EVANSVILLE – You’ve probably been hearing fireworks for a while now.
The booms get louder and more frequent every year as the Fourth of July approaches. By the time the holiday arrives, they’ll likely resound through almost every neighborhood in the city.
But there are strict times and dates for when residents can legally let those joyous explosives fly inside Evansville city limits. Here’s a rundown of fireworks ordinances for the city, the state of Indiana at large and Henderson, Kentucky, as well as a few other tidbits you may need to know.
Evansville fireworks laws
Evansville’s city ordinance is fairly strict. For the days surrounding the holiday, it limits firework usage within city limits to:
It also designates specific times for the second-heaviest firework day on the calendar: New Year’s Eve. Then, you can start at 10 a.m. on Dec. 31 and keep the crackling going until 1 a.m. New Year’s Day.
The ordinance used to set aside designated hours for Memorial Day and Veterans Day as well, but those were repealed in 2015.
Indiana fireworks laws
Statutes for Vanderburgh County and the state of Indiana are much, much looser.
Under state law, you can light fireworks on your property every day until 11 p.m. On designated holidays, you’re allowed to do so until midnight. Those holidays, which amazingly include every Sunday, are:
Anyone who gets caught ignoring statute faces a Class C infraction – roughly the equivalent of a minor traffic ticket.
Henderson fireworks laws
Here are the rules within Henderson city limits:
Kentucky fireworks laws
According to the Kentucky State Fire Marshal, you’re free to set off fireworks in the commonwealth on your own property as long as you don’t live in a city or municipality that bans them, such as Louisville.
Who can set them off?
Almost any firework ordinance or law limits users to those 18 or older. If you fall below that, you’ll need an adult nearby.
Where can I light them?
This should go without saying, but you should only light fireworks on your own property or somewhere you have the explicit permission of the owner. Evansville’s ordinance bans their use on any city street or public park, and you also have to make sure the fireworks’ remnants aren’t falling on someone else’s land after they explode.
Henderson’s ordinance also nixes usage anywhere within 400 feet of an animal shelter, nursing home or hospital.
What else should I know?
A lot, really, but most of it boils down to time-honored advice you’ve probably received from a parent or exasperated authority figure: be smart. Because while these things are fun, they can be dangerous.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 11 people were killed in fireworks mishaps across the county last year. More than 14,000 people landed in the emergency room with injuries.
The Kentucky fire marshal’s office actually had to remind people to “use fireworks outdoors only,” which means someone has definitely disregarded that advice in the past. It also urges you not to build your own or combine fireworks to create some sort of patriotic Frankenstein-ian monster.
“Our office wants everyone to enjoy the Fourth of July holiday,” Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson wrote in a news release last year. “We just ask that residents be considerate of their neighbors and exercise a little common sense.”
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Here are the fireworks laws for Evansville, Indiana and Kentucky
Reporting by Jon Webb, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
