With the start of the summer holiday travel season beginning over Memorial Day weekend, Clark County, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and partnering agencies are asking the public to follow the rules regarding fireworks.

“Safe and sane” fireworks are the only type of consumer fireworks allowed in Clark County and the local cities and only from June 28 through July 4 each year when nonprofit groups are allowed to sell them for fundraising purposes at locally licensed and inspected stands.  All fireworks, including those labeled “safe and sane,” are a concern during the spring and summer months when the threat of wildland fire is highest in Southern Nevada. Neighborhood concerns about noise, litter, and the use of illegal fireworks purchased outside the Las Vegas Valley are common. No fireworks of any kind are allowed at Clark County Wetlands Park and other local parks, or on public lands in the region including Mount Charleston, Lake Mead and Red Rock Canyon.

“As residents come and go from the Las Vegas Valley over Memorial Day weekend and in the upcoming weeks, we ask you not to buy illegal fireworks sold by vendors outside our area for use here,” said Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, who has been active in working to address the issue of illegal fireworks in area neighborhoods. “The use of illegal fireworks in our community has become a problem that we need the community’s help to solve.”

Officials caution that even approved “safe and sane” fireworks can cause fires and injuries and should only be used with adult supervision. Fireworks that are sold over the Fourth of July holiday are provided by approved wholesalers TNT or Phantom Fireworks. These fireworks have been tested and approved in the local jurisdictions to ensure they don’t leak, burn too hot or project too high in the sky. “Safe and sane” fireworks generally include sparklers and fireworks that keep to a small, circular area on the ground and don’t explode in the air.  Illegal fireworks include firecrackers, Roman candles, and sky rockets – anything made of highly combustible materials. Fireworks purchased from vendors located outside Clark County are likely to be illegal including those purchased from vendors in Pahrump, Amargosa Valley and the Moapa Band of Paiutes.

The inter-agency “You Light It, We Write It” campaign to educate the public about what’s allowed and not allowed – and the penalties if caught using illegal fireworks – will be active over the July 4th holiday. Information about the initiative is available at www.YouLightItWeWriteIt.Vegas.  As part of the effort, residents are urged not to call 911 to report illegal fireworks to keep 911 free for life-threatening emergencies. Instead, the public is asked to report location complaints about illegal fireworks over the holiday online at www.IspyFireworks.com. The information is used for data collection purposes and to plan future law enforcement actions.  Offenders caught using illegal fireworks in unincorporated County areas and the city of Las Vegas face a minimum fine of $500. Legislation approved in 2021 by the Nevada State Legislature allows for fines of up to $10,000 for large amounts of illegal fireworks found within the community.                                         

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Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability.  With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation’s 11th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to 2.4 million citizens and 43 million visitors a year. Included are the nation’s 7th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state’s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The County also provides municipal services that are traditionally provided by cities to 1 million residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning and development.