Buckhannon’s fireworks ordinance: Here’s when city residents can legally paint the skies

A question at Buckhannon City Council’s June 17 meeting about the city’s fireworks regulations led to discussion over exactly when residents are allowed to set them off.

During council comments, member Pam Bucklew asked how many days around the Fourth of July the city permits fireworks. She also wondered if the city could anything about people who let them off just outside of city limits.

Under Ordinance 418, which Buckhannon City Council adopted in 2017, fireworks may be set off within city limits only between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. on July 4 itself if the holiday falls on a Saturday, as it does this year. 

When the Fourth falls on any day other than Saturday, fireworks are permitted on the Saturdays immediately before and after Independence Day. They are also allowed Dec. 31 to ring in the new year. The ordinance sets no other permitted days.

Violating the ordinance is a misdemeanor. Fines climb with repeat offenses: $100 to $200 for a first offense, $200 to $350 for a second and $350 to $500 for a third or any later offense. City police can also seize fireworks set off in violation, and those can be auctioned off or destroyed at the owner’s expense.

The city has pointed to a few reasons for keeping the permitted days narrow. When the current rules were drafted, Police Chief Matt Gregory said homes are clustered closely together in town, so year-round fireworks would create noise and disturbance problems, and frequent blasts can be hard on animals.

“Another concern that came up a few years ago when this current version of the ordinance was drafted was a concern for animals as well — that if it’s allowed to occur throughout the year, it can be traumatic for dogs and other types of animals,” Gregory said.

Fireworks can also trigger post-traumatic stress symptoms in some military veterans.

The ordinance applies only inside the city. Bucklew noted that people just outside the city limits — including near the hospital — set off fireworks that can be heard across town, and Skinner said the county has no ordinance addressing it.

The full text of Ordinance 418 is posted on the city’s website.

The city will hold its own Independence Day fireworks show on Friday, July 3, as part of Create Buckhannon’s Festival Fridays at Jawbone Park. The free event opens with the System Buckers from 5 to 6 p.m., followed by a city ceremony marking the 250th anniversary of the United States from 6 to 6:30 p.m. and headliner Stonestreet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The fireworks are set to begin around 9:30 p.m., once it is dark enough.

Food will be available from vendors and Create Buckhannon’s barbecue chicken dinners, and Festival Fridays plans inflatables, costumed characters and a climbing wall for children in the Madison Street parking lot and green space, with Madison Street closed to traffic.

City Recorder Randy Sanders said the show can be seen from much of downtown, but Main Street offers the optimal viewing experience.

“You can see most of the fireworks from Jawbone Park, but better views are up on Main Street, toward the Courthouse area,” Sanders said.