Today, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad signed into law a bill that legalizes the sale and use of consumer fireworks.<\/p>\n
The news is a big win for the state’s fireworks consumers, most of whom previously drove to Missouri to buy their stash.<\/p>\n
That Branstad signed the bill was not a big surprise, considering he told Cedar Rapids’\u00a0The Gazette<\/em>\u00a0in April<\/a> that “we have a lot of Iowans that go out of state to buy their fireworks” and that he was “not opposed to Iowa having access to legal fireworks on a limited basis.”<\/p>\n Bringing those sales back into the state will generate $1.5 million in sales tax revenue for the 2018 fiscal year, according to estimates from the Legislative Services Agency.<\/p>\n The new law allows fireworks retailers with a permanent building to sell their product from June 1 through July 8 and from Dec. 10 to Jan. 3. Retailers in a temporary building or tent can sell from June 13 to July 8.<\/p>\n As we mentioned in the post we wrote after the Iowa Senate passed the fireworks bill<\/a>, citizens can shoot fireworks from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. during selling season, with extended hours for July 4th, New Year’s Eve and several other weekend dates.<\/p>\n The law includes consumer fireworks of all kinds, including repeaters, shells, fountains and firecrackers.<\/p>\n While we’re excited that Iowa is finally getting consumer fireworks, there’s still a lot that we won’t know about which counties and cities will allow fireworks.<\/p>\n The law includes an opt-out clause that allows cities to prohibit the use of fireworks but not their sale.<\/p>\n A recent report from Des Moines’ KCCI indicates that city leaders are already discussing the possibility of opting out of the law<\/a> over safety concerns, and that, according to one city council member, the city is “leaning toward the option.”<\/p>\n In the same article, Urbandale City Manager A.J. Johnson said the city is going to opt-out of the law.<\/p>\n Be sure to check with your local authorities to see whether fireworks will be allowed in your area.<\/p>\n In order to sell fireworks in Iowa, you’ll have to apply for a business license and a fireworks retail license. You can learn about all the details of both at the following links:<\/p>\n The fire marshal’s page will most likely be updated in the next few weeks to include procedures and rules for selling fireworks.<\/p>\n If you want to read through the original text of the law when it was passed by the Senate, click here<\/a> to read it.<\/p>\n Once you’ve read up on what you need to do, license- and permit-wise, to start selling fireworks in Iowa, take a look at our series of posts on How to Run a Fireworks Stand<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe Basics of Iowa’s Fireworks Law: Selling and Shooting Hours<\/h2>\n
The Loophole in Iowa’s Fireworks Law: Cities Might Opt Out<\/h2>\n
Additional Resources: Permits and Licenses<\/h2>\n
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Running a Fireworks Stand in Iowa<\/h2>\n