Fiscal Note
There will be a small increase in General Fund revenues derived from permit fees.
Title
SUBSTITUTE Amending Sections 34.105(14), creating Sec. 34.105(16), renumbering Secs. 34.105(16) and (17) to (17) and (18), amending Sec. 34.5601, repealing and recreating Sec. 34.5608, and amending Secs. 1.08(3) and (4) of the Madison General Ordinances to make a more extensive firework permitting process.
Body
DRAFTER'S ANALYSIS: This ordinance makes changes to Chapter 34 to strengthen and extend the City’s firework permitting requirements and clarify the City’s firework and pyrotechnic regulations.
Under current law, the City has adopted International Fire Code standards regarding the permitting of commercial firework and pyrotechnic displays. As a result, the City’s current firework permit is focused on fire safety concerns. In addition, the permit requirements only apply to the contractor discharging the fireworks; they do not apply to the event organizer. This current permit process does not address specific concerns of the City relating the types of fireworks permitted to be used in a show, the materials associated with the storage and use of the fireworks, and special concerns relating to environmental impacts. The current permit, by only being enforceable against the contractor, who is frequently from out of the area, is a limited tool to address concerns that may arise after an event. Finally, the current ordinance is somewhat unclear about what types of fireworks are regulated by the City.
This ordinance clarifies that Sec. 34.5601 only applies to recreational fireworks and specifically exempts these types of fireworks from regulation under Sec. 34.5608. This clarification is helpful in assisting the public in understanding the scope of the City’s regulations and what types of fireworks are allowed in the City without a permit.
This ordinance replaces the current firework permit with three new permits relating to non-recreational fireworks and ...
Click here for full text