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Laura Jirak Otto

City reminds citizens that consumer fireworks are banned inside city limits

Fireworks are available for purchase at various places throughout Denison. The City would like to remind Denison citizens that, residents cannot use or explode consumer fireworks inside city limits. The use and sale of fireworks is in Chapter 50.15 of the Code of Ordinances in the city of Denison. Citizens can enjoy novelty fireworks (see below for definition), subject to the following safety restrictions:

  • No person under the age of 18 shall discharge novelty fireworks without direct supervision by a parent or legal guardian.
  • Novelty fireworks can only be discharged on a homeowner’s property or where consent has been expressly given. A person or responsible party with control of the private property shall be presumed to have consented to the display of fireworks on the property or adjacent way if law enforcement or fire officials observe and document the existence of the remnants of unlawful fireworks on the premises indicative of the use or display of such fireworks.
  • Novelty fireworks shall not be discharged on City-owned or public property.
  • Novelty fireworks shall not be discharged by persons showing visible signs of, or who are determined to be, intoxicated or under the influence of a drug or narcotic.
  • Any person discharging novelty fireworks assumes all responsibility and consequences. No person shall discharge a fireworks device in a reckless manner or in a manner likely to cause death, injury, fire, or property damage.
  • Sky lantern open flame devices are not permitted to be released within the city limits, except if tethered by a retrievable rope so long as the person discharging has control over the sky lantern.
  • No person shall discharge novelty fireworks within areas set aside for special events, i.e., City Fourth of July event from the hours of 10:00 pm the night before the event and ending at 6:00 am the morning following the event date(s).
  • No one shall discharge novelty fireworks at any time if the fire chief or police chief has temporarily banned them due to severe dry weather conditions that create heightened fire dangers.

Novelty fireworks typically produce a much weaker explosion and sound, and are defined as follows:

  • Party Poppers: Once a string is pulled to activate the charge, confetti is thrust into the air and produces a report.
  • Snaps: A small paper bag typically filled with gravel and a few milligrams of silver fulminate will produce a report when thrown at a hard surface or stepped on.
  • Paper Tanks & Vehicles: When lit, these small paper vehicles emit sparks that cause them to move around on the ground and commonly produce a loud bang at the end.
  • Ground Bloom Flowers: A small cylinder that spins on the ground and changes color, spinning in such a way that it resembles a flower. Could be described as a large Jumping Jack.
  • Snakes (Black snake): A small compressed pellet that, when lit, expands into a long snake-like object
  • Flying Lanterns (Sky lantern): These paper lanterns float into the sky when lit. They emit a slight glow and are very commonly used at weddings and celebrations. The free release of these is NOT permitted inside the City of Denison.

Those who violate the ban on firework explosions will be guilty of a municipal infraction and subject to a civil penalty applicable to municipal infractions (first offence is not to exceed $250, second offence is not to exceed $500, third office is not to exceed $750, and fourth and subsequent offenses are not to exceed $1,000.