SB 513 Summary

• Establishes expedited civil adjudication system for fireworks infractions in district courts, similar to traffic violation procedures, with options for defendants to admit, contest, or request mitigation hearings.

• Increases fireworks display permit fee from $110 to $150 and raises fines for fireworks violations to $5,000, with each device weighing 25 pounds or less constituting a separate violation.

• Upgrades penalty for removing or extracting pyrotechnic contents from fireworks to a class C felony and authorizes sheriff division of Department of Public Safety to assist counties in enforcing fireworks laws.

• Requires Attorney General to establish working group studying explosion detection technology (such as ShotSpotter) for police departments in counties with populations over 500,000 to locate illegal fireworks and gunshots.

• Directs Department of Public Safety to develop statewide web-based reporting tool for illegal fireworks with anonymous reporting, GPS mapping, photo/video upload, and data sharing features for county law enforcement agencies.