# anywhere that fireworks are illegal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 3, 2012, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048 "2012-07-03T00:02:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/41 "2012-07-03T19:06:25Z")
To Knorf: My info was a newspaper article in the San Bernardino County (CA) paper. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/42 "2012-07-03T20:23:07Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Here is a [map](http://www.fireworksafety.com/laws.htm) showing state fireworks laws. Fireworks are illegal in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. > > Fireworks are illegal in San Francisco, but that doesn’t stop people from setting them off illegally. In the Bay Area they are legal on a city by city basis, They are illegal in Fremont, but legal in Newark, which I can walk to from my house. And every Fourth the police in Fremont say there were hardly any violations, which, judging from what I hear, means they are either deaf or sleeping very soundly. They were illegal in New York 50 years ago, but that never stopped people from getting them from out of state. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/43 "2012-07-04T06:39:27Z")
I got a letter from the Oakland Police Department about how all fireworks of any kind are illegal in Oakland and they intend to strictly enforce it. Specifically, they have a seismic detection system that can detect the precise location of not only gunshots but also fireworks, which “sends direct notification to patrol officers’ cars within seconds of the incident.” …I have been hearing large amounts of fireworks every night for a solid month. Thanks, OPD. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/44 "2012-07-04T12:13:53Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > I got a letter from the Oakland Police Department about how all fireworks of any kind are illegal in Oakland and they intend to strictly enforce it. Specifically, they have a seismic detection system that can detect the precise location of not only gunshots but also fireworks, which “sends direct notification to patrol officers’ cars within seconds of the incident.” The Oakland Police Department must have more cars than people if they intend to respond to every cap pistol and firecracker that goes off on the 4th. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/45 "2012-07-04T12:54:35Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > I got a letter from the Oakland Police Department about how all fireworks of any kind are illegal in Oakland and they intend to strictly enforce it. Specifically, they have a seismic detection system that can detect the precise location of not only gunshots but also fireworks, which “sends direct notification to patrol officers’ cars within seconds of the incident.” > > …I have been hearing large amounts of fireworks every night for a solid month. Thanks, OPD. “Seismic detection system”? Is that even real? I mean…I know we have means of detecting seismic activity for volcanoes, earthquakes and such…but for fireworks? This is pinging my bullshit radar. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/46 "2012-07-04T12:54:47Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > Regarding purchases made in legal areas and transported to illegal areas: > > I remember reading a newspaper article about the “illegal in California” fireworks for sale in Nevada. Most of the area around the State line between Nevada and California is unobstructed desert. Sometimes the cops in California position themselves in a great vista point overlooking fireworks stores located just over the State line in Nevada. They watch California residents make their purchases and as soon as they cross back into California, POUNCE! > ~VOW Much as I write about MA police watching the NH Fireworks stores, ex cept that it sounds as if Ca police might have an easier time of it in some areas. I’m not skeptical about the story (you hear about it frequently on the news about MA/NH) but only about its general applicability (I know of areas along the CA/NV border that wouldn’t be so easy to police) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/47 "2012-07-04T13:04:25Z")
Technically, in DC any fireworks that “explode” are illegal, but in practice, the police don’t really give a shit. We go out to the middle of the nearby circle on the 4th and set off all sorts of large aerial fireworks, and the police just drive by, and if they stop it’s just to watch. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/48 "2012-07-04T15:08:17Z")
[QUOTE=FoieGrasIsEvil] “Seismic detection system”? Is that even real? I mean…I know we have means of detecting seismic activity for volcanoes, earthquakes and such…but for fireworks? This is pinging my bullshit radar. [/QUOTE] It’s really a gunshot detection system with microphones throughout the city. Not seismic at all. I think the specific system Oakland is using is called ShotSpotter. When the sensors pick up noises with the acoustic signature of shooting, they triangulate the area. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/49 "2012-07-04T18:55:51Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > Here in WA, most of the cities seem to have bans, but most of the counties do not. It is illegal to sell or posess firecrackers or aerial fireworks (bottle rockets, roman candles, etc.) in the State of Washington, _unless you are on tribal land._ Which of course all the Indian reservations have fireworks stands selling everything under the sun. One around here even has the gall to call itself “Ill Eagle Fireworks”. My mom lives on reservation land and she’s heard fireworks go off every night since May. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/50 "2012-07-05T02:58:27Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > “Seismic detection system”? Is that even real? I mean…I know we have means of detecting seismic activity for volcanoes, earthquakes and such…but for fireworks? This is pinging my bullshit radar. Sorry, I should not have used the word “seismic”. The system was invented by a seismologist and I remember seeing news reports about how he adapted technologies used in seismology, but it’s not seismology itself. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/51 "2012-07-05T04:18:37Z")
Where does the OP live? Fireworks were mostly illegal when I was growing up in Wisconsin (1980s - 1990s). Sparklers, snakes and snappers were OK, but we always had to rely on the relatives from Tennessee to get things like bottle-rockets, fire-crackers and roman candles. And IIRC, they couldn’t even get bigger “explosives”. Dunno how it is today. I still hear (and am currently hearing, today, July 4) lots of fire-crackers, but I just kinda assume that’s because I live in a place that’s heavily immigrant, from a place I assume fun fireworks are mostly unregulated (Mexico). ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/52 "2012-07-05T05:46:59Z")
I would assume it’s illegal in most city limits but legal in many counties. Fireworks, firing guns, burning things are all illegal in my city of 25,000, but step outside the city limits and do all three at once if you want. I’m inside the limits but people in the neighborhood do set off fireworks on every occasion they can think of and no one has gotten in any trouble because we’re in the 'burbs and there’s plenty of space. But due to drought conditions, the cops were patrolling the neighborhood at 8pm and telling anyone outside that they’d be writing tickets for fireworks. Then it got dark and they were so busy responding to fireworks calls (including some that started a brush fire) that someone down the block had time to put on a pretty good show and not get caught. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/53 "2012-07-05T12:28:42Z")
I live in the Nebraska Panhandle. so, Wyoming in all but name. 😉 sounds like it wouldn’t matter if they were illegal here, since folks just set them off anyway. I was just wondering if anywhere was like where & when I grew up. in town, you basically had the official fireworks and that was it. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/54 "2012-07-06T01:47:13Z")
Fireworks are completely illegal in MA. We aren’t allowed anything fun. However enforcement varies. I know plenty of people that are comfortable setting them off in their own yards and never have issue. The police in general have better things to do and won’t bother unless they have complaints. The state police do pay attention to the NH border and will pull people over they suspect of purchasing fireworks in NH and taking them into MA. NH stores will not sell to people if they are aware they are from out of state, but they don’t check ID either so it isn’t much of a challenge to purchase them. ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_Turk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dan\_Turk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Turk)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/55 "2012-07-06T05:07:01Z")
Look into a thundershirt for your dog. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/56 "2012-07-06T17:03:01Z")
Michigan just relaxed its fireworks laws. Formerly, they only allowed [del]lame-ass[/del] “safe and sane” fireworks like sparkelers, but now you can buy a much wider array of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048/57 "2012-07-07T03:14:30Z")
Fireworks are illegal where I live. But we can go to any border and get them easily, and some of the safer ones are available in the stores here. They are good enough for us. Thundershirt doesn’t work on our dog. But he looks cute in it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anywhere-that-fireworks-are-illegal/627048.md?page=2)