There are always plenty of fireworks on July 4. But a change in state law beginning July 1 will open the door for a host of new types of fireworks that can be fired year-round by regular people, not just the experts.
The new law “drastically changed the definition of fireworks in Georgia,” Peachtree City Fire Chief Joe O’Conor told the Peachtree City Council recently. “It’s no longer just sparklers. Now if you can buy it, you can blow it up.”
The new law provides for plenty of things to blow up, such as firecrackers, blank cartridges, rockets, bombs and, of course, sparklers, O’Conor said in the presentation.
“You can’t tell people what they can do on their land,” O’Conor said of the change in the law. “I think this will be a very loud July 4.”
Those wanting to take advantage of the new law will have plenty of opportunity. The times fireworks will be allowed on any day from 10 a.m. until midnight. Exceptions to the rule are July 3 and 4, when the times will be 10 a.m. until 2 a.m., and on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, also from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Shooting off fireworks outside the prescribed times will require a special permit with a maximum fee of $100.
Responding to a question, city attorney Ted Meeker said the law does not address the issue of fireworks landing on adjacent property.
O’Conor said the fire department would educate the public on the new law.
Fireworks sales can occur at a licensed distributor at a fireworks retail facility that is compliant with National Fire Protection Association requirements. A city cannot restrict fireworks sales through additional regulations, though a city can control sales locations through zoning regulations.
Fireworks can be sold from temporary stands as long as those operations are licensed through the local fire department. The fee expires after 90 days. The license can carry a maximum fee of $500, with the requirement that those funds be used for public safety.
O’Conor said he anticipates only one temporary stand in Peachtree City.
Additional provisions state that the licensed distributor of a retail facility may operate a maximum of two temporary stands in the same county. A licensed distributor within 75 miles of a county can operate one stand if the county does not have a licensed distributor.
When it comes to restrictions on the use of fireworks, there are a few. The laws states that no fireworks are allowed within 100 yards of a gas station, gasoline processing facility or a nuclear power facility. Beyond that, cities cannot prohibit the use of fireworks unless forbidden by state law, though Peachtree City can prohibit use on city-owned property.
There are a few things still considered illegal. Those include balloons, bags parachutes or other devices requiring an open fire underneath for propulsion and floating lanterns using a flame to create a lighting effect in any public waterway, pond, stream or river.
Below, Peachtree City resident Jeff Lange took several shots in 2014 of the annual Peachtree City fireworks display over Lake Peachtree.
