Massachusetts Fireworks Laws: What's Legal, What's Not

It's a Massachusetts given that in some point in your life, either you or someone you've known has driven to New Hampshire to buy fireworks for the Fourth of July, brought them back over state lines, and enjoyed some loud, colorful celebrations. Sure, everyone knows that fireworks are illegal to some extent, but everyone still partakes.

Massachusetts technically frowns on this. The law is pretty clear about fireworks in the Bay State. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 148, Section 39, reads:

"It is illegal for private citizens to use, possess, or sell fireworks in Massachusetts, or to purchase them legally elsewhere and then transport them into the state. The law prohibits any article designed to produce a visible or audible effect."

That's a long way of saying: Don't use or have fireworks, and buying them in New Hampshire does not make it more OK to use or have them.

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And it's not just the fireworks that light the sky over the Esplanade, either. Class C fireworks are also illegal — they include things as seemingly benign as sparklers, snappers and small firecrackers. Pretty much, if it makes noise or lights up, it's illegal. (Jarring to know how many times you've broken the law, isn't it?)

The penalty for breaking these rules can be up to a $1,000 fine or one year in prison. Of course, there aren't enough jail cells in Massachusetts to house all the offenders. Also, an officer is supposed to seize the fireworks.

The state isn't being a stickler for the sake of it. Fireworks, particularly when handled without supervision or in the hands of children, can be very dangerous.

Fireworks contributed to an estimated 5,600 emergency room trips nationwide between June 22 and July 22 last year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The CPSC also reported at least five nonoccupational fireworks-related deaths in the United States in 2018.

Related: Rhode Island Fireworks Laws