Fireworks Show Costs Skyrocket in Syracuse, NY

Syracuse Fire Chief Michael Monds said the city's previous $25 fee only covered a tiny portion of the cost to the department.

By Jeremy Boyer

Source syracuse.com (TNS)

Dec. 23, 2025

2 min read

The cost of fireworks shows like this one at the Syracuse Mets' stadium have skyrocketed.

Syracuse, N.Y. — Permission to put on a major fireworks display in Syracuse is going to become much more expensive in 2026.

The Syracuse Common Council on Monday approved an ordinance that increases the fireworks show permit fee from $25 per event to $300, an 11-fold increase requested by the city’s fire chief.

The Syracuse Fire Department has for many years been losing money on the staffing costs required to review fireworks show permit applications, inspect setups and monitor the shows to be sure all the explosives were set off properly, Chief Michael Monds told the council in a Public Safety Committee meeting last week.

He said the $25 permit fee has only covered about 8% of the cost to the department. In 2024, those total costs reached $21,000 for 66 permitted events. The new $300 fee is more in line with other larger cities, such as Rochester, where the permit is $294.

The entity facing the biggest impact from the higher permit fee is the Syracuse Mets, which has hosted 25 to 30 fireworks shows after games in recent years. The seasonal permit cost for 25 fireworks shows would jump from $625 to $7,500.

One councilor voted against the proposal, citing the effect on the Mets. Council Pat Hogan said he would like the city to evaluate all of its permit fees, not just one that predominantly affects the baseball franchise, before making changes.

Council Chol Majok, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, also urged the city to look beyond the fireworks permit, but he supported the measure. The final vote was 7-1, with Council Marty Nave abstaining because he works for the Mets.

Monds said he’s been looking at the firework permit fee structure for a couple of years. Following a 2024 review of city licensing, City Auditor Alexander Marion told Monds that he discovered some venues, including the Mets, were only paying a one-time $25 fee for an entire season of shows. That violated the ordinance for permits, and the city and the Mets instituted the per-event fee in 2025.

The $300 fee covers major fireworks shows like those at baseball games, the Inner Harbor and some wedding venues. The fee for smaller pyrotechnic permits for items, such as cold sparkler machines at concerts, will jump to $75.