Clark County, WA Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)
Key Facts
- July 4 use window
- 9 am to midnight in unincorporated areas
- New Year use window
- 6 pm Dec. 31 to 1 am Jan. 1
- Sales begin
- June 28, with a retail fireworks permit required
- Minimum civil fine
- $500 per violation outside allowed times
- Vancouver city limits
- Sale and use illegal; fines of $500 or more
- Illegal device possession
- A felony, per the county
- Nuisance fireworks line
- 360.696.BANG (2264)
Summary
In unincorporated Clark County, Washington, residents can set off legal consumer fireworks from 9 am to midnight on July 4 and from 6 pm Dec. 31 to 1 am Jan. 1. Fireworks go on sale beginning June 28, any use outside those windows is prohibited, and civil fines start at $500 per violation.
Fireworks go on sale in Clark County beginning June 28. For the Independence Day holiday, residents can use legal fireworks in unincorporated Clark County from 9 am to midnight July 4. Fireworks also can be used from 6 pm Dec. 31 to 1 am Jan. 1 in unincorporated areas. ... Fireworks use without a permit at any other time is prohibited. ... Using fireworks is also illegal in city, county, and state parks and public property, as well as land managed by the Department of Natural Resources and the US Forest Service. ... Using fireworks outside of the allowed dates and times will result in a civil fine. Fines start at $500 per violation. Fines for possession and use of illegal fireworks can be steep. Possession of illegal devices is a felony and might also violate state and federal explosive statutes.
Full Breakdown
Clark County sets two discharge windows for unincorporated areas. For the Independence Day holiday, residents can use legal fireworks from 9 am to midnight on July 4. For the New Year, use is allowed from 6 pm Dec. 31 to 1 am Jan. 1. The county's Community Development page states that fireworks use without a permit at any other time is prohibited. Sales open well before use does: fireworks go on sale in Clark County beginning June 28, so a stand can be open for days before any legal discharge begins.
Selling fireworks requires a permit. Anyone who wants to sell legally works through the county's retail fireworks process, which starts with a notice of intent to apply for a retail fireworks permit, includes a fireworks lottery application, and ends with a retail sales application packet. The county tells buyers that the best source is a retailer whose sales location has been inspected, approved, and licensed by the Clark County Fire Marshal. Fireworks purchased outside the county might not be legal locally, and it is illegal to obtain fireworks by mail order or public transporter.
City limits follow their own schedules. The unincorporated windows do not control use inside cities, and the county points residents to a separate chart of legal discharge times for cities in Clark County. Inside Vancouver city limits the sale and use of fireworks is illegal, and violators can be fined $500 or more. A residential address map on the county page shows the days and times that apply to a specific unincorporated address.
Place restrictions apply on top of the time windows. Using fireworks is also illegal in city, county, and state parks and public property, as well as on land managed by the Department of Natural Resources and the US Forest Service. The county also urges extra caution on the Fourth of July because of dry conditions, with a bucket of water and a hose ready, a responsible adult supervising, a clear outdoor area away from buildings, vehicles and dry vegetation, and no attempts to alter fireworks or relight duds.
Violations & Fines
Using fireworks outside the allowed dates and times results in a civil fine, and fines start at $500 per violation. Possessing or discharging firecrackers, salutes, chasers, skyrockets and bottle rockets, M-80s and M100s, or homemade devices and altered fireworks is illegal. Possession of illegal devices is a felony and might also violate state and federal explosive statutes, so the exposure goes well past the civil fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can I set off fireworks in unincorporated Clark County?
Which fireworks are illegal to possess or use in Clark County?
How do I report nuisance fireworks without calling 911?
Where do I take unused fireworks for disposal?
How do I safely dispose of used fireworks and duds?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clark County
Compare Clark County to another location·View the Washington fire regulations overview
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