Madison Village will continue its ban on fireworks

Bill DeBus, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·2 min read

Jun. 30—Madison Village Council has declined to have the community covered by a new state law that will permit consumer-grade fireworks to be set off on or around specific holidays each year.

Instead, council approved legislation at its June 27 meeting to reaffirm a village ordinance prohibiting the discharge, ignition or explosion of fireworks in the community.

"We opted out of the state's version of the new fireworks law," village Administrator Dwayne Bailey said.

Bailey was referring to House Bill 172, which will allow people in Ohio to set off consumer-grade fireworks on eight holidays and additional days surrounding some of these observances. Those eligible days include July 3, 4 and 5 and the weekends before and after the Fourth of July; New Year's Eve and Day; Chinese New Year; Cinco de Mayo; Memorial Day Weekend; and Labor Day weekend.

HB 172 takes effect on July 1.

In Ohio communities that adhere to House Bill 172, it will become legal on designated days for adults to discharge consumer-grade fireworks on their own properties or other private properties with the owner's permission.

Examples of consumer-grade fireworks are bottle rockets and Roman candles.

Previously, Ohio law required anyone buying consumer-grade fireworks to take the products out of the state within 48 hours. Up until 2015, buyers of consumer-grade fireworks had to sign a form vowing to keep that promise.

However, HB 172 also gave counties, municipalities and townships the authority to become either partially or totally exempt from the new law by passing opt-out legislation before July 1.

Madison Village Councilman Robert Lee said he was "totally supportive" of the village retaining its law that forbids the discharge, ignition or explosion of fireworks.

Lee said that he recently read a newspaper article which revealed the high number of injuries caused by fireworks each year in the United States. He doesn't want to see any village residents get hurt — or killed — under the same circumstances.

"Deadly things can happen," Lee said.

The community which surrounds Madison Village also has opted out of HB 172. Madison Township trustees, at a June 14 meeting voted unanimously to keep their community's ban on discharging, igniting or exploding fireworks.