On May 27, Coupeville Town Council amended Ordinance 804 regarding the punishment for illegal discharge of fireworks and the ability to launch mortar fireworks.

Setting off fireworks within city limits has been a recurring debate on the council. In 2022, the offense became a misdemeanor due to extreme weather conditions on July 4. More recently, on May 13, Mayor Molly Hughes urged the council to revise the current misdemeanor to a class one infraction as it was before 2022. However, she suggested that council members leave illegal sale of fireworks as a misdemeanor.

Hughes explained that turning the illegal discharge of fireworks into a class one infraction is “more immediate, it sets a bigger example.”

Additionally, Hughes expressed her concern about mortar fireworks. She cited that her reasons against them are their noise level and that they tend to rain down debris, so they are most likely to cause a fire. Island County commissioners passed a ban on mortar fireworks last year.

Adoption of the Coupeville’s revised fireworks ordinance was initially postponed due to several amendments to the guidelines. The issue was then revisited on May 27 and passed with a four-to-one vote. The only opposition, Councilmember Rick Walti, voiced that he didn’t believe this could be properly enforced.

The revised ordinance includes two changes: Mortars will be banned, and the enforcement of a misdemeanor will be lowered to a class one infraction, leading to a ticket of up to $250.

“In other words, the enforcement will be a ticket that we can give right then and there for illegal fireworks or illegal discharge of them instead of having to take people to court,” Hughes said.

While the council approved the ordinance, it will not go into effect until July 4, 2026.