Nobleboro citizens agreed to regulate consumer fireworks when they went to the polls Nov. 6, by a vote of 601-501.
The question that appeared on the town’s ballot reads as follows.
“Do you want the Town to draft an ordinance to regulate consumer fireworks? (The ordinance would be subject to voter approval in March.)”
The Nobleboro Board of Selectmen chose to put that question to voters before beginning the process of creating an ordinance.
Under the state law passed in 2011, the possession and use of consumer fireworks are legal in Maine with some exceptions. Consumer fireworks are only products that are tested and certified by a third-party testing laboratory as conforming with United States Consumer Product Safety Commission standards and do not include missile-type rockets, helicopters and aerial spinners, and sky rockets and bottle rockets, as defined by the State Fire Marshal.
The latter two categories of fireworks and display or commercial grade fireworks are subject to further state regulation.
Municipalities may put in place regulations more strict than those outlined in state law.
Board of Selectmen Chairman Dick Spear said selectmen would discuss the process for creating a committee to craft an ordinance at their Nov. 7 meeting. He said the goal of that process would be to present a fireworks ordinance to the town for a vote in March.
For more information, call the Nobleboro Town Office at 563-8816.
