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Jun 23, 2023

South Dakota Fireworks On

Pyrotechnics lovers can start to rejoice! We are down to less than a month now

Pyrotechnics lovers can start to rejoice! We are down to less than a month now until South Dakota residents can legally start buying 4th of July fireworks again.

Very soon your radio and television will be inundated with fireworks ads every hour because fireworks officially go on sale in every corner of the state on Tuesday, (June 27) here in the land of the free and the home of the boom.

Those of us who call South Dakota our home can legally buy boxes and boxes of pyrotechnics from June 27 until July 5.

And if the 4th of July doesn't sufficiently scratch your pyrotechnics itch, South Dakota residents can once send skyrockets in flight later in the year. Round two runs from (December 28) through (January 1) as fireworks are once again green-lighted for liftoff here in the Rushmore state to help ring in the New Year.

However, I found that participation at that time of the year isn't nearly as great, as fireworks lovers need to exchange their cans of mosquito repellant for a parka and a warm pair of gloves as it's typically around 15 below zero by that time. You stand a much greater risk of freezing your digits off rather than blowing them off due to a fireworks accident in December in South Dakota.

Yes and no. Fireworks like; sparklers, snakes, parachute pieces without a flare, basically, anything that doesn't have a report is legal within city limits year-round.

However, fireworks that fly in the air with a report (in other words, the cool stuff that goes boom and lights up the night sky) are illegal to shoot inside Sioux Falls city limits.

Should a member of Sioux Falls finest catch you in the act of discharging illegal fireworks inside city limits, you could be subject to a $95.00 fine in some cases.

Someone really needs to remind the people that live in my neighborhood of that little nugget of information. Each year my block sounds and often looks like a war-torn Ukrainian city.

The folks that live on my block can put on a fireworks display that easily rivals the one seen at the fairgrounds. At one point, it got so out of hand last year where I live, that my two dogs still run for cover each time they hear a mouse fart in the neighborhood.

If you plan on camping over the 4th, you should also probably know that fireworks are strictly prohibited in every South Dakota state park.

Here are a few basic rules and reminders courtesy of the National Safety Council:

Have a safe and happy Independence Day holiday everyone! And as Sergeant Phil Esterhaus would say on the television show "Hill Street Blues,"..."Let's Be Careful Out There."

Source: South Dakota Legislature.gov/National Safety Council