. No fireworks of any kind are allowed at Clark County Wetlands Park and other local parks, or on public lands in the region including Mount Charleston, Lake Mead and Red Rock Canyon.
“As residents come and go from the Las Vegas Valley over Memorial Day weekend and in the upcoming weeks, we ask you not to buy illegal fireworks sold by vendors outside our area for use here,” said Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, who has been active in working to address the issue of illegal fireworks in area neighborhoods. “The use of illegal fireworks in our community is a problem that we need the community’s help to solve.”
Over the July 4th holiday, local nonprofit groups are allowed to sell approved fireworks at licensed and inspected fireworks stands for fundraising purposes. Fireworks sold at the stands have been tested by fire departments to ensure they don’t leak, burn too hot or project too high in the sky. “Safe and sane” fireworks generally include sparklers and fireworks that keep to a small, circular area on the ground and don’t explode in the air. Illegal fireworks include firecrackers, Roman candles, and sky rockets – anything made of highly combustible materials. Any fireworks purchased from other jurisdictions, including those labeled “safe and sane,” are likely to be illegal because they have not been tested and approved to be sold at local stands during the authorized sales period. This includes fireworks sold by vendors in Pahrump, Amargosa Valley, the Moapa Band of Paiutes or neighboring states.
The inter-agency “You Light It, We Write It” campaign to educate the public about what’s allowed and not allowed – and the penalties if caught using illegal fireworks – will be active over the July 4th holiday.
Information about the initiative is available at www.YouLightItWeWriteIt.Vegas. As part of the effort, residents are urged not to call 911 to report illegal fireworks to keep 911 free for life-threatening emergencies. Instead, the public is asked to report location complaints about illegal fireworks over the holiday online at www.IspyFireworks.com. The information is used for data collection purposes and to plan future law enforcement actions. Offenders caught using illegal fireworks in unincorporated County areas and the city of Las Vegas face a minimum fine of $500. Legislation approved in 2021 by the Nevada State Legislature allows for fines of up to $10,000 for large amounts of illegal fireworks found within the community.
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