Fireworks permitted, with limits, on New Year’s Eve

PALMER — Twice a year Alaskans need a refresher on the rules for lawful fireworks use.

New Year’s Eve — Tuesday— is one of those times.

With the exception of the city of Houston, fireworks are illegal in the Mat-Su Borough, except on New Years.

But on New Year’s Eve, the use of fireworks is permitted borough-wide between 6 p.m. and 1 a.m., except within the city limits of Palmer where permitted use doesn’t begin until 9 p.m.

People need to be on private property to use the fireworks and they need permission from the landowner. Also, someone 21 years of age or older has to be supervising.

Other rules:

• Fireworks are banned in Palmer and Wasilla within 250 feet of health care facilities, assisted living homes, libraries, churches or schools

• The borough actually has the same rule except the required distance from those facilities is 1,250 and churches aren’t included on the borough’s list.

• Fireworks have to be kept 500 feet from a gas station or other place “where flammable liquids or gases are stored”

• You can’t shoot them off, inside of, or aimed outside from inside of, a structure or vehicle

• The city of Wasilla also bans fireworks within 50 feet of waterways or water bodies in city limits.

• The city of Houston allows fireworks year-round, with the caveat that they must be used on private land with the landowner’s permission.

• Fireworks are banned in the borough if the state’s Division of Forestry has declared fire danger to be at a level of “high” or above. This is a change from previous years; part of a raft of changes the borough passed Dec. 17.

• Penalties for violations carry up to a $500 fine.

On Dec. 17 the borough passed several changes to its fireworks rules but those mostly had to do with fireworks used for community displays and other major events.

Notable changes include:

• Removal of the requirements that the borough approve a permit for a fireworks display, leaving that permit up to the state fire marshal or a local designee to issue and enforce.

• Closing of a loophole that had previously allowed fireworks without a permit at sporting events or parades.

• Removal of a requirement that the permit holder post a $1 million bond to pay for damage caused if the display goes wrong.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.