Summit County weighs fireworks limits under statewide ban through July 5
Summit and Wasatch Back leaders tightened fireworks rules as wildfire danger soared, with Heber City banning all fireworks and Oakley keeping its rodeo display.
Gov. Spencer Cox’s temporary fireworks ban through July 5 pushed the Wasatch Back into a patchwork of local rules. The state order, announced June 25, let municipalities create designated safe areas in consultation with fire officials. Utah officials put more than 75% of the season’s wildfires down to human causes.
By June 23, fire danger was rated Extreme, and seven Utah wildfires had burned 52,939 acres, including the 566-acre Bonneville Fire above the University of Utah hospitals, the 3,790-acre Sawmill Fire west of Cedar City and the 10,889-acre Cottonwood Fire outside Beaver. Summit County had been under Stage 1 restrictions since June 6, and Wasatch County adopted Stage 1 on June 20. Those restrictions barred fireworks on private, unincorporated lands, while state park land and state and federal forest lands remained off-limits at all times.
The state Fire Marshal’s office set the legal discharge windows for 2026 at July 2 through July 5 and July 22 through July 25, with fireworks allowed from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and until midnight on July 4 and July 24. Local governments could still tighten the rules further where conditions warranted.
Heber City chose a citywide ban. Officials first discussed six public parks as possible discharge sites from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on July 4, but Wasatch Fire District Chief Eric Hales warned the district did not have the manpower to watch that many locations for a full 12 hours. Three or four sites would have been more manageable, Hales said, and the district planned to provide 5-gallon water buckets so residents could douse small fires or dispose of fireworks safely. Heidi Franco ultimately chose a citywide ban to protect the valley, the mountains and public safety. Parker Sever, Heber City’s police chief, said enforcement would be difficult because people could finish a show before officers triangulated where it came from.
Mayor Steve Wilmoth said Oakley would keep the fireworks display at the Oakley Rodeo, a 91st-year tradition expected to draw about 31,000 fans. The rodeo has long closed with fireworks and drone shows.
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