Fireworks Rules Changed In Plymouth Township

PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, PA — Elected officials in this Montgomery County community this week enacted changes to the township's fireworks ordinances, the move coming after Pennsylvania lawmakers recently amended state law that loosened up what municipalities are, and are not, allowed to do as far as fireworks regulations.

The Plymouth Township Council discussed the fireworks issue during its regular meeting Tuesday evening before voting to pass an amended ordinance that regulates when fireworks can be set off on private property.

Under the new rules, consumer fireworks cannot be used between the hours of 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. except for July 2, 3, 4 and December 31, and also when consumer fireworks can be used until 1 a.m. the following day.

When July 4 falls on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, fireworks can be used until 1 a.m. on the immediately preceding and following Friday and Saturday, according to township documents.

The ordinance says that there will be no time restrictions on the use of consumer fireworks on Memorial Day, including the immediately preceding Saturday and Sunday and on Labor Day, including the immediately preceding Saturday and Sunday.

Anyone who violates the ordinance in Plymouth Township is subject to a $100.

The wording of the ordinance can be found here and the entire video recorded meeting can be viewed on the township's YouTube channel here.

Discussing during the evening surrounded Act 72, which Pennsylvania legislators passed this summer that gives municipalities more discretion in how to regulate fireworks within their own borders.

Council members said while some residents would undoubtedly like to see the township council go further whereas restriction of use is concerned, officials said the change in state law only gives local governments so much leeway.

During public comment, one resident questioned whether the township could ban the sale of fireworks within its borders, but officials said state law does not allow for that.

As for enforcement, one council member conceded that fireworks regulations are difficult for local police to crack down on since by the time officers arrive at the scene of a complaint, it can be difficult for officers to figure out where the fireworks were set off from.

The problem is one experienced not just in Plymouth Township but in other surrounding communities in the densely populated Greater Philadelphia region.

Other towns in Montgomery County and elsewhere are also beginning to give another look at their fireworks ordinances after the recent change in state law.