Are fireworks illegal in my city?

ALABAMA ( WHNT ) — Happy 4th of July! Many Americans are getting ready to light up those grills, but is it legal to light up fireworks in your area?

Fireworks are a hot topic among neighborhoods and subdivisions around Independence Day, and with this year’s holiday landing on a Thursday, you may have plans to celebrate at home instead of heading out to an event.

Check out if your area allows fireworks below. Don’t see your city or county? Let us know here!

Editor’s Note : Not all cities have updated websites or ordinances. If you don’t see your area listed here, be sure to check with your local police or sheriff’s department for more information.

Colbert County

• Muscle Shoals – Illegal
  • “It shall be unlawful for any person to have, keep, store, use, sell, handle or offer for sale, within the city any fireworks.”
    • “The chief of the fire department may, upon due application, issue a permit to a properly qualified person for giving a fireworks display in a public park or another open place within the city.”

• Sheffield – Legal for a certain period of time
  • “Class C common fireworks as defined by the state department of insurance may be sold within the city during the period beginning on June 20 and ending on July 5.”
  • “An individual may detonate fireworks within the city limits between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. of the same day during the fireworks seasons defined in section 14-21 .”
    • On July 4th an individual may detonate fireworks within the city limits between the hours of 10:00 a.m. through 11:00 p.m. of the same day

• Tuscumbia – Illegal
  • “It shall be unlawful for any person in a public park to: To possess, to set off, or otherwise cause to explode, or discharge or burn, any firecrackers, torpedoes, rockets, or other explosives, of inflammable material, or discharge or throw them into such area from highways or adjacent areas. Firework displays or shows may be held only when authorized by a permit from the director and by a permit from the chief of the fire department.”

Franklin County

• Russellville – Legal for a certain period of time
  • “Fireworks can be used and/or shot only during the following prescribed periods and/or days and during said period only until the following stated times: (1) Each and every year for a period beginning on June 29 and ending on July 6, until 10:30 p.m. (central time), each and every night during said period.”

Lauderdale County

• Florence – Legal for a certain period of time
  • “An individual may detonate fireworks within the city limits between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m of the same day during the fireworks seasons defined section 11-4 (a).”
  • “On July 4th, an individual may detonate fireworks within the city limits between the hours of 10:00 a.m. through 11:00 p.m. of the same day.”

Limestone County

• Athens – Illegal
  • “It shall be unlawful for any person within the corporate limits of the city to cause to explode, buy, sell, keep, have in possession, store, trade, or give away any firecrackers, fireworks, pyrotechnics or any other article, item, or device in the nature of fireworks.”

Madison County

• Huntsville – Certain types are legal
  • “Nonexplosive, nonaerial sparking devices, both ground-based and handheld, are legal to use, sell or purchase in the city limits of Huntsville. These fireworks include cylindrical and cone fountains, illuminating torches, wheels and ground spinners.”

• Madison – Illegal
  • “It shall be unlawful for any person to throw any fireballs; set off, discharge or throw any rockets, firecrackers, torpedoes, squibs or other fireworks; or light any bonfires within the city except by permit.”
  • “It shall be unlawful for any person to possess, keep, store, use, manufacture, sell, offer for sale, give away or handle any pyrotechnic within the corporate limits of the city except by permit.”

• Owens Crossroads – Legal
  • Only Class C “Common Fireworks” may be used within city limits. Permitted items are confined to small ground items which include firecrackers not over 1 and a half inches in length and one-quarter inch in diameter and containing no more than 50 mg of explosive composition. Permitted aerial devices also include those containing not over 130 mg or explosive composition.
    • Fireworks can only be ignited one week prior to a holiday and one week after a holiday.
    • Only individuals over the age of 16 can ignite the fireworks.
    • Fireworks cannot be ignited within 600 feet of any hospital, asylum, nursing home, church, school or public assembly while in use or within 300 feet of where fireworks are stored, sold or offered for sale.
    • Fireworks cannot be ignited or discharged from or within a motor vehicle or building, or at a vehicle or building, nor at or near any persons or animals.

Marshall County

• Arab – Illegal
  • “Except as provided in sections 9-8 , 9-9 and 12-7 , no person shall have, keep, store or manufacture, or sell within the corporate limits or within the police jurisdiction of the city any pyrotechnics or other fireworks; provided however, that nothing herein shall be held to apply to the possession or sale or use of a normal stock of flashlight compositions by photographers or dealers in photographic supplies.”

• Guntersville – Legal for a certain period of time
  • “The shooting of fireworks shall be limited to beginning the twenty-fifth day of June and ending on the sixth day of July.”

Morgan County

• Decatur – Illegal
  • “It shall be unlawful for any person within the city or its police jurisdiction to sell, offer for sale, keep or have in possession, barter, exchange or give away, furnish at a public place or elsewhere or otherwise dispose of, use or explode any fireworks.”

• Hartselle – Illegal
  • “It shall be unlawful for any person to shoot, fire, set off, ignite or discharge any fireworks of any nature whatsoever within the municipal limits of the city.”
  • “It shall be unlawful to store, possess, sell or offer to sell or otherwise distribute any fireworks of any nature whatsoever within the municipal limits of the city.”

Jackson County

• Scottsboro – Legal
  • “It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation or entity to use, ignite or explode any fireworks within the city limits of the City of Scottsboro between the hours of 10:00 p.m. in the evening and 8:00 a.m. in the morning without a permit.”
    • “Permits may be allowed in accordance with the rules and regulations of the state fire marshal and approved by the fire chief and police chief of the City of Scottsboro.”
    • “It shall be unlawful for there to be any use of non-state fire marshal permitted fireworks when a no-burn order has been issued by the state fire marshal or any other legal no burn order is in effect.”

Lincoln County (Tennessee)

• Fayetteville – Illegal
  • “It shall be unlawful for firecrackers, torpedoes, Roman candles, sparklers or other fireworks or substances designated and intended for pyrotechnic display to be sold within the fire limits of the city except in a building of masonry construction. It shall also be unlawful to fire, discharge, or explode such fireworks within the corporate fire limits.”
    • “It is unlawful to discharge or use fireworks from city property, streets or sidewalks without the prior written consent of the board of mayor and aldermen. It is unlawful to ignite or discharge fireworks within or throw them from a motor vehicle, and it is unlawful to place or throw ignited fireworks into or at a motor vehicle, or at or near any person or group of persons. It is unlawful to launch fireworks onto the property of persons who have not given permission to do so. It is unlawful to use fireworks in any manner that endangers other persons or property.”
    • The corporate fire limits shall include all that area within one block east and west and two blocks north and south of the town square.

In most counties and unincorporated areas, it is legal to shoot fireworks. Some areas also have time restrictions limiting the period you can use personal fireworks. Your local police or sheriff’s department can tell you about your particular area.

If fireworks are illegal in your area, there are plenty of community events across North Alabama that will have a fireworks show or celebration. If you’d like to find one near you, we have a list of those for you here .

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