Fireworks Laws In MD: What's Legal On July 4th In 2025

While many states have loosened fireworks laws in recent years to extend the season people can set them off beyond the 4th of July, that is not the case in Maryland.

Both the types of fireworks consumers can possess and when they can buy and use them are significantly regulated. Many states allow the use of fireworks on the days on either side of the 4th of July and other major holidays. The exception is Massachusetts, where a law in effect since 1943 forbids any private citizen from possessing or using consumer fireworks, including sparklers and party poppers.

A bill was proposed in the Maryland Legislature earlier this year to allow consumer fireworks, but it died in committee. The bill was opposed by the State Fire Marshal's office.

Before you start procuring pyrotechnics, be sure you know Maryland's laws on consumer fireworks.

Here’s what you need to know about Maryland's fireworks law:

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.

However, Baltimore City, along with Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, have outlawed all fireworks.

Also, ground-based sparklers are prohibited in Ocean City, plus Harford and Howard counties.
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

However, that doesn't mean you won't be able to see fireworks, as many municipalities host fireworks displays during the days surrounding the July 4 holiday. Find a list of some of the planned fireworks displays.

The permissive atmosphere around fireworks regulation isn’t universal, though. Fireworks use in neighborhoods can become contentious, and in states with permissive fireworks laws, some cities and counties have passed local laws banning them.

And in extreme drought or high-wind conditions, local fire officials may prohibit any use of fireworks. And 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 special occasions — midnight on the 4th of July, two hours after sunset during 4th of July weekend and 1 a.m. on New Year’s Eve. All types of fireworks are legal as long as they meet U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission construction and labeling regulations.

Three states — Hawaii, Nevada and Wyoming — leave it to counties to set consumer fireworks 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 agency

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 firework 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.

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