Reminder: Fireworks are banned in local towns

If you’re wanting to buy and use fireworks legally this New Year’s Eve, you’re going to need to stay outside town limits in southern Denton County.

Despite how easy it is to buy fireworks at stands just outside town limits, you are still not allowed to possess or use them in Argyle, Copper Canyon, Denton, Double Oak, Flower Mound and Highland Village, which all have had ordinances banning fireworks for years. The Lantana Community Association banned fireworks in 2012 after several grass fires sparked by fireworks threatened homes on New Year’s Eve. The towns of Bartonville and Northlake last year changed their ordinances to join the other local towns in banning possession and use of fireworks within their borders, too.

Those little poppers you throw on the ground are pretty much the only things you can buy at a fireworks stand that are allowed.

Local towns typically ask residents to call their local police department’s non-emergency phone number to report fireworks ordinance violations.

There are plenty of reasons to leave fireworks to the professionals this holiday. Shooting off fireworks where it is prohibited could land you with a fine up to $2,000. The loud noises fireworks make can trigger PTSD in Military veterans who live nearby. They also disturb pets, and many dogs go missing on New Year’s Eve and Independence Day each year. Fireworks can cause grass fires, especially in dry and/or windy conditions. Click here to see if conditions are safe or not for burning in Denton County.

It is legal to discharge fireworks on private property in unincorporated Denton County, with permission of the property owner. Click here for more information on the county’s rules about the use of fireworks.

FOX 4 put together a list of the biggest NYE events around North Texas, from the countdown events and fireworks shows in downtown Dallas and Fort Worth to a cosmic cabaret at Meow Wolf in Grapevine.