Pleasant Hill to allow more fireworks outlets
Posted By J.T. on May 6, 2009
From the Pleasant Hill Times -
By F. KIRK POWELL Editor & Publisher
The Pleasant Hill City Council last week amended its ordinances and removed limits on the number of outlets for the sale of fireworks over the Fourth of July holiday.
In recent years, the city has limited permits for fireworks sales in town to just four outlets.
But instead of protecting Pleasant Hill civic organizations that sell fireworks for a fundraiser as they were initially intended, those restrictions were keeping local merchants out of the business.
Under the amended ordinance, there will be no limitations on the number of fireworks outlets than can be licensed in Pleasant Hill.
The deadline for requesting a fireworks sales license from City Hall will be June 1.
Nevertheless, fireworks outlets must be located on property that is zoned for commercial purposes and sales will be limited 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on July 1, 2 and 8 a.m. to 12 midnight on July 4.
Permits to sell fireworks will still cost $25 this year, but will increase to $50 in 2010. The rest of the city’s fireworks ordinance remains substantially the same.
All fireworks outlets are required to have a working fire extinguisher on site, sales to children under age 15 are prohibited and persons selling fireworks must be age 16 or over.
It will still be unlawful to discharge fireworks within 100 feet of a fireworks outlet or within 300 feet of a gasoline pump. Fireworks may not be exposed to direct sunlight while on display and must be kept in their original packaging.
Finally, signs reading “Fireworks… No smoking” are required to be posted at all fireworks outlets.
After brief discussion, the amended fireworks ordinance passed by a unanimous 4-0 vote of the City Council.
Later in their April 27 meeting, the councilmen closed a loophole in regulations requiring a ‘safe room” in homes built without a basement.
Pleasant Hill community development director Randy Miller pointed out at an earlier meeting that some builders have been circumventing the city’s safe room ordinance by placing a 2-foot to 4-foot wall in the foundation and leaving the rest slab on grade.
Under the amended ordinance, any structures built after May 1, 2009, with less than 70 percent of the perimeter foundation walls constructed of 7-1/2 foot reinforced concrete must contain a safe room that meets federal FEMA standards. That amendment also passed by a unanimous 4-0 vote.
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