Georgetown City Council approved changes to the citys fireworks ordinance at its June 24 meeting that will allow residents to possess fireworks within city limits.

However, the use of fireworks within the city or within 5,000 feet of city limits is still prohibited.

The changes become effective July 9, Assistant City Attorney Skye Masson said.

The amendments also included changes to the ordinance to reflect state law, which was updated by the Texas Legislature in 2013, Masson said.

The bill approved in 2013 was an update to fireworks regulations that primarily dealt with the issue of transporting fireworks, she said. Prior to the change, purchasing fireworks in an area in which they were legal and then transporting them through a jurisdiction that prohibited them was illegal, she said.

Councilman Tommy Gonzalez proposed the change that would allow residents to keep fireworks in their homes.

If they bought them, there is no reason people should not be able to store fireworks safely in their homes, Gonzalez said. I think the current ordinance reaches too far.