TRICKIE Wrote:
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> Is it a felony to light off fireworks in Fairfax
> County that were bought in PA or another state?
> The ones I am re4ferring to are the huge ones that
> pop up in the sky. The ones they sell here are
> not fun.
Well...I am sure that someone here will find the appropriate code, but I found this on a quick web search:
"Since even the possession of unapproved fireworks is prohibited, such fireworks will be confiscated and persons possessing them may be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor. This carries a maximum penalty of a $2,500 fine and/or one year in jail. All fireworks, that explode, emit a flame, sparks, or performs as a projectile higher than 12 feet, are prohibited in the Commonwealth of Virginia."
Full text is available here
http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/Communications/PressReleases/5817.aspx
We typically launch ours over the dam at Woodglen Lake and no one ever bothers us. As a matter of fact, I ran into a friend who is a FXCO police officer, at Phantom Fireworks a couple of years ago. The police are pretty busy that night and my understanding is that they give this a relatively low priority unless there is personal injury or property damage.
Of course, you really need to be careful with this. A couple of years ago a multi-shot device fell over and began sending flaming balls horizontally with several landing on a pile of rags in an open garage. Even though most of the spectators were pretty drunk, it didn't take long for people to realize what happened and break out the hose before the whole house went up. That would likely have raised some questions from the police.