Politics & Government

St. Charles County Could Remove Fireworks Limits

Currently, the law prohibits fireworks displays except from July 2 to July 5, but some businesses shoot them off anyway, the new bill sponsor says.

The St. Charles County Council will .

Currently, the county ordinance prohibits shooting fireworks except by permit or from July 2 to July 5.

Councilman Joe Cronin (R-District 1) said he’s received phone calls from constituents complaining about the potential change.

Find out what's happening in St. Peterswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“They’re not looking forward to fireworks going off year round, and for that reason, I will not be backing this,” Cronin said.

The bill sponsor, Council Chairman Joe Brazil (R-District 2) said the county has had trouble enforcing the ordinance that prohibits fireworks.

Find out what's happening in St. Peterswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The wineries have been shooting them off some,” he said. “I knew it was illegal, but I didn’t care. On New Year's Eve, everyone shoots them off.”

He said that in July, the sheriff’s department received about 600 service calls regarding fireworks.

“What a waste of resources,” Brazil said.

He noted the current ordinance allows for public displays with a permit, and some had suggested the wineries obtain permits for the fireworks.

“Guess what? We don’t have a permit process (for fireworks),” Brazil said.

“The cities have ordinances against shooting them off, so why not let the people who live along the rivers and out in the country shoot them off and who the hell cares?” he said.

Councilman Jerry Daugherty (D-District 6) suggested the council discuss the issue at its Nov. 28 work session.

The council could vote on eliminating the fireworks time limits at the Nov. 28 meeting.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from St. Peters