July 4th fireworks 2025: What's the minimum age to buy fireworks?
Age restrictions for purchasing fireworks vary widely across the U.S., ranging from no age limits to a maximum of 21 years.What to know about buying fireworks, and at what age.
More: Fireworks injuries were way up last year. How to protect yourself this year.
How old do you have to be to buy fireworks?
Only two states, Maine and New Hampshire, require buyers of fireworks to be 21 years of age or older, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.
But in most states, the age requirement to purchase fireworks is 18. This includes: Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia and Vermont.Seventeen states, however, do allow 16-year-olds to purchase fireworks: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington.The minimum age to buy fireworks in Missouri is 14, and in four states: Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota and Oklahoma, 12-year-olds are allowed to purchase fireworks.Nevada, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, Wisconsin and Wyoming have no age restrictions, but local ordinances usually require that an adult (over the age of 18) be present.
Which state has banned fireworks?
Since 1943, Massachusetts has banned the possession, use, and sale of fireworks by individuals without a license. The state's regulations only allow fireworks at public, permitted events. Also, the law prohibits fireworks bought and transported from other states to Massachusetts.
Any safety tips for handling fireworks?
In 2024, there were 11 fireworks-related deaths, mainly due to misuse and malfunctions, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Injuries rose sharply to an estimated 14,700, a 38% increase in deaths and 52% in injuries compared to 2023. About 1,700 of these injuries involved sparklers and required emergency room treatment.
'Behind these numbers are real people, real families — and often, preventable incidents,' said CPSC Acting Chairman Peter Feldman in a June 25 statement. 'Fireworks injuries don't just happen on the Fourth of July. We urge everyone to celebrate responsibly — because safety must always come first.'
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San Francisco Chronicle
31 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Exclusive: Owner of fireworks company linked to deadly explosion was denied federal license
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But Chee had apparently rebuilt his life after early trouble. As a young man in 1998, he was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of assault with a firearm and firing a gun from a motor vehicle at a person, according to state records. Chee served his time at the prison now called San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in Marin County. Under ATF regulations, anyone who has been convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in prison cannot obtain a federal explosives license. Yet additional records obtained by the Chronicle show Chee — who filed the company's articles of incorporation with the California Secretary of State — obtained approval to operate his fireworks company from California officials. Devastating Pyrotechnics held three licenses from the Office of the State Fire Marshal to import and export materials, sell fireworks and launch public displays, all under Chee's name. Chee's status is one of many complexities investigators are sorting through in the aftermath of the explosion. The Esparto property, 35 miles northwest of Sacramento, was zoned for agriculture through Yolo County, and KCRA-TV reported it was owned by Sam Machado, a lieutenant with the Yolo County Sheriff's Office. Meanwhile, the Chronicle viewed maps showing the operations of Devastating Pyrotechnics and another company on the property, Blackstar Fireworks. Devastating Pyrotechnics was permitted to store display-grade fireworks, the type used in municipal shows, in large metal storage containers far away from the building that burst into flames. The company's closest storage magazine was almost 2,000 feet away, or a third of a mile. On Friday, the burned warehouse continued to smolder as several families of company workers awaited news. Authorities said seven people were missing, and a source familiar with the investigation told the Chronicle that one death had been confirmed. 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