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.