Welcome to the Business Journal Archives
Search for articles below, or continue to the all new BusinessJournalDaily.com now.
Search
State Fire Marshal Iterates Laws that Govern Fireworks
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There is no such thing as a "backyard fireworks permit," the Ohio state fire marshal, Larry Flowers, emphasizes. For this reason, he encourages Ohioans to attend displays of public fireworks hosted by municipalities and licensed exhibitors this Fourth of July 4 holiday rather than discharge illegal fireworks.
“The best way for Ohioans to prevent fireworks injuries is to attend a licensed, professional fireworks exhibition,” Flowers said in a prepared statement. “Keep in mind that even trick and novelty fireworks, like sparklers, are inherently dangerous and can cause serious injury.”
The only fireworks that can be legally purchased and discharged in Ohio are trick and novelty devices, Flowers said. These include items that smoke, sparkle, snap and snake.
Other fireworks, such as those sold at fireworks stores around Ohio, can be purchased legally in the state, but buyers must agree to take them out of Ohio within 48 hours and to discharge them. “You must be at least 18 years of age to buy items such as firecrackers and bottle rockets at the stores you see along the roadways of Ohio,” Flowers noted. “But firing them off within state boundaries is prohibited.”
Stiff penalties remain on the books for the illegal possession or discharge of fireworks. It is a first-degree misdemeanor for unlicensed individuals to discharge fireworks in Ohio, to falsify an application when they purchase fireworks, or to possess them more than 48 hours without taking them out-of-state. First-time offenders are subject to up to a $1,000 fine and six months’ imprisonment.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
CLICK HERE to subscribe to our twice-monthly print edition and to our free daily email headlines.