With the 4th of July coming up this Thursday, the Seattle Police Department would like to provide you with some important reminders about safety, fireworks and how you can help ease the strain on our 911 center during the busy holiday.
The possession, manufacture, storage, sale and use of fireworks (meaning everything but pop-it caps) is prohibited in Seattle, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. But don’t fret, you can still enjoy the fireworks at SeaFair’s 4th of July event on Lake Union!
If you do attend Seafair’s Fourth of July event, here’s a list of things they’d like you to leave at home:
Prohibited Items:
- All Weapons (including guns, knives, brass knuckles, loose batteries, wires, box cutters)
- Drugs, drug paraphernalia, or any other illegal substances
- Sparklers, fireworks or incendiary materials of any kind
- All Noisemakers (including megaphones, air horns, sirens, whistles)
- Laser Lights and Pointers
- Mace/Pepper spray
- Animals and pets (excluding service animals)
- Drones and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
- Skateboards and Hoverboards
- Footballs, Frisbees, Baseballs and other projectiles
- Helium balloons
- Enclosed or Walled Tents
- Gas or charcoal BBQs
- Smoking or vaping
- Glass Containers
- Alcohol
911 call centers are typically inundated on the 4th with reports of fireworks-related injuries and house fires.
Because of that influx of calls, please only use 911 to report life-threatening emergencies. We are also unable to respond to fireworks complaints (or any other crime reports, for that matter) sent via Twitter.
While the Seattle Police Department values every call from neighbors about concerns in their communities, the Fourth has typically been a loud and busy day for police and firefighters, and frequent fireworks noise complaints make it more difficult for 911 operators, police, and fire officials to respond to life-threatening emergencies across the city.
DO CALL 911: to report fires, injuries, crimes, or any other life-threatening incidents.
DO NOT CALL 911: to complain about noise from fireworks.
If you do have concerns about fireworks in your neighborhood, but nothing has been damaged and no one has been injured, you can still call the Seattle Police non-emergency number at (206) 625-5011. Please check out the Seattle Department of Transportation’s traffic site for updates throughout the day and have a safe, fun Fourth of July!