Title 15 BUILDINGS AND CONSTRUCTION
Chapter 15.12 FIRE CODE
15.12.120 Fire protection--Regulating the storage and sale of fireworks.
A. Definitions. As used in this section:
“Aerial device”
means a fireworks device that upon ignition propels itself or an insert a
significant distance into the air, but does not include a firework that produces
a shower of sparks. Aerial device includes sky rocket and bottle rocket,
missile-type rocket, stick-type rocket, helicopter, aerial spinner, roman candle
and mine shell.
“City commission” is the Clovis, New Mexico
city commission.
“Common fireworks” means any fireworks device
suitable for use by the public that complies with the construction, performance,
composition and labeling requirements promulgated by the United States consumer
product safety commission in Title 15, C.F.R. and that is classified as a class
C explosive by the United States Department of
Transportation.
“Display distributor” means any person, firm or
corporation selling special fireworks.
“Distributor” means any
person, firm or corporation selling fireworks to wholesalers and retailers for
resale.
“Fire chief” is the chief of the city of Clovis fire
department.
“Fireworks” means any composition or device for the
purpose of producing a visible or audible effect by combustion, deflagration or
detonation. Fireworks are further classified in the city fireworks ordinance as
common fireworks and special fireworks, as defined by the United States
Department of Transportation, C.F.R. Title 49, transportation, parts 173.88(d)
and 173.100(r).
“Ground audible device” means a fireworks device
intended to function on the ground that produces an audible
effect.
“Manufacturer” means any person, firm or corporation
engaged in the manufacture of fireworks.
“Permissible fireworks”
means fireworks legal for sale and use in the city under the provisions of the
city fireworks ordinance.
“Retailer” means any person, firm or
corporation purchasing fireworks for resale to consumers.
“Special
fireworks” means fireworks devices primarily intended for commercial
displays which are designed to produce visible or audible effects by combustion,
deflagration or detonation including saluted containing more than one hundred
thirty milligrams (two grain) of explosive composition, aerial shells containing
more than forty grams of chemical composition exclusive of lift charge and other
exhibition display items that exceed the limits contained in the city fireworks
ordinance for common fireworks.
“Specialty retailer” means any
person, firm or corporation purchasing fireworks for year-round resale in
permanent retail stores whose primary business is
tourism.
“Wholesaler” means any person, firm or corporation
purchasing fireworks for resale to retailers.
B. License or Permit
Required.
1. No person may sell, hold for sale, import, distribute, or
offer for sale, as specialty retailer, or retailer any fireworks in the city
unless such person has first obtained the appropriate license or permit.
2.
The fire chief shall enforce the city fireworks ordinance. All license
applications shall be submitted to the office of the city clerk. All retailers
shall be required to purchase a retail fireworks permit for each retail
location.
3. An applicant for a license or permit under the city fireworks
ordinance shall pay to the city the following fees, which shall not be
refundable:
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a. Specialty retailer license
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$25.00
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b. Retailer permit
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25.00
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4. All licenses and permits shall be issued for one year beginning on
May 1st of each year. All licenses and permits shall be issued within thirty
days from the date of receipt of application.
5. Licenses issued under the
city fireworks ordinance shall not be restricted in number or limited to any
person without cause.
C. Possession, Sale or Use of Unauthorized Fireworks
Unlawful. No individual, firm, partnership, corporation or association shall
possess for retail sale in the city of Clovis, sell or offer for sale at retail
or use or possess any fireworks other than permissible fireworks.
D.
Exportation of Fireworks from the City. Nothing in the city fireworks ordinance
shall prohibit wholesalers, distributors, importers, specialty retailers or
manufacturers from storing, selling, shipping or otherwise transporting
fireworks as defined by the United States Department of Transportation to any
person or entity outside the city.
E. Permissible Fireworks. Permissible
fireworks for sale to the general public as that term is used in the city
fireworks ordinance shall be understood to mean common fireworks legal for sale
and use in New Mexico under the provisions of the Fireworks Safety and Licensing
Act in N.M.S.A., 1978 Comp., as amended, with the exception of ground audible
devices, and aerial devices, which are prohibited.
F. Retail Sales or
Storage of Fireworks--Regulated Activities.
1. No fireworks may be sold at
retail without a retail permit. The permit shall be at the location where the
retail sale takes place.
2. It is unlawful to offer for sale or to sell any
fireworks to children under the age of sixteen years or to any intoxicated
person.
3. At all places where fireworks are stored, sold or displayed, the
words “NO SMOKING” shall be posted in letters at least four inches
in height. Smoking is prohibited within twenty-five feet of any fireworks
stock.
4. No fireworks shall be stored, kept, sold or discharged within
fifty feet of any gasoline pump or gasoline bulk station or any building in
which gasoline or volatile liquids are sold in quantities in excess of one
gallon, except in stores where cleaners, paints and oils are handled in sealed
containers only.
5. All fireworks permittees and licensees shall keep and
maintain upon the premises a fire extinguisher bearing an Underwriters
Laboratories Inc. rated capacity of at least five pounds ABC per five hundred
square feet of space used for fireworks sales or storage.
6. A sales clerk
who is at least sixteen years of age shall be on duty to serve consumers at the
time of purchase or delivery. All fireworks sold and shipped to consumers
within the city shall be sold and shipped only by an individual firm,
partnership or corporation holding the proper state of New Mexico fireworks
license or permit.
7. No fireworks shall be discharged within one hundred
fifty feet of any fireworks retail sales location.
8. No person shall
ignite any fireworks within a motor vehicle or throw fireworks from a motor
vehicle, nor shall any person place or throw any ignited article of fireworks
into or at a motor vehicle or at or near any person or group of people.
9.
Any fireworks devices that are readily accessible to handling by consumers or
purchasers in a retail sales location shall have their exposed fuses protected
in a manner to protect against accidental ignition of an item by a spark,
cigarette ash or other ignition source. If the fuse is a thread-wrapped safety
fuse which has been coated with a nonflammable coating, only the outside end of
the safety fuse shall be covered. If the fuse is not a safety fuse, then the
entire fuse shall be covered.
10. Fireworks may be sold at retail between
June 20th and July 6th of each year and three days preceding and including New
Year’s Day, Chinese New Year and Cinco de Mayo of each year except that
fireworks may be sold all year in permanent retail stores whose primary business
is tourism.
G. Public Display of Fireworks.
1. Nothing in the city
fireworks ordinance shall prohibit the public display of fireworks except that
any individual, association, partnership, corporation or organization shall
secure a written permit from the office of the city clerk and the fireworks
shall be purchased from a distributor or display distributor licensed by the
state Fire Marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms at the
United States Department of Treasury.
2. The fire chief may adopt reasonable
rules and regulations for the use of special fireworks in public
displays.
H. Penalty-Criminal.
1. Any individual, firm, partnership or
corporation that violates any provision of the city fireworks ordinance is
guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not
more than three hundred dollars or imprisonment for not more than ninety days,
or both.
2. Nothing in the city fireworks ordinance shall apply to or
prohibit any employees of the Department of Game and Fish or the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service from processing fireworks for control of game birds
and animals or to prohibit any law enforcement officer from possessing fireworks
in the performance of his duties or to prohibit any organization therein from
sponsoring and conducting in connection with any public celebration, an
officially supervised and controlled fireworks display.
I.
Penalty-Civil.
1. If a person is found guilty of violating any of the
provisions of the city fireworks ordinance, that person’s license or
permit may be revoked or suspended by the fire chief, his deputies or
designee.
2. No individual, firm, corporation or partnership shall possess
any fireworks for sale within the city, other than those authorized in the city
fireworks ordinance. The fire chief, his deputies or designee may at reasonable
hours enter and inspect the permittee’s premises, building, mobile or
motor vehicle, or temporary or permanent structure to determine compliance with
the city fireworks ordinance. If any retailer has in his possession any
fireworks in violation of that act, his permit shall be revoked and all such
fireworks seized, and the fireworks shall be kept to be used as evidence. If
any person has in his possession any fireworks in violation of that act, a
warrant may be issued for the seizure of fireworks and the fireworks shall be
safely kept to be used as evidence. Upon conviction of the offender, the
fireworks shall be destroyed, but if the offender is discharged, the permissible
fireworks shall be returned to the person in whose possession they were found;
provided, however, that nothing in the city fireworks ordinance applies to the
transportation of fireworks by regulated carriers.
3. Any person found
guilty of violating any of the provisions of the city fireworks ordinance shall
be subject to fine and imprisonment as provided in Chapter 1.24 of this
code.
J. Severability. If any section, subsection, clause, word or phrase
of this section is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or otherwise
invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect
the validity of the remaining portion of this section. The city commission
declares that it would have passed this section and each section, sentence,
clause, word and phrase thereof, irrespective of any one or more sections,
subsections, sentence, clause, word and phrase thereof, irrespective of any one
or more sections, subsections, sentence, clause, word or phrases being declared
unconstitutional or otherwise invalid. (Ord. 1803-2004 §2(C), 2004; Ord.
1699-2002 §4, 2002; Ord. 1409-92 §4(B), 1992).
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