According to Austin city ordinance, the possession of fireworks is illegal within the city limits. In addition, the use and/or sale of fireworks is prohibited within city limits and within 5,000 feet of the city limits.
The use of fireworks in Austin's jurisdiction could result in a fine of more than $500, and any injuries or property damage resulting from that use could lead to criminal charges.
The Role of the Austin Fire Department
According to the city, the Austin Fire Department's initial campaign involved sending an engine and a truck company to the site of all reported fireworks violations. However, that proved to be quite inefficient and a burden on the city's emergency response network as well as 911 dispatchers.
Because the Austin Fire Department didn't want to undermine emergency preparedness during periods when the public's use of fireworks spiked (such as July 4 and New Year's Eve as well as the days surrounding those holidays), the agency decided to alter its response.
Change in Policy
In the late 1990s, the city set up a hotline where callers could report non-emergency fireworks violations. Then two-person teams (each involving an Austin Fire Department inspector and an Austin Police Department officer) would be dispatched in marked police vehicles to the sites of potential violations.
That campaign would run from 7 p.m. through 2 a.m. on holidays when the use of fireworks was expected.
The Role of the Austin Police Department
Once the City of Austin's 311 system was established in 2001 and expanded in 2004, the role of enforcement increasingly became an Austin Police Department responsibility. When potential violations are reported to the city's non-emergency line, dispatchers send police units out to enforce the city fireworks ordinance.
The change kept non-emergency calls from clogging up the 911 system. And the Austin Fire Department still maintains a presence on city streets and the city Fire Marshal's Office continues to issue citations and prosecute those suspected of starting fires as a result of using fireworks.