Ground Testing Laws?

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charrington

The Biologist
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Joined
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Location
Southern California
Hello everyone,

I have been trying to search for information regarding the legality of conducting recovery system tests aka "pop tests". I have seen a lot of rocketeers conduct these at their place of residence but I wanted to ensure that it was legal in my jurisdiction before doing this. The issue is I cannot seem to find anything in my state and local ordinance about this topic. I may just be looking in the wrong place but most of the laws I am reading are in regard to launching rockets or fireworks. The recovery system uses black powder for ejection and I am located around the Los Angeles area. Any guidance is greatly appreciated!

Thank you.
 
The Feds could give you some information but your better bet would be your local constabulary and fire department. If you're doing this in your yard, alert some neighbors and even invite them to witness it; this will let them see how safe it all is and you can let them know it will happen from time to time.
If there is a public athletic field or a friend's open grassy area, that may be a good spot to test. A lot of our club members conduct these tests during our regularly scheduled launches.
 
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Having lived in that area at one point in my life... and despite seeing fireworks pop off at all hours in very urban areas... I would probably stop by/reach out to the local police dept and fire dept as well as just give your neighbors a heads up. That way hopefully it will stop the "pop" from triggering a bunch of units from descending on the neighborhood when someone calls in a possible gunshot. Fire dept in case the smoke triggers another call. Where I live now, despite being in a neighborhood, I just do it in the backyard. But that area, I would probably reach out... provide only the most basic of information that it could be a pop, and call it a day. Or drive out out of town a bit and test it elsewhere to avoid the potential headaches.
 
Hello everyone,

I have been trying to search for information regarding the legality of conducting recovery system tests aka "pop tests". I have seen a lot of rocketeers conduct these at their place of residence but I wanted to ensure that it was legal in my jurisdiction before doing this. The issue is I cannot seem to find anything in my state and local ordinance about this topic. I may just be looking in the wrong place but most of the laws I am reading are in regard to launching rockets or fireworks. The recovery system uses black powder for ejection and I am located around the Los Angeles area. Any guidance is greatly appreciated!

Thank you.
Please don’t rely on guidance from anyone (including me) who isn’t familiar with the California Pyro laws. California is unique among the United States in that is has its own set of rules governing the use of pyrotechnics that are unlike most other places. There are several members here who might be able to suggest something. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them.
 
Hello everyone,

I have been trying to search for information regarding the legality of conducting recovery system tests aka "pop tests". I have seen a lot of rocketeers conduct these at their place of residence but I wanted to ensure that it was legal in my jurisdiction before doing this. The issue is I cannot seem to find anything in my state and local ordinance about this topic. I may just be looking in the wrong place but most of the laws I am reading are in regard to launching rockets or fireworks. The recovery system uses black powder for ejection and I am located around the Los Angeles area. Any guidance is greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

Kudo's to you for wanting to do things in accordance with local rules and regulations.

I've seen video's of folks doing these tests in their front yards, with the nose cones pointed at neighbors' cars / houses. So common sense doesn't seem to apply in those cases.

I'm betting if you mention black powder, and that you are in a residential area, you're not going to be happy with what you are told. Maybe go to an outdoor shooting range... if they even have those there.
 
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Use a BP calculator for your build to determine how big to make the charge wells, then test out at the range during a launch. Many clubs set aside an area for this. Hint: Being able to test remotely with a wireless altimeter/switch is a good thing... much better than touching some wires to a battery while standing right next to the rocket.
 
Hint: Being able to test remotely with a wireless altimeter/switch is a good thing... much better than touching some wires to a battery while standing right next to the rocket.

I just run the ematch leads out of the vent holes and use an Estes controller to set off the charge.
 
Use a BP calculator for your build to determine how big to make the charge wells, then test out at the range during a launch. Many clubs set aside an area for this. Hint: Being able to test remotely with a wireless altimeter/switch is a good thing... much better than touching some wires to a battery while standing right next to the rocket.
i agree, at a launch you can ask RSO about ground testing. They'll usually let you ground test in a designated area or at a pad igniting the charge with the standard launch controller ( that's how they did it for me at AirFest )

on the other hand, when i ground test at home I usually take the tak of better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. granted i live in Texas.
 
Hello everyone,

I have been trying to search for information regarding the legality of conducting recovery system tests aka "pop tests". I have seen a lot of rocketeers conduct these at their place of residence but I wanted to ensure that it was legal in my jurisdiction before doing this. The issue is I cannot seem to find anything in my state and local ordinance about this topic. I may just be looking in the wrong place but most of the laws I am reading are in regard to launching rockets or fireworks. The recovery system uses black powder for ejection and I am located around the Los Angeles area. Any guidance is greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

You can take the rocket out to a launch like ROC or possibly SCRA and do the tests there. We have people test their charges at Fiesta Island sometimes.

Or you can take it to an open area in the desert and test.

I test mine at my house in San Diego, but I'm mindful of the neighbors. I don't want them, during a quiet day, hear a pop, look over and see smoke rising and then smell burnt BP and become alarmed. I have a noisy generator that I fire up, then turn on a shop vac that I use on the vent holes to simulate a launch. That way it sounds like there's a project going on, the pop blends in with the rest of the noise and if they smell BP it'll be mixed with gen exhaust too.
 
I wouldn't ask your neighbors, that'll just freak them out. They'll think you're launching at them. I wouldn't ask the cops either. They'll think you're building a bomb. I don't think there's any laws against the responsible use of black powder in my city. Other than standard noise ordinance.

Just roll your mower out. Mow the lawn. Then do your pop test in the backyard. Nobodies going to notice on a mower day.
 
I always do my charge tests at the launch site. Both because I don't want any trouble from doing them at home, and because a lot of my rockets aren't quite finished by the time I have to go to the launch.
 
I wouldn't ask your neighbors, that'll just freak them out. They'll think you're launching at them. I wouldn't ask the cops either. They'll think you're building a bomb. I don't think there's any laws against the responsible use of black powder in my city. Other than standard noise ordinance.

Just roll your mower out. Mow the lawn. Then do your pop test in the backyard. Nobodies going to notice on a mower day.
Better yet, fire up a leaf blower and do your testing with the leaf blower running at full power. Nobody will notice the pop sound over the noise from the leaf blower.
 
I’d check with local law enforcement. At a minimum, give your adjacent neighbors a heads up.
Bingo. I would add a call the the fire dept.

I am pretty rural and own 23 acres. I test all the time, but I did make contact with my neighbors.
 
My decision was based on the thought that it is better to bring it up and discuss it than to explain it with the blue lights lighting up the sky.
 
Please don’t rely on guidance from anyone (including me) who isn’t familiar with the California Pyro laws. California is unique among the United States in that is has its own set of rules governing the use of pyrotechnics that are unlike most other places. There are several members here who might be able to suggest something. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them.
If it’s CALIFORNIA AND INVOLVES FIRE OR EXPLOSIVES THEN THE ANSWER will Be no. That’s how everything works out here In CA.
 
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