Franklin rewriting rules on fireworks usage

Next summer, expect fireworks shows in Franklin to go a little later.

The city is revising its fireworks rules to reflect changes to state law, which says Hoosiers can shoot off fireworks for longer than the city ordinance currently allows.

Previously, the city rules caused confusion when police officers would tell residents to stop setting off fireworks at 10 p.m., but state law allowed them to keep going until 11 p.m., Franklin Police Chief Tim O’Sullivan said.

Under the current city rules, residents are allowed to set off fireworks between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., he said.

The Franklin Board of Public Works discussed allowing residents to set off fireworks between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily and between 9 a.m. and midnight on certain holidays, including the Fourth of July and Memorial Day.

The board would need to approve a rewritten ordinance before it goes into effect.

The revised rules also would bar people younger than 18 from buying or shooting off fireworks without an adult present, O’Sullivan said.

State law already says people under age 18 cannot buy or use fireworks, but adding the section will eliminate confusion for residents who look at the city’s rules and don’t see an age minimum, he said.