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Despite the ambiguity over whether state law allows local governments to enact citywide bans on aerial fireworks, it's not a gray area for most residents.

A new Salt Lake Tribune-Hinckley Institute of Politics poll shows that 91 percent of Utahns would support their municipality banning fireworks during times of extreme fire danger.

"If it's fire danger, it's not worth the risk," said Amy Loertscher, a Pleasant Grove resident who participated in the poll. "There's big shows they do all the time in controlled environments, and that way you can still see fireworks but not have to worry about people being irresponsible with them."

The poll, conducted by Dan Jones & Associates, shows that 76 percent of respondents strongly support such aerial firework bans and 15 percent somewhat support them.

Respondents on both sides of the political aisle indicated support in the 90 percent-plus range, though the sample size of Democrats was a fraction of that of Republicans.

Regardless of the undeniable public backing, it's unclear whether state law allows cities to enact such prohibitions.

Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini said at the council's meeting earlier this week that the city won't follow the leads of Cottonwood Heights and West Jordan City in banning fireworks ahead of Pioneer Day. He's concerned that such a move would be an overreach.

"We have enacted bans in the areas that the fire marshal has designated — and based upon our interpretation of state law, that's all we can do," Silvestrini, an attorney, told The Tribune. "I've talked with the mayors of some of the cities who have banned them and they know they're on thin ice with this."

Mayors and council members across Salt Lake County have spent the weeks since July Fourth calling for the Utah Legislature to clarify cities' authority over fireworks.

When Cottonwood Heights passed its ban, Mayor Kelvyn Cullimore told The Tribune he hoped it would send a message to the Legislature that municipalities "need more flexibility on how to regulate these in the future than what current law allows."

Though most Utahns support city bans on aerials in bad weather conditions, a slight majority support statutes that allow people to purchase high-flying fireworks.

About 53 percent of Utahns said they support the more permissive fireworks laws passed in 2011. But for Landier Heaton, a Sandy resident who participated in the survey, that comes with some caveats.

"I ultimately support the use of aerial fireworks, but they need to put more limitations on people," he said. He suggested stricter enforcement of curfews to keep people from setting them off all night and creating height restrictions on aerials to reduce their risk.

Colleen Sloan, a White City resident and poll participant, expressed disapproval for laws allowing the fireworks.

"The aerial fireworks, I wish they wouldn't do," she said. "There's just too many irresponsible people out there. It's not the fireworks' fault — it's the people's fault."

Unlike the bipartisan support for municipal bans, there is a clear party divide on aerial fireworks sales, with 62 percent of Republicans approving them compared to 33 percent of Democrats.

Loertscher, a Pleasant Grove resident, offered an in-between solution that takes into account changing fire conditions.

"When the weather is determined high risk, that's when they should limit the sale of it more based on year to year," she said. "Obviously if you sell them and you put a ban on it, that's kind of counterproductive. If you say, 'Well, you can't do it, but we're going to sell them,' then it's just a matter of people getting caught."

Dan Jones & Associates conducted the statewide survey of 614 registered voters from July 18-21. The poll has a margin of error of 3.95 percentage points.

Twitter: @tstevens95