There is a veritable cornucopia of rules regarding the discharge of fireworks on Whidbey Island.

Oak Harbor, Langley and Coupeville, unincorporated areas of the county, the Navy base and parks all have different rules regulating the days and hours consumer pyrotechnics can be lit.

To complicate matters, consumers can purchase illegal fireworks — such as firecrackers and mortars — at the reservation on the other side of Deception Pass Bridge, where it’s legal to use them.

Sheriff Mark Brown admits that the different rules in different places are complicated and a perhaps a bit ridiculous; it would be easier, he said, if at least some jurisdictions worked together to adopt the same rules. But he stresses that ignorance is no excuse. Deputies will respond to 911 complaints and enforce fireworks rules as much as they are able.

Island County’s new, more-restrictive fireworks rules go into effect this July. Discharges are limited to July 3, 4 and 5, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. — with an extra hour on the Fourth. The city of Oak Harbor allows fireworks from June 28 to July 5; the hours are also 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., also with the extension until midnight on July 4.

Langley and Coupeville limit fireworks to Independence Day, from 9 a.m. to midnight.

They aren’t allowed on the Navy base or in parks.

County commissioners discovered just how controversial fireworks are when they held public meetings before adopting the rules last year. Some people have very strong feelings about their personal pyrotechnics.

Some view them as pointless, dangerous and noisy. They scare pets and make messes. They pose fire risks. They blow off fingers.

On the other side, some see them as symbols of patriotism and freedom. They’re fun. And the sale of fireworks raises a lot of money for charitable causes.

To limit problems and avoid citations, fireworks fans simply need to follow the rules.

After all, the Fourth of July is a day when neighbors should come together for backyard barbecues, not call the cops on one another.