Kansas law allows year-round fireworks sales now, but not in Wichita. Here’s why

Year-round fireworks sales will be prohibited within Wichita city limits, despite a new state law allowing it.

The Wichita City Council unanimously approved a new ordinance prohibiting the year-round sale of fireworks and prohibiting permanent firework retailers in the city.

“This is always a work in progress. … If we allow the sales in the city year round, we’ll have more instances of it going off year round,” council member Mike Hoheisel said.

Dates for firework sales and shooting will be the same as last year: Friday, June 27 through Friday, July 4. Aerial fireworks are allowed, but only on July 3 through 5 from 10 a.m. to midnight.

Aerial fireworks were prohibited in Wichita until 2023. Since then, the Wichita Fire Department says, it has seen less damage from fireworks, with approximately only $10,000 in damages last year.

In years before legalizing aerial fireworks in the city, fire department data shows fireworks caused more than $180,000 in damages.

“2024 was our lowest year to date on the number of fires and estimated loss related to fireworks, and that cause was specifically from improper disposal during that time period,” Wichita Battalion Chief Jose Ocadiz said.

The number of injuries and volume of calls to the non-emergency line for firework complaints remained about the same.

Any person convicted of violating the ordinance could be charged with a misdemeanor crime and fined $1,000 for a first offense, $1,500 for a second offense and $2,000 for any subsequent offenses.

Residents can provide feedback for future decisions on fireworks through a city survey until May 30.

This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 12:57 PM.