Knowledge library / Fireworks laws by state
Fireworks laws by state
What an ordinary buyer can purchase, when stores can sell it, and when you are allowed to shoot it. Pick your state on the map or from the list.
Last reviewed 3 September 2026.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.
Your city, township or county almost always adds its own rules, and state law changes. Check your local rules and regulations for additional limitations or restrictions before you buy or shoot anything, and use the link to the law on each state.
Consumer fireworks legal
Limited types only
Banned for consumers
Decided locally
Small states, up close
Ohio
Consumer fireworks legal1.4G fireworks are legal to buy year round from licensed sellers, but discharge is limited to set holidays.
Check this oneNo source confirms a separate minimum age to buy fireworks, only that you must be 18 to use or set them off; ask your retailer to be sure.
What you can buy1.4G consumer fireworks from a licensed retailer, manufacturer or wholesaler.
What is off limitsFireworks that fail Consumer Product Safety Commission standards or lack the required federal safety number.
When you can shootJan 1; Chinese New Year; May 5; Memorial Day weekend; June 19; July 3-5 plus the surrounding Fri-Sun; Labor Day weekend; Diwali; and Dec 31.
HoursNot specified
When stores can sellYear round from licensed retailers, since a 2022 law change ended the old out-of-state-removal rule.
Minimum age18 to use or discharge fireworks; not specified for purchase
Local rulesCounties, townships and cities can further restrict discharge dates and times, or ban discharge, as long as they are not less strict than state law.
Shipping and transportFireworks may only be shipped into or within Ohio by a permit holder shipping directly to a licensed manufacturer, wholesaler or exhibitor.
Statutes and regulations behind this summary
- ORC Ann. 3743.65
- ORC Ann. 3743.45
- ORC Ann. 3743.451
- ORC Ann. 3743.58
- OAC Ann. 1301:7-7-56
- ORC Ann. 3743.66
Local rules on top of this are common. Check your city or county before you buy or shoot.
Every state at a glance
Sorted alphabetically. Tap a row to open that state.
| State | Status | When you can shoot | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Consumer fireworks legal | Not specified. No statewide discharge-date limit; Alabama leaves discharge timing to cities and counties. | 16, or younger with an adult present |
| Alaska | Limited types only | Not specified. No statewide discharge-date window; boroughs and cities set their own days. | Not specified |
| Arizona | Consumer fireworks legal | April 25 to May 6, May 20 to July 6, and December 10 to January 3, the same period the state's law sets for sale and use. | 16 |
| Arkansas | Consumer fireworks legal | Not specified. No statewide discharge-date limit was found; local rules may apply. | Not specified |
| California | Limited types only | Not specified. No statewide discharge-date window; many cities ban all use. | 16 for safe and sane items; dangerous fireworks cannot legally be sold to anyone |
| Colorado | Limited types only | Not specified. No statewide discharge-date window; local governments may set their own. | 16 |
| Connecticut | Limited types only | Not specified. | 16 |
| Delaware | Banned for consumers | Public discharge is not allowed except at a permitted display on a date set in the permit. A sparkler and novelty exception may allow use Jul 4, Diwali day 3, Dec 31 and Jan 1. | 18 |
| Dist. of Columbia | Limited types only | Not specified | Not specified |
| Florida | Consumer fireworks legal | State law allows public use only on Jan 1, Jul 4 and Dec 31; local governments can still add their own limits. | Not specified |
| Georgia | Consumer fireworks legal | Allowed any day of the year, with extended hours on Jan 1, the last Sat and Sun in May, Jul 3 to 4, Labor Day and Dec 31. | 18 |
| Hawaii | Limited types only | New Year's Eve 9 p.m. to New Year's Day 1 a.m.; Chinese New Year's Day 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Jul 4, 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.; other dates need a cultural-use permit. | 18 for a Honolulu firecracker permit |
| Idaho | Limited types only | Same as the sale window: Jun 23 to Jul 5 and Dec 26 to Jan 1, extendable up to 5 days locally; use is barred in areas under high fire danger. | Not specified |
| Illinois | Limited types only | Set locally through the display permit process; there is no statewide date window. | Not specified |
| Indiana | Consumer fireworks legal | Allowed generally; state law protects June 29 to July 9 and December 31 to January 1 from added local limits. | 18 |
| Iowa | Consumer fireworks legal | June 1 to July 8 and December 10 to January 3, with extended hours on July 4 and New Year's Eve. | 18 |
| Kansas | Consumer fireworks legal | No statewide discharge date limit; distance rules apply and local governments may set their own limits. | Not specified for buyers; license holders and operators must be at least 21. |
| Kentucky | Consumer fireworks legal | Not specified. | 18 |
| Louisiana | Consumer fireworks legal | Not specified statewide; check local parish or city rules. | 15 |
| Maine | Consumer fireworks legal | No statewide date restriction; allowed generally, subject to daily hour limits. | 21 |
| Maryland | Limited types only | Not specified. | 16 |
| Massachusetts | Banned for consumers | Not applicable; use of consumer fireworks is banned statewide except for licensed public displays. | Not specified |
| Michigan | Consumer fireworks legal | Dec 31 to 1 a.m. Jan 1; the Sat and Sun before Memorial Day; Jun 29 to Jul 4; Jul 5 if a Fri or Sat; and the Sat and Sun before Labor Day are protected discharge days statewide. | 18 |
| Minnesota | Limited types only | Not specified. The permitted novelty items may not be used on public property. | 18 |
| Mississippi | Consumer fireworks legal | No statewide discharge date limit. Fireworks cannot be set off within 600 feet of a church, hospital, or school, or thrown from or into a vehicle. | 12 |
| Missouri | Consumer fireworks legal | Not specified. Fireworks cannot be set off within 300 feet of stored fuel, gas pumps, or fireworks storage and sale structures. | Not specified |
| Montana | Consumer fireworks legal | Not specified. | Not specified for buyers; 18 required to sell |
| Nebraska | Consumer fireworks legal | Not specified. | 16 to possess; 12-15 allowed with adult 19+ supervision; no separate purchase age stated |
| Nevada | Decided locally | Not specified at the state level; set locally. Statewide, fireworks cannot be discharged within 100 feet of stored gasoline or other flammable liquids. | Not specified; set locally |
| New Hampshire | Consumer fireworks legal | Not specified. | 21, or 18 to 21 for active-duty military or state guard |
| New Jersey | Limited types only | Not specified. | 16 |
| New Mexico | Consumer fireworks legal | No statewide date limit stated; fireworks cannot be set off within 150 feet of a retail store, or on forest, wildland or bosque land. | Not specified for buyers; sales clerks must be at least 16 |
| New York | Limited types only | Not specified, beyond a temporary statewide ban during a declared disaster emergency. | 18 |
| North Carolina | Limited types only | Not specified. | 16 |
| North Dakota | Limited types only | Not specified beyond the retail sale windows. | 12 |
| Ohio | Consumer fireworks legal | Jan 1; Chinese New Year; May 5; Memorial Day weekend; June 19; July 3-5 plus the surrounding Fri-Sun; Labor Day weekend; Diwali; and Dec 31. | 18 to use or discharge fireworks; not specified for purchase |
| Oklahoma | Consumer fireworks legal | Not specified. | Not specified for general buyers; sellers may not sell to a child under 12 without an adult present |
| Oregon | Limited types only | Not specified | 16 |
| Pennsylvania | Consumer fireworks legal | Allowed generally, but towns may restrict use to certain hours; no statewide date restriction. | 18 |
| Rhode Island | Limited types only | Not specified | 16 |
| South Carolina | Consumer fireworks legal | No statewide date limit; property owners or local authorities can declare Fireworks Prohibited Zones. | 16 |
| South Dakota | Consumer fireworks legal | June 27 through the first Sunday after July 4, and December 28 to January 1; other dates need a local permit. | 18 |
| Tennessee | Consumer fireworks legal | No statewide date limit; distance rules apply near churches, hospitals, schools, and storage or sale sites. | 16 |
| Texas | Consumer fireworks legal | No statewide date limit on use itself, but distance rules apply and local governments can add restrictions. | 16 |
| Utah | Consumer fireworks legal | July 2-5, July 22-25, Dec 31 to Jan 1, Jan 1, and Chinese New Year's Eve. | 16, to handle or set off aerial fireworks |
| Vermont | Limited types only | No consumer discharge dates exist; non-sparkler fireworks require a permit for a supervised public display. | 18 |
| Virginia | Limited types only | Allowed on private property with the owner's consent, unless a local ordinance bans it. | Not specified |
| Washington | Consumer fireworks legal | Same as the sale window: June 28 through July 5, and Dec 31 into Jan 1. | 16 |
| West Virginia | Consumer fireworks legal | No statewide date limit. Use requires the property owner's permission and can be further limited locally. | 18 |
| Wisconsin | Limited types only | Set by the same local permit that authorizes purchase; no statewide discharge dates exist. | Not specified |
| Wyoming | Decided locally | Not specified statewide; local rules reportedly run roughly June 1 to July 5 and Dec 31 to Jan 1, but confirm exact dates locally. | Not specified |
The federal layer
U.S. Federal
Consumer fireworks legalFederal law sets safety and shipping rules for fireworks; states decide who can actually buy and use them.
What you can buyNot applicable at the federal level. Federal law only sets safety, labeling, chemical-content and shipping standards for 1.4G consumer fireworks; state law controls what a shopper can buy.
What is off limitsReloadable aerial shell devices with shells over 1.75 inches are banned nationwide, and audible devices are capped at 130 milligrams of pyrotechnic material.
When you can shootNot specified. Federal law does not set discharge dates; states and cities decide when the public may shoot fireworks.
HoursNot specified
When stores can sellNot specified. Federal law does not set retail sale dates; that is left to states.
Minimum ageNot specified
Local rulesFederal law is a safety floor only. States and cities may add stricter rules or ban fireworks outright, and federal law never overrides them.
Shipping and transportConsumer fireworks need DOT certification and an assigned FC number to ship, and carriers cannot knowingly ship fireworks into a state that bans them.
Statutes and regulations behind this summary
- 49 CFR 173.59
- 16 CFR 1500.17
- 49 CFR 173.65
- 49 CFR 173.64
- 15 USCS § 2075
- 18 USCS § 836
Local rules on top of this are common. Check your city or county before you buy or shoot.
Territories
Coverage here is thin. These entries are a starting point only, and every one of them needs to be confirmed locally.
| Territory | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico | Limited types only | Local control and shipping rules for Puerto Rico were not found in available research; confirm locally before buying or shipping fireworks. |
| Virgin Islands | Banned for consumers | Local rules, minimum age and exact date windows are not confirmed for the Virgin Islands; verify with the Commissioner's office before buying or using fireworks. |
| Guam | Decided locally | No statewide fireworks statute was found for Guam; every detail here is unconfirmed, verify directly with local Guam authorities before buying or using fireworks. |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Banned for consumers | Only limited information was found for the Northern Mariana Islands, and whether ordinary consumers may buy any fireworks isn't stated clearly; confirm locally. |
Before you buy or shoot.
Confirm the current rule with your state fire marshal and your own city or county. Fireworks law changes between seasons, and a state that allows something does not mean your town does.