Seaside's ad hoc fireworks committee met Oct. 20 to review enforcement, education and regulatory options aimed at reducing illegal fireworks on the city beaches and adjacent neighborhoods. Committee members discussed pursuing a city ordinance to increase fines, coordinating with neighboring coastal towns, improving public messaging and clarifying enforcement authority on ocean shore lands.

Committee members said Cannon Beach recently set a much higher municipal fine for illegal fireworks and cited Lincoln City's experience replacing a city fireworks display with a drone show, which the Lincoln City mayor told the committee had mixed results. The group heard that Cannon Beach is enforcing higher penalties under its municipal code (cited in the meeting as high as $5,000), while Seaside currently relies on an existing municipal ordinance with a low-dollar fine (discussed in the meeting as roughly $7) and may use state criminal statutes for more serious, reckless behavior.

Why it matters: Committee members framed the issue as a mix of public-safety, quality-of-life and tourism questions. Illegal fireworks on the beach and in neighborhoods produce noise and safety complaints, strain law-enforcement resources during holiday weekends and affect which visitors choose to stay and where families gather on July 4.

Most of the discussion centered on three policy levers: raising fines and writing objective criteria into local code; using targeted enforcement and limited controlled-access event areas on the sand; and creating an early, strategic public-education campaign to change visitor behavior over multiple years.

On enforcement and law: Staff and committee members cautioned that raising the monetary penalty requires a local ordinance. Several participants noted limits on enforcement: judges have discretion to reduce fines, local courts handle city-level violations, and ocean-shore and state-park rules operate under separate administrative authorities. A state parks representative present said obligating searches as a condition of entry to a state-managed beach event may raise probable-cause and constitutional issues and that the committee should expect to consult the state Department of Justice and state law enforcement before adopting search or mandatory-entry conditions for a sanctioned beach event.

Staff described Seaside’s recent operational approach: targeted patrols on the promenade and the beach, coordination with the fire department (which uses side-by-side vehicles to patrol sand), and citation and seizure activity where officers can observe violations. Committee members acknowledged resource constraints for holiday weekends and noted that even increased patrols are difficult to sustain without mutual aid from other agencies.

On ordinance design and judicial discretion: The committee discussed drafting an ordinance that would allow a substantial fine range (participants discussed top-end figures discussed elsewhere, including $3,000–$5,000) while building objective sentencing factors into the municipal code so judges’ reductions would align with local intent. Members asked staff to research other cities’ ordinances and to prepare a proposal that could include graduated penalties tied to quantity of materials, prior offenses, or intent to distribute.

On regional coordination: Members proposed outreach to neighboring jurisdictions (Cannon Beach and Gearhart were mentioned repeatedly) to try to align rules so prohibition in one town does not displace unsafe activity to another. Staff agreed to contact Cannon Beach and Gearhart mayors and municipal staff to assess whether common standards are feasible.

On event design, access and messaging: The committee discussed whether a ticketed, controlled-access sanctioned beach area (akin to Sandfest-style entries) could be used to concentrate legal, safe viewing while enabling checks at entry. The state parks representative said existing special-use permits have not routinely required mandatory searches and said the state would review whether search conditions could be imposed for a sanctioned space. Members also emphasized a multiyear education campaign aimed at visitors and day-trippers, recommending early signage, social-media outreach and creative messaging at access points to deter illegal fireworks and shift visitor behavior over time.

Assignments and next steps: The group agreed on several follow-ups: staff will draft ordinance options and legal analysis; one member will contact Cannon Beach and Gearhart leadership; the committee will work with the city’s marketing/visitor bureau to design an early-education campaign; and the council will schedule a less-formal work session with the municipal judge to discuss court-level disposition practices and alignment with enforcement goals.

The committee did not vote on any ordinance or take a formal vote on policy changes at the meeting. Members emphasized that any change would require council action, potential intergovernmental coordination and additional legal review.

Ending: Committee members said they will reconvene when staff has a draft ordinance and when the marketing plan and regional outreach have initial findings. They also agreed to bring the judicial-session item to a November or early-winter work session so council members and the judge can discuss disposition and sentencing considerations before a formal ordinance is introduced to the council.