Grandview is set for a louder 4th of July this year after the city’s Board of Aldermen voted on June 9 to approve the sale and discharge of consumer fireworks. The amendment was passed unanimously with the exception of a vote from Ward 3 Alderman John Maloney, who was not present.
The change comes after the city held three engagement sessions and conducted a survey to gauge the community’s interest in amending its fireworks laws, said Randy Dunn, the city’s Community Development Director. He added the survey found 70% of respondents were in favor of the changes laid out in the ordinance.
The ordinance permits the discharge of consumer fireworks in Grandview within a special window around the 4th of July holiday. Fireworks can now be discharged between the hours of 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. on July 3, and between 10 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on July 4, according to board documents. If either day falls on a Sunday, discharge is permitted after 12 p.m. that day.
Grandview city staff conducted research on the fireworks laws of other municipalities before coming up with its own ordinance, according to Valarie Poindexter, the city’s communications officer.
Staff also reached out to Grandview’s two fireworks wholesalers, Winco Fireworks and Fireworks KC, to better understand fireworks laws, Poindexter said. She said Fireworks KC did not respond, but Winco Fireworks representatives were a “great resource” on state and nearby municipal fireworks laws.
The city also outlines the fireworks that are still prohibited in Grandview, most of which Poindexter classified as “flying fireworks.” This includes bottle rockets, missiles with fins or rudders, roman candles, sky lanterns, altered or combined fireworks or any product classified as 1.3G professional fireworks.
The ordinance also authorizes the retail sale of consumer fireworks in Grandview for a week every July. The change establishes the city’s fireworks season as June 28 through July 4.
During this window, the city will allow one temporary fireworks operation per 5,000 residents, or about 5 tents. Temporary operations can be run by “qualified organizations,” defined as nonprofit, charitable, civic, educational or religious organizations serving Grandview. The change also allows for two permanent brick-and-mortar fireworks stores in the city, which are allowed to stay open year-round.
However, Grandview residents still probably won’t be able to buy fireworks in the city this year, Dunn said. Officials still need time to come up with an application process before doling out fireworks retail permits. That process usually starts in April or May in other cities, Dunn said.
