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

ILLINOIS — If you’re planning a do-it-yourself fireworks display to celebrate the 4th of July this year, knowing Illinois law on consumer fireworks is Step 1.

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 on the days before and after major holidays.

While Illinois allows a number of novelty fireworks that have a limited aerial range — including some smaller cone fountains, sparklers and other fireworks that contain limited amounts of pyrotechnic composition — the Illinois State Fire Marshal prohibits the sale, purchase, and use of other popular July 4 fireworks devices.

Among the fireworks that are considered illegal by state standards are handheld fireworks, bottle rockets, skyrockets, Roman candles, chasers, buzz bombs, helicopters, missiles, sky lanterns, firecrackers and other explosive devices.

The permissive atmosphere around fireworks regulation isn’t universal in the U.S. But 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.

With dry and windy weather in Illinois threatening a drought, elevated fire risk means shooting off fireworks could result in brush fires, house fires or worse.

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 there 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.

Nearby Indiana — where many Illinoisans go to buy their forbidden fireworks — 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.

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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.

This year, on July 3, a 58-year-old Illinois man was critically injured when a firework initially failed to detonate, and he looked into the tube before it exploded in his face.

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.

Across the U.S., 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 across the U.S. 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.

In Illinois last year, 122 people were injured during the fireworks season, about 33 percent of which suffered multiple injuries, state officials reported. In total, 67 percent of the injuries involved people over the age of 22, while 89 of those injured were men, the state said.

The state reported that 44 hospitals and medical centers reported treating 168 injuries, which was down from 202 injuries in 2021. Children’s injuries in the 11-16 age group decreased to 18 from the previous year's total of 29. Hand injuries were the most prevalent and were reported in 23 percent of cases, followed by the face (15 percent) and eyes (13 percent). Twenty-one percent of injuries involved second-degree burns.

Most injuries were linked to fireworks with “mortars” (24 percent) and “Unknown Type” (24 percent). This was followed by Roman Candles (10 percent), Public Displays (8 percent), homemade pyrotechnics (6 percent) and bottle rockets at 6 percent. The remainder of injuries reported were associated with various other effects including Fountains (6 percent), firecrackers (6 percent), M-80s (5 percent), sparklers (5 percent), and smoke bombs (2 percent).

No fireworks-related deaths were reported in 2022 in Illinois, but a Boone County man in his mid-30s suffered fatal injuries while lighting fireworks on July 4, 2021. Also in 2021 in Lake County, a man in his 20s lost an eye and suffered "severe traumatic injuries to his face" while shooting off fireworks after bending to check why they didn't immediately go off.

An American Tradition

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 shows, 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.