While it used to have the company of a few other states, Massachusetts is now the only U.S. state with a full ban on consumer fireworks.
In the Bay State, private citizens cannot possess, sell or use fireworks of any kind, including sparklers and firecrackers. According to CBS News, the state’s ban has existed since 1943, meaning World War II was the last time Massachusetts residents were able to use fireworks for personal displays.
Back in 2014, Massachusetts was among three other states with full bans on fireworks, all in the Northeast — Delaware, New Jersey and New York. Those three states have since laxed restrictions.
In 2018, for example, Delaware lawmakers passed a bill allowing the use of ground-based fireworks and handheld sparklers on July 4 and New Year’s Eve.
The year prior, New Jersey legalized the purchase and use of handheld and ground-based sparklers and novelty items — such as “snakes,” snappers, and party poppers — for people 16 and older.
At the time, Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association, told WHYY, the PBS member station for the Philadelphia area, that states were lifting restrictions partly because of tax revenue. Lawmakers were tired of seeing their residents go to other states, she said.
Massachusetts officials remain firm that residents should leave the fireworks to the professionals. If a resident is caught with illegal fireworks, they can face fines. Police are required to confiscate them.
Massachusetts fire departments reported nearly 1,000 fires and more than 200 burns and injuries related to illegal fireworks between 2013 and 2022, according to the Department of Fire Services and State Police.
In 2022, the most recently available data, fire departments reported 106 fires and explosions, 38 injuries and $414,279 in damages attributed to fireworks. More than half of the incidents took place during the week of July 4.
The Department of Fire Services maintains a webpage of professional fireworks displays across the state that residents can attend.
