Bozeman City Commission passes provisional ordinance to ban fireworks

Bozeman, Montana – In response to rising population and housing density, the Bozeman City Commission adopted a provisional ordinance on Tuesday night to outlaw fireworks in the city.

According to Josh Waldo, chief of the Bozeman Fire Department, the council will hold a second final vote on proposed ordinance 2134 in two weeks.

According to Waldo, the original 2004 ordinance allowing the sale and use of pyrotechnics inside the city borders is no longer valid. Since 2004, the city has expanded, the population and housing density have increased, and we are currently experiencing dry conditions, which increases the threat of setting off fireworks.

“We’ve got a lot of neighbors who are dealing with other concerns that are brought on by the fireworks, and it’s just time to have a good healthy conversation with the commission and see what direction they’d like to pursue in the future,” he said.

The proposed law would outlaw the sale and usage of fireworks inside city lines as well as in any outlying county communities.

I’m gonna support this. I agree with my colleagues. I appreciate this coming forward and I want the community to remember and to think we’re still gonna, we’re gonna have a Fourth of July celebration. And everybody will be invited to it,” said Mayor Cyndy Andrus at the meeting.

The ordinance will become effective 30 days after the commission approves it on the second reading.