Number of vendors seeking fireworks sales licenses down

DES MOINES — The number of vendors seeking a license to sell fireworks is down slightly this year.

State Fire Marshal Dan Wood oversees the licensing process for the state. “We’ve still got a few trickling in. As of right now we are at 592. Last year at the end of the year we were at 791,” according to Wood.

This is the third year that fireworks have been legal again in the state and Wood says the market seems to be figuring itself out. “Yeah, I think the last couple of years has kind of been an experiment for the vendors,” he says. “Where this third year is probably what we’re going to see going forward is my guess.”

Vendors can set up shop in a permanent building, or get a permit for a temporary location. “A vast majority are the tents, and we have very few permanent sites,” Wood says.

Last year he says they had 35 permanent sites out of the nearly 800 total sites. While it is legal for you to buy fireworks and possess them anywhere in the state — the law leaves it up local leaders to decided if you can shoot them of in each city. Wood says they don’t get as many phone calls to his office now with questions about where it’s legal to shoot them off. “The first year we did and after that they got used to cities were controlling that. Those calls have really gone down also,” Wood says.

Those with permanent buildings can sell fireworks between June 1st and July 8th and those with temporary structures can sell them from June 13th to July 8th.