After a relatively quiet week, it will be loud Friday and Saturday in Salina. Though fireworks have been sold in the city all week, it has been illegal to shoot them. That all changed Friday. It’s now legal to shoot them.

Fireworks can be discharged in the city on July 3rd and July 4 between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. They cannot be discharged in parks, or on other public property. They can only be be discharged on private property.

Fireworks cannot be discharged in streets. Police tell KSAL News that even if a street is blocked off, for a block party or some other reason, fireworks still cannot be discharged in the street.

It is unlawful for a minor to possess and use fireworks without adult supervision.

Bottle rockets are not legal, nor are sky lanterns. A sky lantern, also known as Kongming lantern or Chinese lantern, is essentially a small hot air balloon made of paper, with an opening at the bottom where a small fire is suspended. In recent years there has been growing concern about their potential to cause crop or building fires.

Both the Salina Police Department and the Salina Fire Department can issue firework citations, as can the Saline County Sheriff’s Office. Salina Police will have extra officers on patrol specifically looking for fireworks violations, and responding to fireworks calls. The Salina fire department will also be looking for violators.

The sale, storage, and discharge of fireworks was prohibited in Salina beginning in December of 1965. In 1987 the ban was partially lifted, and things like snakes, poppers, and smoke devices were allowed.

Outside the city limits, in Saline County, fireworks can be discharged between 8 a.m. and midnight through July 5th.