Be safe this Fourth: Grand County’s laws for fireworks
By Sawyer D’Argonne | sdargonne@skyhinews.com
Think twice before shooting off those fireworks this Fourth of July, and you might just avoid breaking the law.
“In Colorado pretty much anything that’s fun is illegal,” said Todd Holzwarth, chief of East Grand Fire Protection District. “Our standard spiel is to leave the fireworks to the professionals, let them take the risk.”
While some of the more exciting fireworks are banned by the state, some home fireworks get the go-ahead. Novelty items such as poppers, some smoke bombs and even sparklers are allowed, though Holzwarth emphasizes caution with sparklers, which burn at well over 1,000 degrees.
As a general rule, anything that leaves the ground or explodes is illegal. And all fireworks are illegal in forests, national parks or any national recreation areas.
“Most of the stuff you think of as being normal fireworks, the stuff we shoot off at the shows is all illegal,” said Holzwarth.
A complete list of rules and restrictions can be found on the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention & Control website.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.
Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.
If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.