4th Of July 2024 Fireworks Laws: What’s Legal In New Hampshire

CONCORD, NH — Home fireworks aren’t just for the 4th of July in many parts of the country, but before you start procuring pyrotechnics, be sure you know New Hampshire’s laws on consumer fireworks.

Fireworks have been significantly deregulated in the past two decades. Some types of fireworks are legal everywhere, except in Massachusetts. Many states also allow the use of fireworks on the days on either side of the 4th of July and other major holidays.

In New Hampshire, here’s what you need to know:

Permissible Fireworks, Consumer Fireworks, and Class C Fireworks are allowed in the state. Fireworks shows and displays at entertainment events require permits. Stores selling fireworks also need approved applications. Residents must be 21 to purchase fireworks.

The state of New Hampshire Fire Marshal offers the following tips:

How to Safely Enjoy Fireworks

• Read and follow all directions, caution labels, and warning labels on each firework device.
• Never allow children to handle, play with and/or light any type of fireworks.
• Do not consume alcohol while handling fireworks.
• Be cautious of lighting aerial devices during high wind conditions

Always

• Display fireworks in a clear, open area that is free of overhead objects
• Provide for a safe distance between buildings and any viewing audience
• Ignite one device at a time
• Have a form of fire suppression nearby (fire extinguisher, hose or bucket of water
• Store fireworks in a cool, dry place and dispose of properly

Never

• Extend any part of your body over the top of any device
• Attempt to reignite, alter, or fix any fireworks device that has failed to fire
• Aim, point, throw, or shoot fireworks at another person

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 any use of fireworks. Three states — Hawaii, Nevada, and Wyoming — leave it to each county to decide where and what categories of fireworks are legal.

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,; restricts their use to people 16 and older; and also limits the kinds of fireworks people can buy.

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. Some 10,200 people were injured and 11 died in fireworks accidents in 2022, according to the latest available data from the CPSC.

Also according to that report:

• Nearly three-fourths (73 percent) of 2022 injuries occurred in the weeks before and after the July 4 holiday.
• About 1,300 people were injured by fireworks and approximately 600 by sparklers.
• About 38 percent of people who were injured sustained burns, most often (29 percent) to the hands and fingers, but also the head, face and ears (19 percent), eyes (16 percent) and trunk or other part of the body (12 percent).

If you’re getting fireworks to celebrate Independence Day, follow these safety tips:

• Don’t allow young children to play with fireworks, including sparklers.
• Keep a bucket of water or garden hose nearby so you can douse a fire quickly.
• Light fireworks one at a time, then quickly step back.
• Never attempt to re-light or pick up a firework that did not ignite correctly.
• Don’t use fireworks if impaired by alcohol or drugs.

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.

The gradual deregulation of fireworks occurred 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.