Is it time to change Michigan's fireworks law?

"I know that people like to celebrate," he said, in an interview with WWJ''s Amanda Forrester on Wednesday. "And I think that it's probably something that outstate counties, and cities that are out of the Metro Detroit area, want to have the ability to do. But it doesn't make a lot of sense in a fully developed city like Sterling Heights.

"So, really, for ten-plus years we've been fighting this."

What does Michigan law say?

The core law — known as the Michigan Fireworks Safety Act (Public Act 256 of 2011) — was passed in late 2011 and took effect on January 1, 2012.

Prior to that, Michigan had one of the strictest laws in the U.S., effectively banning any fireworks that left the ground.

Under current state law, local municipalities are prohibited from banning fireworks during specific national holiday windows — most notably June 29 to July 4, and the weekends of Memorial Day and Labor Day, between 11 a.m. and 11:45 p.m.

During this time, you can legally set off consumer-grade fireworks on your own private property. (It remains illegal to discharge them on public property, streets, or sidewalks without permission).

Michigan law, as it stands, entirely strips local municipalities of their authority to stop residents from setting off fireworks during these state-mandated holiday windows.

The 'Safe Celebrations Start Local' initiative

In Sterling Heights, the "Safe Celebrations Start Local" initiative takes issue with that last point, calling for local governments to be given more control over rules surrounding fireworks.

Those calling for the change cite increased fires, injuries, and negative impacts on people with PTSD, and families with pets.

Taylor said there is strong support in Sterling Heights for further restrictions on both the use and the sale of fireworks.

"The vast majority of the people who have contacted me, they're veterans, they're dog owners, they're people with young children," Taylor said. "They don't like that their neighborhoods are turning into what sounds like war zones. And so we just want to be able to exercise some local control here."

Taylor said many Metro Detroit communities just don't have the space for fireworks to be used safely, resulting in a significant increase in 911 calls.

Taylor said police and fire have responded to more than 1,200 fireworks-related calls since 2020.

"Very recently we had somebody who shot off fireworks responsibly, and then they took the debris and they put it into their trash can on the side of their house, and it lit on fire and it lit the siding of their house on fire," Taylor said.

But what about the money?

Looking back to 2011, the state legislature legalized fireworks primarily to capture the tax and fee revenues that Michigan residents were spending by driving across the border to Ohio and Indiana to buy them.

Supporters of the current state law note that Michigan is bringing in revenue through the sale of fireworks, with a 6% sales tax, as well as a 6% excise tax added to sales.

The excise tax supports training for firefighters.

The funds are distributed by the county, and Taylor said it's not close to enough to matter.

"In Macomb County, that's annually about $130,000," Taylor said. "So, you know, for the City of Sterling Heights alone, or firefighter budget is more than $20 million. So, we get about 15% of that $130,000, which is a drop in the bucket."

Residents can find more information about the initiative, and email templates to send to legislators on the city's website at this link.