LONG BEACH PENINSULA — With Fourth of July festivities taking hold up and down the peninsula through next week, fireworks — and when and where they are allowed — are yet again at the front of mind.

The local fireworks landscape has seemingly changed on an annual basis in recent years, and 2024 is no different. After an ordinance prohibiting the sale and use of consumer fireworks was approved by the Long Beach City Council in the spring of 2023, the ban goes into effect for the first time during this year’s Independence Day celebrations.

Long Beach joined Ilwaco in banning consumer fireworks within their city limits, with the latter’s ban first taking effect last year.

Preceded by years — if not decades — of debate, councilors in Long Beach approved a ban last May weeks after a majority of Long Beach voters came out in favor of such action. A non-binding measure that appeared on that April’s ballot showed that 53.5% of participating Long Beach voters favored prohibiting consumer fireworks in the city.

Long Beach’s ban carves out exceptions for the city’s professional Fourth of July fireworks show, which is staged on the beach the evening of July 4, as well as other “authorized public displays” that receive the necessary permitting from the Long Beach Volunteer Fire Department. A professional show is also still being held at the Port of Ilwaco on the first Saturday in July, which falls on July 6 this year.

Elsewhere on the peninsula

Consumer fireworks remain mostly legal outside of Long Beach and Ilwaco on the peninsula, although new restrictions have been put in place the past few years. The sale of fireworks is allowed from July 1-4 in the unincorporated areas of Pacific County, while fireworks use is permitted from July 2-4. Fireworks can be used from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on July 2-3, and from 9 a.m. to midnight on July 4 itself.

In the past, consumer fireworks were allowed from June 28 through July 5, but the Pacific County Commission voted in late 2021 to restrict both the sale and use of fireworks to four and three days, respectively. Those restrictions first went into effect in 2023.

The discharge of fireworks is prohibited within the Surfside Homeowners Association, according to a list of the HOA’s restrictive covenants.

Fireworks use is allowed on the peninsula’s ocean beaches from July 2-4 in accordance with county rules, but Washington State Parks stressed they must be discharged at least 150 feet from dunes and submerged in water before being thrown away.

High tides of 8.3 feet at 11:13 p.m. July 3 and 8.2 feet at midnight July 4 may serve as natural limits to revelry on the beach. Motorists should exercise caution, as the limited exits via beach approaches tend to become jammed as festivities wind down.

The discharge of fireworks is illegal on all state park lands, including beaches in front of Washington state parks, as well as forests and wildlife reserves. Overnight beach camping is also prohibited.

To see what types of fireworks are legal and illegal in Washington, see tinyurl.com/WA-Fireworks-FYI.