It’s about that time again — when patriotic Americans from every walk of life celebrate the violent birth of this great nation by blowing shit up. We love it. That’s why we’d like to help make sure you’re aware of your state’s (potentially uncool) laws regarding fireworks. We’ve posted the CPSC’s summary of state regulations inside. Enjoy.
Keep in mind, local ordinances may apply. Don’t end up like this poor guy who accidentally drove over a stretch of road that had been annexed by Houston after legally buying fireworks and got slapped with a $500 to $2,000 fine.
From the CPSC:
The following is a summary of state regulations as of June 1, 2008.
I. STATES THAT ALLOW SOME OR ALL TYPES OF CONSUMER FIREWORKS (formerly known as class C fireworks), APPROVED BY ENFORCING AUTHORITY, OR AS SPECIFIED IN LAW (39 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico):
Alabama
Alaska
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Mexico
Nevada
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
(The District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, in addition to the above states enforce the federal regulations and applicable state restrictions.)).
II. STATES THAT ALLOW ONLY SPARKLERS AND/OR OTHER NOVELTIES (total of 5 states):
Illinois
Iowa
Maine
Ohio
Vermont
III. STATES THAT ALLOW ONLY NOVELTY FIREWORKS – (total of 1 state):
Arizona
IV. STATES THAT BAN ALL CONSUMER FIREWORKS (including those which are allowed by CPSC regulations) – (total of 5 states):
Delaware
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
Rhode Island
Houston’s short fuse [Houston Chronicle]
Fireworks Fact Sheet [CPSC]
(Photo: The Joy Of The Mundane )
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No one gives a shit if you use fireworks here in Illinois.
Half an hour from the WI border, it’s expected. People launch them in parks, driveways, and their yards. You only get warnings, and nothing at all on the 4th. I stick to bottle rockets, but mortars and bigger stuff is everywhere.
@nequam:
I don’t understand this statement. Is it humor? Are you saying that in other cities you can’t be irrelevant? Or that living in NY, NY, or Boston makes one relevant? This doesn’t make any sense.
Michigan doesn’t allow you to buy shit. That’s why everyone comes from Michigan to Indiana to buy roman candles and have a happy 4th.
Look at the border crossing’s for Michigan and Indiana; cigarette’s and fireworks; that’s what we’ve got.
Oh, and a moderately better economy at this point.
@B: yep. fond memories of fireworks at home, at the park, at the lake etc. all in the wet states of MI of course.
no way in hell would i have’m at non-professional gigs out here in dry-as-hell-ready-to-burn-at-a-harsh-look desert (aka: AZ).
Ohio novelties and sparklers?
Whatever!
Ohio is were people from Michigan go to get real fireworks. Though I’ve noticed a sharp decrease in the amount of fireworks in my neighborhood this year. I guess with gas being over $4 a gallon people aren’t making the trip. Usually people start shooting them off in June and stop around late August around here.
As a patriotic American and proud idiot, I fully intend to celebrate the birth of my nation in the most foolish, dangerous, and illegal way possible. Sometimes it sucks living 20 miles south of the Alabama border, but not on the Fourth!
I’m sure that crap about “do not hold this in your hand or point at another person” on the side of this Roman candle is more of a suggestion than an actual warning. What’s the worst that could happen, right?
Chicago cops might give a shit about fireworks because they have specific quotas to fill on certain holidays (like cops everywhere). They don’t care about…well, possession of certain other items.
MFing. I missed fireworks on the New Year!
It’s my understanding that in PA, you may use stationary fireworks that shoot sparks up to, IIRC, 6 feet high. You’re not allowed to use stuff that launches and/or explodes – i.e. bottle rockets.
You can buy the fancier fireworks (the ones that launch in the air and look pretty), but only if you are not a resident of PA.
Growing up in Shreveport, LA (~200k people), we went out in the street and exploded anything we could find. If cars wanted to get through, they just had to wait until everything was finished, which was especially annoying for them if we just started one of those ridiculously huge Black Cat bundles. At least half a dozen families on our street did it, and the otherwise grey street was blackened for a few days afterward. ^_^
On a sparkler note, the only time I ever injured myself with fireworks was with sparklers. I lit about 10 to 12 at once, and one of my fingers got engulfed in the flames. Oops.
Not sure if anyone has said this yet, but Oklahoma only allows the buying and selling of fireworks in SOME cities, not all. Specifically, consumer fireworks are banned in Oklahoma City and Norman, and most other metro cities. OKC recently put up a page on this: [www.okc.gov]
The only reason I know this is because my boyfriend was caught with a firecracker within Norman city limits and had to pay a ~$200 fine. It’s pretty silly, especially considering you can drive a couple miles south and hit a county where fireworks are just fine. Oh, Oklahoma.
@Bladefist: But that will give kids ideas to carry out with REAL fireworks. Then we’ll have a mess.
eh, I live in Boston and people are always shooting off fireworks (hey, when your sports teams keeping winning championships …)
Nobody cares, just cant be stupid when you go buy them.
Even though fireworks are legal in MOST areas of California, please do not use them this year. WE do not need any more fires in this state than the 1400 we already have. There are no more fire fighters to fight new fires. In fact more than 300 of the fires burning right now have no firefighters on scene.
@gliscameria:
Irony or poetic justice?
I grew up in Houston and lived in a neighborhood with its entrance about 500 feet from the city limit. We had to go about a mile further out of town to the nearest stand.
One time when we were leaving a fire marshal came up to our car (right turn signal) and told us we couldn’t go that way. We told him our destination and he said that’s the one exception, have a nice day.
That is enforcing the laws. What they did to the kid in Katy was a money grab.
He should fight it with a jury and provide accurate honest testimony. I wouldn’t render a guilty verdict.
I live VA in a somewhat small city and they are more worried about the drunk drivers than fireworks near the holiday.
@ConsequencesIX: Because the people who live in those areas are free to regulate themselves via democratic government in any way they see fit.
If I, as a property owner, am free to erect a fence around my land, then equally, I and my neighbors agree to erect a fence around our combined property.
@brother9: gah. tweaked entry. Apologies.
If I, as a property owner, am free to erect a fence around my land, then equally, if I and my neighbors agree to erect a fence around our combined property we are free to do so.
@Farquar:
Please note these are consumer fireworks, they still hold events where they are set off, this way someone who knows what they are doing handles it. Many accidents occur with fireworks, not to mention the fires started as well.
Here in the Glorious People’s Republic Of West Virginia, the fireworks that are allowed to be sold are sparklers, and those crappy fountains. Nothing that explodes or flies is allowed.
People here just buy them on their annual pilgrimage to the Hillbilly Riviera, Myrtle Beach SC.
We used to be able to cross the river into Ohio and buy them until some retard threw a match into the store and killed everyone in the place.
@bks33691: Agreed. I seem to remember the law here being that you can only have fireworks that don’t launch into the air. It doesn’t stop people at all. I remember last, my family and I went to a local park to view some fireworks from across the river. Just before the real show started, a bunch of people started launching bottle rockets and roman candles in the baseball fields behind us. Go America!
@Ash78: Funny you say that. Near the Fourth, this trailer always sets up right near where I live. The kicker, it gets put right next to a Gas Station! Talk about safety.
Actually, Florida is very restrictive on the use of fireworks. Check out Chapter 791 in the Florida Statutes. It appears the official web site is offline at the time of this post, but I do remember it basically only making sparklers legal, and the rest could only be used if you were trying to scare birds away, or for mining purposes… Sorry for not being any more clear about it, but the site is offline