Public Safety
Volunteer fire departments get a break on raffle rules
Senator Robbie Morris’s West Virginia bill carves out volunteer and part-time volunteer departments for in-person and online vehicle raffles. That could make it easier for small stations to raise money for gear, repairs and everyday operating costs.
In West Virginia, volunteer fire departments often lean on raffles to help pay the bills. This new law gives them a narrower rulebook for vehicle raffles, which can be a practical boost for departments with little room in the budget.
- The bill would exempt volunteer fire departments from raffle regulations.
- The relief would apply to in-person and online vehicle raffles.
- Volunteer departments often use raffles to pay for gear and repairs.
- The change is narrow, not a broad rewrite of raffle law.
- In West Virginia, a raffle can mean more than a little extra cash for a volunteer fire department
In West Virginia, a raffle can mean more than a little extra cash for a volunteer fire department. It can help cover the equipment, repairs and routine expenses that keep a small local response force ready when someone calls 911.
A Senate bill would exempt volunteer fire departments and part-time volunteer fire departments from the state’s raffle regulations for in-person and online vehicle raffles, giving them a simpler path to one of the fundraisers many rely on.
A smaller rulebook for a small-town job
The bill is narrow. It does not rewrite raffle law for everyone, only for departments built around volunteer labor and the community support that comes with it.
That matters because the people running these departments usually do not have much slack. When fundraising gets easier, more of the money can go toward the basics: apparatus, gear and keeping the station in working order.