Pierce Council Votes To Limit Fireworks To July 4, New Years Eve

TACOMA, WA — The Pierce County Council has approved a plan to severely limit the use of fireworks in Pierce County.

At the council's meeting Tuesday, all seven councilmembers unanimously voted in favor of ordinance 2021-79, which prohibits the discharge of fireworks year round, except for the 4th of July and New Year's Eve.

Previously, fireworks had been allowed on July 1-3 and July 5 in unincorporated Pierce County. Under the new rules, they can only be set off:

• Between 10 a.m. and midnight on July 4.
• Between 6 p.m. on Dec. 31 and 1 a.m. Jan. 1.

The ordinance also gives the Fire Marshal and Pierce County Executive the power to temporarily ban fireworks outright, if fire conditions are too dangerous.

Supporters say the extra restriction is necessary as Washington's summers continue to get hotter.

"Pierce County is experiencing unprecedented, record-breaking heatwaves that are creating extreme fire-risk conditions and that similar conditions are likely to reoccur in the future," the ordinance reads.

The ordinance only applies to the discharge of fireworks in unincorporated parts of the county. Many Pierce County cities have more strict firework restrictions, which will remain in place. Fireworks are totally banned in some cities like Tacoma, Steilacoom, and at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Other cities, like Bonney Lake and Sumner, restrict firework use to just the 4th of July.

The decision is also notable because the same council abandoned a similar proposal earlier this year: Back in June, the council failed to pass an ordinance which would have authorized the Fire Marshal to institute a temporary fireworks ban in unincorporated parts of the county — just like the new ordinance does.

The ordinance will go into effect next year.