Fireworks ban lifted in Pierce County city. ‘We still have work to do.’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Edgewood City Council repealed the city’s fireworks ban in a 5-2 vote on April 14.
- Local regulations were lifted officially on April 22, leaving only state fireworks rules.
- Between June 28 and July 10, 2024 there were seven fires and 26 EMS incidents.
Fireworks are allowed in Edgewood again.
The Edgewood City Council lifted the city’s ban in a 5-2 vote during its meeting on April 14. Local regulations officially lifted on April 22.
“We are now only under state firework regulations,” Dave Olson, the mayor of Edgewood, told The News Tribune. “There are still regulations, you can’t light up a stick of dynamite, but no local regulations, just the state.”
During the meeting, Olson said this is part of the city’s plan to issue a modified ban ahead of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence this Fourth of July. In order to pass a modified ban, they first had to repeal the total ban.
Olson told The News Tribune two members of the 7-person council led the charge to lift the ban: Jason Ramirez and Mark Creley.
“It comes down to: there are four members [for a majority] of the council, how do they feel about a fireworks ban?” Olson said. “There were more than four three years ago that wanted a ban, and now there’s more than four that don’t want the ban, so they repealed it.”
A previous council imposed a ban on fireworks on Sept. 19, 2023, which banned the “sale, use, transfer, discharge, ignition, or explosion” of fireworks, unless “specifically authorized” with a permit from East Pierce Fire & Rescue.
Olson said the ban took a year to go into effect, meaning fireworks were not banned in city limits until Sept. 19, 2024. This means residents were allowed to use fireworks for the Fourth of July in 2024, but not 2025.
Before the vote to lift the ban, the city held a hybrid public hearing about fireworks on March 24 at Edgewood City Hall.
‘You can’t restrict the liberties of everyone to accommodate the few’
At the meeting, Creley and council member Jennifer Pazaruski said 26 people at the March 24 town hall were in support of lifting the ban, while 21 were opposed to lifting it.
Pazaruski – one of the two “no” votes – said she wanted to hear from more people before lifting the ban.
“I don’t believe that I feel comfortable voting on this topic for the majority of our community. We’ve had quite a few people for repealing the ban and quite a few people that want to keep the ban in place,” Pazaruski said. “I respect both sides and I advocate for people to have a voice in our community.”
Pazaruski urged the council to follow in the footsteps of Edgewood’s neighbor, Milton, by putting an advisory vote on the ballot. Milton asked residents in 2025 to vote on a measure that would ban fireworks, and voters approved the ban with 791 “yes” votes to 695 “no” votes.
Pazaruski said putting an advisory vote on the ballot would cost Edgewood $20,000 to $30,000.
Ramirez and council member Corbin Edwards pushed back on that, saying the city already received a taste of citizens’ opinions from the public hearing.
“We went to social media, the mayor put out a fireworks thing, my wife said the [Facebook group] Edgewood Water Cooler was blowing up with fireworks things. I don’t follow social media, but how else do we get the word out?” Ramirez said. “And how else do we take the input that the citizens gave and took time away from their family to come speak, and then just kick the can down the road?”
The conversation later turned to the actual ban. Creley said he supported lifting the ban, because state regulations are still in place to prevent dangerous fireworks. Council member Jason Rasmus said it has to do with freedom.
“You can’t legislate who your neighbors are and what they do. You can’t restrict the liberties of everyone to accommodate the few,” Rasmus said. “... I’m just going to vote my conscience. I look at the facts, and I try to take the emotions out of the issue, and look at it from a factual basis, and the last couple of years, we have not had houses burn down. We haven’t had major incidents, this is one of the hardest things for our police force to enforce, and even if they do catch someone, getting them into court and fighting legal battles, it’s all expensive.”
According to city council documents, there were seven fires and 26 EMS incidents in Edgewood between June 28, 2024 and July 10, 2024 – the last Fourth of July season without a ban. In comparison, there were five fires and 40 EMS incidents during that same date range in 2025, when the ban was in effect.
Pazaruski said she still felt nervous to pass it, citing concerns about veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and animals who get scared from the loud noises.
The other opposition voice, council member Christi Keith, said she was worried about the safety risks.
“My concern is about risk management and local governments identifying risks and putting guardrails in place, and what we’re considering tonight is removing a known safety guardrail,” Keith said.
Keith said this topic has been a point of contention ever since 1776, when the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.
“I will point out, for the record, that they were blowing up anvils into the air with dynamite, and we’re not talking about that now. The technology’s different, our fire systems are different, our housing structures are different, entire towns burned down back then because people were doing crazy stuff with fireworks. This is a hard issue and I understand that,” Keith said. “... If we remove the ban and homes burn, then I think that those homeowners will have a strong argument in court. [We repealed a] safety measure that was working and that will carry consequences.”
The motion passed 5-2, with Pazaruski and Keith voting “no,” while Ramirez, Creley, Rasmus, Edwards and council member Jeff Southard voted yes.
“We are not done with fireworks if the ban is lifted,” Edwards said before the vote. “We still have work to do and work I would really like to get done before July 4th so that way, this year, the following year, we have a safe and sane, modified ban in place, which means no more sky rockets, bottle rockets, candles that explode, things like that.”
What are state regulations?
Olson said if you buy fireworks at a city-owned fireworks stand, that’s a guaranteed way to ensure you’re following state guidelines. He cautioned residents to do research before buying fireworks on tribal land, since tribes are not required to follow state fireworks laws.
According to Pierce County’s website, the following fireworks are allowed:
- Novelties
- Multi-Aerials
- Smoke
- Ground spinners
- Helicopter parachutes
- Sparklers/Morning Glory
- Wheels
- Reloadable Mortars
- Cones & Fountains
- Roman Candles
Firecrackers, bottle rockets and missiles are not allowed outside of tribal land, the website says.
State law only allows the sale and purchase of fireworks from June 28 to July 5, and again from Dec. 27 to Dec. 31.
