(Reader photo: Solstice Park fireworks debris, July 2018)
Though fireworks are illegal in Seattle, they’re rampant, particularly on the Fourth of July.
They’re particularly easy to get here, since West Seattle is next door to unincorporated King County, where they’re legal on the Fourth and sold for almost a week leading uo to the holiday.
Many on both sides of the line have long called for the county to join its biggest cities in banning fireworks too. The calls intensified after a deadly fire last year. King County Council Vice Chair Joe McDermott, whose district includes West Seattle and White Center, says he supports a ban. Today he told WSB that he’s been working on the ban proposal with both the county permitting division and King County Executive Dow Constantine, and that he expects Constantine to send the proposal to the council next week.
Even if a ban passed quickly, though, state law requires a year before it could take effect, so there would be at least one more year of legal fireworks. When this all came up for discussion last September at a North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting in White Center, 34th District Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon talked about legislation to change that.
Now, he’s introduced it – HB 2307, “to allow local governments to ban fireworks immediately” – and tells WSB it’s progressing in the House. Our area’s senior state Representative, Eileen Cody, is a co-sponsor. The Local Government Committee took action to advance it last Friday, two days after a hearing.
To comment on that bill, you can go here. As for the proposed county ban, we’ll publish a followup when it’s introduced.
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