Celebrating the Fourth: Safety tips and office closures

by | Jun 26, 2024

Washoe County wishes everyone a safe summer and happy Fourth of July. Please be aware that it is illegal to possess or use fireworks and/or pyrotechnics within the Truckee Meadows and North Lake Tahoe Fire Districts, which includes the unincorporated areas of Washoe County.   

Fireworks can be especially threatening to pets. If you’re going to a firework display, please leave pets at home in a safe, cool area before fireworks start, with windows and doors closed. During the fireworks display, keep a television or radio on to help mask the commotion of fireworks going on outside. Plan ahead and get your pet microchipped so if it wanders away from home, it can be easily returned to its family. Washoe County Regional Animal Services offers free pet ID tags and free microchips for Washoe County residents and strongly advises having an external ID as well as a microchip on your pet.  

Confining your dog or cat to the inside of a car, even on a mild day, can result in a life-threatening situation for your pet. Per state law, it is illegal to allow a cat or dog to remain unattended in a parked or standing motor vehicle during a period of extreme heat or cold or in any other manner that endangers the health or safety of the cat or dog. To report a distressed animal in a locked car, contact Washoe County Regional Animal Control Dispatch at (775) 322-DOGS between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily. Contact 911 after hours. 

The following county offices will be closed on Thursday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day: 

  • Administrative offices at the Washoe County Complex: 1001 E. Ninth Street, Reno. 
  • All Washoe County Libraries will be closed. Book drops and online services will remain available. Access library hours and online services at www.washoecountylibrary.us 
  • Regional Animal Services Shelter Operations and Office will be closed, but field operations will continue as normal. Pet redemptions will be available 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  
  • Reno Justice Court, Sparks Justice Court, Incline Village Justice Court, and Wadsworth Justice Court 
  • The Second Judicial District Court 
  • The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office 
  • The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office – All administrative offices will be unavailable. Visiting and cashier remains open, and if citizens need emergency assistance, please call 911 or contact the non-emergency line at 775-785-WCSO (9276). 
  • Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue Headquarters/Fire Prevention and Administrative Offices – 3663 Barron Way 
  • Washoe County Health District – Clinical services  
  • Washoe County Human Services Agency and all meal distribution locations 

The following county offices will be open: 

  • The Office of the County Clerk at the Washoe County Complex will remain open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for fictitious firm names, notary bond filings and marriage licenses.