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Moab council adopts temporary citywide ban on personal fireworks for July
Summary
The Moab City Council voted 5–0 June 30 to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the discharge of private fireworks and open fires within the city from July 1–31, 2026, citing dry conditions and recommendations from the fire chief and governor's office.
The Moab City Council on June 30 adopted an ordinance extending a temporary citywide ban on the discharge of private fireworks and on open fires from July 1 through July 31, 2026. The vote was 5–0.
Council member Jason moved to repeal and replace Ordinance 2026-10 with the new measure to prohibit private fireworks in areas historically subject to hazardous environmental conditions and to cover the entire city for the July period. "We recommend that you prohibit fireworks for the rest of July," city attorney Nathan said, describing the governor's emergency order and the fire chief's recommendation as the basis for expanding the restriction. The motion was seconded (record shows the second as "Tony" with a one-off spelling variant "Tawny" in the record) and passed unanimously.
Chair opened the meeting by saying the change reflects a rewritten ordinance prepared by the city attorney and an amended map that would apply the ban citywide. Fire chief TJ told the council that current valley conditions are smoky and dry and that multiple fires could quickly overwhelm local firefighting resources: "...we can get inundated. We don't have other agencies that can come in and assist us, rapidly," he said.
The ordinance preserves the licensed community fireworks display but gives the fire chief authority to cancel the show if conditions warrant. The council and staff said they will monitor conditions and may revisit the policy if moisture arrives or risks change. The ordinance's violation section references state code; the record notes infractions and statutory remedies but does not add a new city liability clause for property damage.
