Des Moines Register: Lighting recreational fireworks is illegal inside Des Moines city limits, with fines as high as $650 per violation. That hasn’t stopped residents from firing them off: Vendors across the state say sales are brisk, and complaints during the first few weeks of June were double what Des Moines police received in June 2019. Retailers and police say boredom during the coronavirus pandemic is at least partly to blame. Police in other Des Moines metro area cities are seeing a similar uptick. Only Waukee, where fireworks are legal to light on July 3 and July 4, has seen fewer complaints.