4th Of July 2022 Fireworks Laws: What’s Legal In Maryland

MARYLAND — Fireworks have been greatly deregulated over the years, but 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.

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, with exceptions noted below:

• 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.

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 across the spectrum of color.

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.