Pa. Law Very Restrictive On Fireworks, Task Force Conducting Checks

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Fourth of July means fireworks and tents are springing up throughout the region, begging the question: are they legal?

The answer is it all depends.

"If it's something explosive or anything that flies in the air like a rocket -- those are the ones that are illegal," said Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones.

Pennsylvania permits only the use or sale of items defined as "ground and hand-held sparkling devices," "novelties" and "toy caps." So it's not legal to sell or ignite products like M80s that explode or roman candles or bottle rockets that shoot projectiles in the air.

One tent in East Liberty sold our intern something they called a legal M80 which turn out to be a non-exploding sparkler device, which is perfectly legal.

"M80S are a little larger in diameter and maybe a little shorter and stubbier and people are expected to get something like that, but that's not the same thing," said Jones.

To be sure, Chief Jones and members of the city's fireworks task force will be conducting routine inspection like this one over the next week. In one tent they were selling only legal sparkler products.

"Everything we see here is in compliance," says Jones. "It's in compliance. There's nothing that shoots off or explodes."

To legally purchase an explosive device, you'd have to travel to Ohio, but you would face a potential fine or citation if you brought it back to Pennsylvania to use it.

In the city of Pittsburgh, last year it issued 53 warnings to people caught using illegal fireworks, confiscating about $2,000 worth of product. But Chief Jones said this year the police and fireworks task force will not be so lenient.

"They'll be out this week looking for people who are selling fireworks or using them," said Jones.

We checked out three other tents outside the city and along Route 8 -- but none would sell our intern anything but a sparkler device, including one tent which sold her something they called a "Legal Roman Candle."

But again, it turned out to be a device that just shoots sparks and no projectiles.

And so all the places we checked were on the up and up, but investigators will still be checking and will be issuing citations to anyone selling or suing illegal fireworks, warning that it's best to be on the right side of the law this Fourth of July.

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