CHANDLER — When Chandler residents celebrate Diwali next October, fireworks will be allowed in the city.
At its Monday meeting, the Chandler City Council granted final approval to an ordinance that brought its fireworks in alignment with a new state law.
Ordinance 5032 allows the city to establish dates each year for fireworks sales and use. Rather than simply allowing no fireworks between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. every day except New Year’s Eve and Independence Day, the state legislature, with widespread bipartisan support, approved Chandler state Sen.. J.D. Mesnard’s SB 1275.
The city’s ordinance was set up to show conformity with state law. In addition to accounting for Christmas, New Year’s and and Independence Day, the state law also covers Cinco de Mayo and the Indian/Dharmic religious holiday Diwali.
The possession, storage, sale, handling and use of specific types of fireworks will be allowed April 25 through May 6, May 20 through July 6, Dec. 10 through Jan. 3, the two days leading up to the the first day of Diwali and the three days of Diwali itself each year.
The use of permissible consumer fireworks will only allowed between 8 a,n, and 11 p.m. May 4 through May 6, June 24 through July 6 and Dec. 24 through Jan. 3.
The time for lighting fireworks is extended to 1 a.m. on the night of July 4-5 and on New Year’s Eve/Day, Dec. 31-Jan. 1.
Council had a lengthy discussion at its Oct. 24 study session about possibly adding more holidays to the list, such as Juneteenth or Chinese New Year. However, City Attorney Kelly Schwab, Mayor Kevin Hartke persuaded the rest of the Council to allow the ordinance to allow the ordinance to go on for final approval as-is, knowing they could meet again and discuss amending the ordinance at a later date.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Arizona municipalities can add or subtract dates or holidays from the list; Schwab did not say whether that was a liberty the council has.
Hartke said constitiuents were promised the ordinance would be in place ahead of New Year’s Eve 2022 in order to have a structured sets of dates this holiday season.
The ordinance was approved by the council on its Monday consent agenda without discussion.
Jason W. Brooks is a News editor for the Daily Independent and the Chandler Independent.
He covers the Chandler area for both yourvalley.net and the monthly print edition while writing for and assisting in the production of the Daily Independent.
Brooks is a well-traveled journalist who has documented life in small American communities in nearly all U.S. time zones.
Born in Washington, D.C. and raised there and in suburban Los Angeles, he has covered community news in California, New Mexico, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska and northern Arizona.
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