On Tuesday, June 27, the Scranton City Council passed legislation prepared by the Police Department, Fire Department, and Law Department to heavily restrict consumer fireworks use within the city.
A change in state law that took effect late last year—Act 74 of 2022—clarifies that it is illegal to use consumer fireworks within 150 feet of any building or vehicle.
Combined with the City’s prohibition on consumer fireworks use on public property (including streets and sidewalks), it is illegal to use consumer fireworks in nearly all neighborhoods of the City.
Residents interested in how the law applies to them can review the graphic below:
Act 74 also authorizes the City to broadly prohibit consumer fireworks use anywhere in the City of Scranton except on certain days on and around Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and New Year’s Eve.
Accordingly, in the limited circumstances where consumer fireworks can be used 150 feet away from any building or vehicle, it will now be illegal to set off consumer fireworks anywhere in the City of Scranton except on certain days on and around the Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and New Year’s Eve.
Even on those days, the allowable hours for consumer fireworks use will now be further limited to either 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM or 10:00 AM – 1:00 am the following day.
City Code currently allows use at any hours on the listed holidays and between 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM on all other days.
The legislation also increases the fine for violating city law around consumer firework use from a maximum of $300 to a maximum of $500 for the first offense, $750 for the second offense, and $1,000 for each subsequent offense.
Display fireworks, such as the Fourth of July Spectacular, will continue to require a City permit as before.
“We’ve heard from countless residents that the excessive use of fireworks in neighborhoods is threatening their safety and their property and degrading their quality of life,” said Mayor Paige G. Cognetti. “There’s a time and place to celebrate. When it comes to dangerous and noisy fireworks in the City of Scranton, there will be very few times and very few places.”
The Police Department will have two officers dedicated to firework safety and enforcement during the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.
Residents are urged to review the applicable law before setting off any fireworks.
More information is available at scrantonpa.gov/fireworks
Last modified: June 29, 2023
