4th Of July Home Fireworks Etiquette: Block Talk Survey

With the loosening of laws, backyard fireworks displays have become as much a part of celebrations as cookouts, picnics and swimming parties.

And even in places where consumer fireworks aren’t legal — for example, in places with local laws supplant state codes, and in all of Massachusetts, where they’re not legal at all — people often find ways to obtain and use them.

Various polls suggest not everyone loves their neighbors’ do-it-yourself fireworks extravaganza, and many think states have gone too far in loosening restrictions. One of them, a YouGov survey of 6,000 U.S. adults found as many as 1 in 5 don’t like home fireworks displays.

For these people, the weeks leading up to Independence Day can be miserable now that many places allow everything from sparklers to aerials to big noisemakers.

There is no single reason some Americans have soured on the 4th of July, although noise pollution is a big one, particularly for combat veterans and gun violence survivors living with PTSD. Loud fireworks can frighten dogs and other pets and cause them to run away more than at any other time of year.

But it’s America’s birthday, the last one before the big 250th in 2026, and that deserves a sheesh boom bah or two. So, we’re asking for Block Talk, Patch’s exclusive neighborhood etiquette column, what’s not when it comes to your neighbor’s backyard fireworks display?

The 4th of July is on a Friday this year. Does that afford them a little more grace on hours? Just fill out the survey below. As always, we don’t collect email addresses.

About Block Talk

Block Talk is an exclusive Patch series on neighborhood etiquette — and readers provide the answers. If you have a topic you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com with “Block Talk” as the subject line.

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