Bozeman City Commission passes provisional ordinance to ban fireworks

BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Bozeman City Commission passed a provisional ordinance at their Tuesday night meeting to ban fireworks within the city, as a response to growing population and housing density. 

The council will make a final vote again in two weeks to determine whether they will go through with proposed ordinance 2134, said Bozeman Fire Chief Josh Waldo. 

The original ordinance passed in 2004 that allows the sale and use of fireworks within city limits is outdated, Waldo said. Since 2004, the city has grown, population and housing density have grown and we are now facing drought conditions, which makes discharging fireworks more dangerous. 

“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 new ordinance would ban the sale and use of fireworks within the city and surrounding county enclaves within city limits. 

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. 

If the commission votes in favor of the ordinance at its second reading, it will go into effect 30 days after its passing.