Fireworks are illegal in these metro cities

• Even fireworks retailers are commonly unable or unwilling to provide their customers with accurate information about the legality of what they sell, Councilperson Connie Boesen said in a meeting last week.

State of play: Iowa lawmakers legalized fireworks in 2017.

• Cities can't generally prohibit them from being sold but can regulate the legality of shooting them off.
• Fines generally run hundreds of dollars.

Zoom in: Altoona, Clive, Johnston, Pleasant Hill, Urbandale, West Des Moines and Windsor Heights are among the metro cities that also prohibit fireworks, according to Des Moines city staff.

• Ankeny, Bondurant, Norwalk and Waukee allow them during limited times on or around the Fourth of July.