In addition to conforming to the rules of the fire marshal adopted pursuant to section 3743.18 of the Revised Code, licensed wholesalers of fireworks shall conduct their business operations in accordance with the following:

(A) A wholesaler shall conduct its business operations from the location described in its application for licensure or in a notification submitted under division (B) of section 3743.17 of the Revised Code.

(B) Signs indicating that smoking is generally forbidden and trespassing is prohibited on the premises of a wholesaler shall be posted on the premises as determined by the fire marshal.

(C) Reasonable precautions shall be taken to protect the premises of a wholesaler from trespass, loss, theft, or destruction.

(D) Smoking or the carrying of pipes, cigarettes, or cigars, matches, lighters, other flame-producing items, or open flame on, or the carrying of a concealed source of ignition into, the premises of a wholesaler is prohibited, except that a wholesaler may permit smoking in specified lunchrooms or restrooms in buildings or other structures in which no sales, handling, or storage of fireworks takes place. "NO SMOKING" signs shall be posted on the premises as required by the fire marshal.

(E) Fire and explosion prevention and other reasonable safety measures and precautions shall be implemented by a wholesaler.

(F) Persons shall not be permitted to have in their possession or under their control, while they are on the premises of a wholesaler, any intoxicating liquor, beer, or controlled substance, and they shall not be permitted to enter or remain on the premises if they are found to be under the influence of any intoxicating liquor, beer, or controlled substance.

(G) A wholesaler shall conform to all building, safety, and zoning statutes, ordinances, rules, or other enactments that apply to its premises.

(H) Each building used in the sale of fireworks shall be kept open to the public for at least four hours each day between the hours of eight a.m. and five p.m., five days of each week, every week of the year. Upon application from a licensed wholesaler, the fire marshal may waive any of the requirements of this division.

(I) Awnings, tents, or canopies shall not be used as facilities for the storage or sale of fireworks. This division does not prohibit the use of an awning or canopy attached to a public access showroom for storing nonflammable shopping convenience items such as shopping carts or baskets or providing a shaded area for patrons waiting to enter the public sales area.

(J) 1.4G fireworks may be stored in trailers if the trailers are properly enclosed, secured, and grounded and are separated from any structure to which the public is admitted by a distance that will, in the fire marshal's judgment, allow fire-fighting equipment to have full access to the structures on the licensed premises. Such trailers may be moved into closer proximity to any structure only to accept or discharge cargo for a period not to exceed forty-eight hours. Only two such trailers may be placed in such closer proximity at any one time. At no time may trailers be used for conducting sales of any class of fireworks nor may members of the public have access to the trailers.

Storage areas for fireworks that are in the same building where fireworks are displayed and sold to the public shall be separated from the areas to which the public has access by an appropriately rated fire wall. If the licensee installs and properly maintains an early suppression fast response sprinkler system or equivalent fire suppression system as described in the fire code adopted by the fire marshal in accordance with section 3737.82 of the Revised Code throughout the structure, a fire barrier wall may be substituted for a fire wall between the areas to which the public has access and the storage portions of the structure.

(K) A fire suppression system as defined in section 3781.108 of the Revised Code may be turned off only for repair, drainage of the system to prevent damage by freezing during the period of time, approved by the fire marshal under division (I) of this section, that the facility is closed to public access during winter months, or maintenance of the system. If any repair or maintenance is necessary during times when the facility is open for public access and business, the licensed wholesaler shall notify in advance the appropriate insurance company and fire chief or fire prevention officer regarding the nature of the maintenance or repair and the time when it will be performed.

(L) If any fireworks item is removed from its original package or is manufactured with any fuse other than a fuse approved by the consumer product safety commission, then the item shall be covered completely by repackaging or bagging or it shall otherwise be covered so as to prevent ignition prior to sale.

(M) A safety officer shall be present during regular business hours at a building open to the public during the period commencing fourteen days before, and ending two days after, each fourth day of July. The officer shall be highly visible, enforce this chapter and any applicable building codes to the extent the officer is authorized by law, and be one of the following:

(1) A deputy sheriff;

(2) A law enforcement officer of a municipal corporation, township, or township or joint police district;

(3) A private uniformed security guard registered under section 4749.06 of the Revised Code.

(N) All doors of all buildings on the licensed premises shall swing outward.

(O) All wholesale and commercial sales of fireworks shall be packaged, shipped, placarded, and transported in accordance with United States department of transportation regulations applicable to the transportation, and the offering for transportation, of hazardous materials. For purposes of this division, "wholesale and commercial sales" includes all sales for resale and any nonretail sale made in furtherance of a commercial enterprise. For purposes of enforcement of these regulations under section 4923.99 of the Revised Code, any sales transaction exceeding one thousand pounds shall be rebuttably presumed to be a wholesale or commercial sale.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.127, HB 487, §101.01, eff. 6/11/2012.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.

Effective Date: 06-29-2001; 09-29-2005; 2008 HB562 09-22-2008.