4th Of July 2023 Fireworks Laws: What’s Legal In MD

MARYLAND — If you’re planning a do-it-yourself fireworks display to celebrate the 4th of July this year, knowing Maryland’s law on consumer fireworks is a must.

Fireworks laws have been greatly deregulated since the turn of the century. Some types of fireworks are legal everywhere, except in Massachusetts, where it’s illegal to buy or sell consumer fireworks, or bring them in from states where they are legal. Many states allow the setting off of fireworks in the days before and after major holidays.

Maryland police and fire departments urge residents to leave the 4th of July fireworks to the professionals or face fines.

Maryland fireworks law

In Maryland, most fireworks — including bottle rockets, firecrackers, Roman candles, fire balloons, and signal lights — are illegal.

Only gold-labeled sparklers, novelty items — such as party poppers, snap pops, and snakes — and ground-based sparkler devices are allowed in Maryland, says the state fire marshal's office.

Maryland allows these types of fireworks, according to the state's fireworks page:

• gold-labeled sparklers
• novelty items (i.e. party poppers, snap pops, snakes)
• ground based sparkler device

These types of fireworks are not allowed:

• Firecrackers, Cherry Bombs, Black Cats, M-80’s, Crackling Ball’s, and Smoke Bombs
• Roman Candles, and Bottle Rockets (whistling and/or with report)
• Sky Rockets, Helicopter-type Rockets, Spinning Wheels, Moving Tanks
• Any firework shot from a mortar tube

In states that permit consumer fireworks, counties and cities may adopt stricter codes and ordinances. And in extreme drought or high-wind conditions, local fire officials may prohibit them.

Fireworks are illegal in Baltimore City, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, and ground based sparklers are prohibited in Ocean City, Harford and Howard counties, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.

Residents can check the Maryland State Fire Marshal's list of public fireworks displays granted permits throughout the year.

These items are prohibited across the state by Maryland law:

• Black Cat fireworks
• Bottle rockets
• Crackling balls
• Cherry bombs
• Firecrackers
• Helicopter-type rockets
• M-80s
• Mortar tubes — anything shot from one is illegal
• Moving tanks or other vehicles
• Roman candles
• Sky rockets
• Smoke bombs
• Spinning wheels

These types of fireworks are allowed in Maryland:

• Gold-labeled sparklers (meaning they do not contain chlorates or perchlorates)
• Novelty items (like snap pops, party poppers and snakes)
• Ground-based sparkler devices
• Toy pistols, toy canes, toy guns and other devices with paper caps so that a hand cannot touch the cap when the cap is in place for use
• Paper-wrapped snappers that contain less than 0.03 grains of explosive composition
• Ash-producing pellets known as "snakes"

Here are fireworks safety tips from the fire marshal:

• Keep ignition sources away from children
• Use fireworks only outdoors
• Light only one firework at a time and move quickly away from the firework
• Keep children and pets away from fireworks
• Never light fireworks in your hand
• Never throw fireworks
• Soak used fireworks in a bucket of water
• Clean up debris from fireworks
• Never attempt to re-light a firework that did not go off
• Wait 15-20 minutes if a firework did not go off, then soak in a bucket of water
• Do not allow children to handle ground-based or hand-held sparklers. The temperature of a sparkler can reach 1800 degrees Fahrenheit.
• When handling sparklers, do not wear loose clothing.
• You must be at least 16 years old to purchase hand-held and ground-based sparklers.

Fourth of July fireworks shows planned in the Baltimore region, compiled by WBAL, include:

• Annapolis: Annapolis Harbor, 9:15 p.m. July 4
• Baltimore: Baltimore Inner Harbor, 9:30 p.m. July 4
• Bel Air: Rockfield Park, 9:30 p.m. July 4
• Catonsville: Catonsville High School, 9:15 p.m. July 4
• Cherry Hill: Baltimore City, Middle Branch Park, 9:30 p.m. July 4
• Columbia: Downtown Columbia Lakefront, 9:20 p.m. July 4
• Dundalk: North Point Government Center, 9:15 p.m. July 4
• Frederick: Baker Park, Fleming Avenue Swimming Pool Area, Frederick HS lawn, dusk July 4
• Fullerton: Fullerton Park, 9:15 p.m. July 1
• Glen Burnie: Sawmill Creek Park, 9 p.m. July 3
• Havre de Grace: Havre de Grace shoreline, 9:15 p.m. July 2
• Kent Narrows: Kent Narrows, 9:20 p.m. July 4
• Manchester: 3297 York St., 9:30 p.m. July 6
• Upper Falls: Mount Vista Park, 9:15 p.m. July 3
• Westminster: Carroll County Farm Museum (Admission: $5 per car), 9:30 p.m. July 4

More fireworks displays to check out:

• Mid-County Sparkles, July 1, 6 to 10 p.m., Albert Einstein High School in Kensington. Live music begins at 6 p.m. Fireworks begin at 9:15 p.m. No alcohol or pets are permitted.
• Germantown Glory: July 4, 7 to 10 p.m., South Germantown Recreational Park. Live music begins at 7 p.m. Fireworks begin at 9:15 p.m. No alcohol or pets are permitted.
• Ocean City: Simultaneous fireworks displays on July 4 will light up the beach and the bay. The northern display at Northside Park, 125th Street and the bay, will kick off at 8 p.m. with DJ musical entertainment followed by fireworks at 9:30 p.m. On the south end of town, Ocean City’s Boardwalk will host the U.S. Army military band Downrange on the Caroline Street Stage at 7 p.m. followed by DJ music and the fireworks show at 9:30 p.m.

History of Fireworks Usage, Laws

The permissive atmosphere around fireworks regulation isn’t universal, though. In states that permit consumer fireworks, cities and counties may adopt stricter codes and ordinances. And in extreme drought or high-wind conditions, local fire officials may prohibit them.

The strictest fireworks laws are in California, according to a map and list of state fireworks laws curated by Reader’s Digest. The law allows a limited window for fireworks use, from noon on June 28 through noon July 6, and restricts their use to people 16 and older.

Legal fireworks are ground and handheld sparkling devices, cylindrical and cone fountains, wheel and ground spinners, illuminating torches, and certain flitter sparklers. Prohibited fireworks are firecrackers, Roman candles, chasers, wire and wooden stick sparklers, and skyrockets.

Indiana has some of the most lenient laws. Anyone 18 or older can purchase and use fireworks whenever they want, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on non-holidays and later on holidays. All types of fireworks are legal as long as they meet U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission construction and labeling regulations.

States with stricter fireworks laws have cited data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission that shows thousands of people are injured in fireworks-related accidents every year, with multiple deaths reported as well.

Fireworks injuries have spiked in recent years, and were up 25 percent between 2006 and 2021, according to the latest available emergency room data collected by the Consumer Product Safety Commission,

Some 11,500 people were treated at emergency rooms for fireworks injuries in 2021, down from 15,600 in 2020 when pandemic restrictions kept people at home. Nine people died from fireworks injuries in 2021 — six because of fireworks misuse and one because of a mortar launch malfunction, according to the Consumer Product Safety Association. That compares to 26 fireworks-related deaths in 2020.

The report found that 74 percent of the total estimated fireworks-related injuries occurred from June 18 to July 18, 2021.

Fireworks have always been part of Independence Day celebrations. After the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, that Independence Day “ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shews, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.”

The first Independence Day fireworks display occurred on July 4, 1777. They came in only one color — orange — back then, according to the Smithsonian Institution. Today, they light up the sky with red, white and blue, the color of the U.S. flag, but also other colors.

At the turn of the century, about a third of fireworks displays were professional shows, according to Scientific American.

Since then, states have gradually deregulated fireworks, partly to tap lost tax revenue from residents crossing state lines to buy fireworks in states with more-lenient laws, but also because of lax enforcement.