Nebraska
NEBRASKA
28-1239.01. Fireworks display; permit required; fee; sale of display fireworks; regulation.
(1) No person shall conduct a public exhibition or display of display fireworks without first procuring a display permit from the State Fire Marshal. If the applicant is an individual, the application for a display permit shall include the applicant’s social security number. Such application for a display permit shall be accompanied by a fee of ten dollars to be deposited in the State Fire Marshal Cash Fund.
(2) No display fireworks shall be sold or delivered by a licensed distributor to any person who is not in possession of an approved display permit. Sales of display fireworks to persons without an approved display permit shall be subject to sections 28-1213 to 28-1239.
28-1241. Fireworks; definitions.
As used in sections 28-1239.01 and 28-1241 to 28-1252, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) Distributor means any person engaged in the business of making sales of fireworks at wholesale in this state to any person engaged in the business of making sales of fireworks either as a jobber or as a retailer or both;
(2) Jobber means any person engaged in the business of making sales of fireworks at wholesale to any other person engaged in the business of making sales at retail;
(3) Retailer means any person engaged in the business of making sales of fireworks at retail to consumers or to persons other than distributors or jobbers;
(4) Sale includes barter, exchange, or gift or offer therefor and each such transaction made by any person, whether as principal, proprietor, agent, servant, or employee;
(5) Fireworks means any composition or device designed for the purpose of producing a visible or audible effect by combustion, deflagration, or detonation and which meets the definition of consumer or special fireworks set forth by the United States Department of Transportation in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations;
(6)(a) Consumer fireworks means any of the following devices that
(i) meet the requirements set forth in 16 C.F.R. parts 1500 and 1507, as such regulations existed on January 1, 2010, and
(ii) are tested and approved by a nationally recognized testing facility or by the State Fire Marshal:
(A) Any small firework device designed to produce visible effects by combustion and which is required to comply with the construction, chemical composition, and labeling regulations of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission set forth in 16 C.F.R., as such regulations existed on January 1, 2010;
(B) Any small device designed to produce audible effects such as a whistling device;
(C) Any ground device or firecracker containing fifty milligrams or less of explosive composition; or
(D) Any aerial device containing one hundred thirty milligrams or less of explosive composition.
(b) Class C explosives as classified by the United States Department of Transportation shall be considered consumer fireworks.
(c) Consumer fireworks does not include:
(i) Rockets that are mounted on a stick or wire and project into the air when ignited, with or without report;
(ii) Wire sparklers, except that silver and gold sparklers are deemed to be consumer fireworks until January 1, 2014;
(iii) Nighttime parachutes;
(iv) Fireworks that are shot into the air and after coming to the ground cause automatic ignition due to sufficient temperature;
(v) Firecrackers that contain more than fifty milligrams of explosive composition; and
(vi) Fireworks that have been tested by the State Fire Marshal as a response to complaints and have been deemed to be unsafe; and
(7) Display fireworks means those materials manufactured exclusively for use in public exhibitions or displays of fireworks designed to produce visible or audible effects by combustion, deflagration, or detonation. Display fireworks includes, but is not limited to, firecrackers containing more than one hundred thirty milligrams of
explosive composition, aerial shells containing more than forty grams of explosive composition, and other display pieces which exceed the limits for classification as consumer fireworks. Class B explosives, also known as 1.3G explosives, as classified by the United States Department of Transportation in 49 C.F.R. 172.101, as such regulation existed on January 1, 2010, shall be considered display fireworks. Display fireworks shall be considered an explosive as defined in section 28-1213 and shall be subject to sections 28-1213 to 28-1239, except that display fireworks may be purchased, received, and discharged by the holder of an approved display permit issued pursuant to section 28-1239.01.
28-1242. Unlawful throwing of fireworks; penalty.
(1) A person commits the offense of unlawful throwing of fireworks if he or she throws any firework, or any object which explodes upon contact with another object: (a) From or into a motor vehicle; (b) onto any street, highway, or sidewalk; (c) at or near any person; (d) into any building; or (e) into or at any group of persons.
(2) Unlawful throwing of fireworks is a Class III misdemeanor.
28-1243. Fireworks item deemed unsafe; quarantined; testing; test results; effect.
(1) If the State Fire Marshal deems any fireworks item to be unsafe pursuant to subdivision (6)(c)(vi) of section 28-1241, such fireworks item shall be quarantined from other fireworks. Any licensed distributor, jobber, or retailer may request, at the distributor’s, jobber’s, or retailer’s expense, that such fireworks item be tested by an independent, nationally recognized testing facility to determine if such fireworks item meets the requirements set forth by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission for consumer fireworks, also known as 1.4G explosives, as classified by the United States Department of Transportation in 49 C.F.R. 172.101, as such regulation existed on January 1, 2010. A copy of the results of all testing done pursuant to this section shall be provided to the State Fire Marshal.
(2) If such fireworks item is in compliance with such requirements and otherwise permitted under section
28-1241, such fireworks item that was determined to be unsafe pursuant to subdivision (6)(c)(vi) of section 28-1241
shall be deemed a consumer firework and be permitted for retail sale or distribution.
(3) If such fireworks item is in compliance with such requirements but is otherwise not deemed consumer fireworks, such fireworks item shall not be sold at retail or distributed to retailers for sale in this state, but a distributor, jobber, or retailer may sell such fireworks item to another distributor or retailer in a state that permits the
sale of such fireworks item.
(4) If such fireworks item is not in compliance with such requirements, then the distributor, jobber, or retailer shall destroy such fireworks item under the supervision of the State Fire Marshal. If such fireworks item is not destroyed under the supervision of the State Fire Marshal, notarized documentation shall be provided to the State Fire Marshal detailing and confirming the fireworks item’s destruction.
28-1244. Fireworks; unlawful acts.
Except as provided in section 28-1245, it shall be unlawful for any person to possess, sell, offer for sale, bring into this state, or discharge any fireworks other than consumer fireworks.
28-1245. Fireworks; when prohibitions not applicable.
Section 28-1244 shall not apply to:
(1) Any display fireworks purchased from a licensed distributor; or
(2) Any display fireworks purchased by the holder of a display permit issued pursuant to section 28- 1239.01; or
(3) Any fireworks brought into this state for storage by a licensed distributor and held for sale outside of this state; or
(4) Any fireworks furnished for agricultural purposes pursuant to written authorization from the State Fire Marshal to any holder of a distributor’s license; or
(5) Toy cap pistols or toy caps, each of which does not contain more than twenty-five hundredths of a grain of explosive material.
28-1246. Fireworks; sale; license required; fees.
(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, hold for sale, or offer for sale as a distributor, jobber, or retailer any fireworks in this state unless such person has first obtained a license as a distributor, jobber, or retailer.
Application for each such license shall be made to the State Fire Marshal on forms prescribed by him or her. If the applicant is an individual, each application shall include the applicant’s social security number. Each application shall be accompanied by the required fee, which shall be five hundred dollars for a distributor’s license, two hundred dollars for a jobber’s license, and twenty-five dollars for a retailer’s license. Each application for a retailer’s license shall be received by the State Fire Marshal at least ten business days prior to the sales period, as set forth in section
28-1249, in which the retailer wishes to sell consumer fireworks. A retailer’s license shall be good only for the specific sales period listed on the application and within the calendar year in which issued. The retailer’s license shall at all times be displayed at the place of business of the holder thereof.
(2) The funds received pursuant to this section shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for credit to the State Fire Marshal Cash Fund.
28-1248. Fireworks; importation into state; duties of licensees; retention of packing list for inspection.
(1) It shall be unlawful for any person not licensed as a distributor or as a jobber under sections 28-1241 to
28-1252 to bring any fireworks into this state.
(2) It shall be unlawful for any retailer or jobber in this state to sell any fireworks in this state which have not been purchased from a distributor licensed under sections 28-1241 to 28-1252.
(3) Any person licensed under sections 28-1239.01 and 28-1241 to 28-1252 shall keep, available for inspection by the State Fire Marshal or his or her agents, a copy of each packing list for fireworks purchased as long as any fireworks included on such packing list are held in his or her possession. The packing list shall show the license number of the distributor or jobber from which the purchase was made.
28-1249. Sale of consumer fireworks; limitations.
It shall be unlawful to sell any consumer fireworks at retail within this state, outside the limits of any
incorporated city or village. Consumer fireworks may be sold at retail only between June 24 and July 5 and between December 28 and January 1 of each year.
28-1250. Fireworks; prohibited acts; violations; penalties; license suspension, cancellation, or revocation; appeal.
(1) Any person who violates any of the provisions of sections 28-1244 to 28-1249 commits a Class III misdemeanor. If such person is a licensed distributor or jobber, the State Fire Marshal may suspend, cancel, or revoke the license for up to three years. The suspension, cancellation, or revocation shall become effective upon the failure to timely appeal the decision under the Administrative Procedure Act or upon an order of the Nebraska Fire Safety Appeals Board upholding the decision pursuant to a hearing under the Administrative Procedure Act.
(2) It shall be unlawful for any person, association, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation to have in his, her, or its possession any fireworks in violation of any of the provisions of sections 28-1244 to 28-1249.
If any person shall have in his, her, or its possession any fireworks in violation of such sections, a warrant may be issued for the seizure of such fireworks and when the warrant is executed by the seizure of such fireworks, such fireworks shall be safely kept by the magistrate to be used as evidence. Upon conviction of the offender, the fireworks shall be destroyed, but if the offender is discharged, the fireworks shall be returned to the person in whose possession they were found. Nothing in such sections shall apply to the transportation of fireworks by regulated carriers.
28-1252. Fireworks; State Fire Marshal; rules and regulations; enforcement of sections.
The State Fire Marshal shall adopt and promulgate reasonable rules and regulations for the enforcement of sections 28-1239.01 and 28-1241 to 28-1252 and, together with all peace officers of the state and its political subdivisions, shall be charged with the enforcement of sections 28-1239.01 and 28-1243 to 28-1252.
