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Council tightens fireworks code; city manager, police and city attorney emphasize education, clarify owner responsibility
Summary
Council adopted changes consolidating the city's fireworks laws and clarifying enforcement. Staff said the approach will favor education and warnings, though the ordinance holds owners or persons in control of property accountable where fireworks are allowed on their property.
The Chesapeake City Council voted unanimously May 27 to amend local code governing possession and discharge of fireworks, consolidating the city’s fireworks provisions and adding enforcement language.
The meeting record shows council members sought clarity about enforcement mechanics and whether property owners could be held liable when fireworks discharged by others landed on their property.
What council heard Councilmember Smith asked how the public would be notified of the change because the amended code includes language that could allow law enforcement to hold property owners or occupants accountable when fireworks occur on their property. City Manager Christopher Price said the city will run community notifications through the fire department and other city channels and that staff would include references to the code changes in those outreach materials.
On enforcement approach Councilmember Knowles asked about whether officers would issue warnings or arrests. City Manager Price and staff were explicit: "We're definitely not looking to try to charge people. It's really about education, and trying to to to get, you know, voluntary compliance," Price said. He added the intended protocol is to emphasize education and issue verbal warnings or confiscate the fireworks rather than pursue criminal charges in most cases.
City Attorney Lindley further clarified the ordinance language: it holds the owner or "any person who basically is responsible or in control" liable where appropriate. Councilmember Newlands read a clause that requires some level of knowledge or allowance — "there has to be some kind of level of knowledge" — before enforcement would be applied to an owner.
Council action Council adopted the ordinance as presented (9-0). Staff said the city will follow an education-first protocol, deploy community notifications before busy fireworks periods (notably July 4) and issue warnings and voluntary compliance measures as standard practice. The city attorney noted the ordinance includes responsibility for owners or occupants in control of property when they allow fireworks to occur there.
Ending: The adoption clarifies the city's code and enforcement intent; staff will implement public-notification and enforcement protocols and provide education to residents in advance of expected fireworks use.
