Want to celebrate New Year’s with fireworks? They’re illegal in Tarrant County cities.
Residents of the cities of Fort Worth and Arlington — and many other cities — could face fines if they celebrate the new year with fireworks.
Possession of fireworks in both cities is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of up to $1,000, even if those fireworks are simply in your car as you pass through.
While laws on fireworks vary, the Tarrant County Fire Marshal’s Office said fireworks are prohibited in all incorporated cities in the county.
Mike Drivdahl, a spokesman with the Fort Worth Fire Department, said laws about fireworks are all about safety.
“We do have a very dense population, and if you are not using fireworks in an appropriate way they can be very dangerous,” Drivdahl said. “They can start residential fires, they can start grass fires.”
And they can kill, Drivdahl said. A Fort Worth teen was killed by a firework on July 4 this year, something Drivdahl said laws about possession and use of fireworks are meant to prevent.
Drivdahl advised people who leave the city limits to shoot off fireworks to make sure they are in an area that allows them. They should also make sure the owner of the land consents to fireworks being lit on his or her property, that the area is not overgrown or dry, that fireworks are lit with a long-handle lighter, and that everyone keeps their distance from fireworks that have been lit, he said.
Especially important, he said, is to not light fireworks while holding them in your hand.
Jesse Minton, a spokesman for the Arlington Police Department, said Arlington takes fireworks seriously year round but is especially aware around New Year’s Eve. Last year, the city confiscated 90 fireworks.
“It’s not something the officers necessarily have a lot of time to hunt down, but we do get calls, and if they see something in their regular patrol duties, it’s something we’ll enforce,” Minton said.
Minton encouraged Arlington residents to call 911 to report fireworks any time of the year, including New Year’s.
In Fort Worth, fireworks are considered a non-emergency complaint unless the fireworks have caused a fire or someone has been injured. The fire department takes firework reports at 817-392-4444.
Fireworks aren’t the only thing that can land you in trouble this New Year’s Eve. Officer Buddy Calzada, a spokesman for the Fort Worth police, said celebratory gunshots are even more serious.
“You can be cited but you can also be placed under arrest depending on the circumstances,” Calzada said.
Minton, of the Arlington Police Department, said anyone who fires a gun toward someone, knowingly or not, will go to jail.
“If you fire a gun across a field and there’s somebody there, even if you don’t see them, you’re going to be arrested,” Minton said.
Firing a gun into the air or ground is a Class A misdemeanor, Minton said, which carries heavy fines.
Arlington residents should call 911 with any gunfire reports.
Calzada, of the Fort Worth Police Department, said the same non-emergency number (817-392-4444) should be used in Fort Worth if residents see someone firing a gun into the air or ground.
Minton said Arlington residents can tell the 911 operator if they don’t think it’s an emergency and then dispatch can decide how to prioritize the call.
Both cities said the goal of the laws is not to ruin the fun of New Year’s Eve but to keep residents from spending Jan. 1 in the hospital or a jail cell.
Arlington received 48 shots-fired calls last New Year’s Eve while Fort Worth fielded 63 shots-fired calls between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day last year.
Minton also issued a warning about drinking and driving.
“We especially don’t want people to be drinking at a party and then trying to drive home,” Minton said. “That can be just as dangerous as shooting a gun.”