Clark County council weighs 'safe and sane' limits on fireworks after staff reports lower sales and fewer incidents

On April 1, 2026, the Clark County Council heard from County Fire Marshal Donna Goddard and other fire officials about fireworks sales and safety as members considered whether to change local rules.

"We had less fire activity, less complaints, less fire investigation," Goddard said, summarizing 2025 data and a follow-up survey of permit holders. She told the council that most stands reported lower sales in 2025 than in 2024. Goddard said Western Fireworks supplied 26 stands in the county last year and reported about $2,000,000 in sales; she estimated roughly 40 active stands countywide produced a little over $3,000,000 in sales.

Goddard cautioned that changes to the county fireworks code (chapter 5) require about a year between adoption and when new rules take effect, so any change approved now would not take effect until 2027.

Council members discussed three main options: keep the status quo, adopt a "safe and sane" restriction that would prohibit aerial and explosive devices, or pursue an outright ban. One council member said an outright ban would be difficult and described safe-and-sane as a middle ground that could reduce risk while preserving fundraising for booster clubs, schools and churches.

When asked to define "safe and sane," Goddard said the restriction would "prohibit any fireworks that fly, that leave the ground, more than 1 foot, travel more than 1 foot in the air, explode, or travel more than 6 feet across the ground," limiting sales to fountains, sparklers, smoke devices and novelties. She added that aerial fireworks "that go up and go boom" are currently being sold and are the subject of most complaints.

A fire chief from Clark Kalas Fire Rescue, who said he also serves on the Camas City Council, described Camas' recent local action to remove mortars or aerial shells from sale and use after community debate. "Those were the things that we were getting the most complaints about," he said, citing concerns about injuries and fires; he said Camas' council voted to remove those devices beginning this year and that public reaction there was closely split.

By the end of the work session, members were divided but several said they were inclined toward a safe-and-sane approach rather than an outright ban. The council took no formal vote; the chair said the item could be brought back when the full council is present for further direction.