EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
Fireworks are as American as apple pie. The colorful displays are synonymous with celebrating the country's independence. But nearly all of those aerial shells, paper rockets and sparkly fountains are imported from China. While big city organizers and backyard revelers are set for this year's festivities, the trade fight between China and the U.S. has lit a fuse of uncertainty as the price tag for future displays could skyrocket if an agreement isn't reached. The American Pyrotechnics Association is among those urging officials to exempt fireworks from higher tariffs.
We offer reporting suggestions for covering the potential impacts of tariffs on fireworks in your community, along with a breakdown of consumer fireworks laws by state.
___
READ AP'S STORY
Fireworks will light up this Fourth of July. Next year could be different if tariff talks fizzle
Digital ready video: July 4th fireworks could fizzle for America's 250th birthday if tariffs on Chinese goods don't fall
___
FIND YOUR STATE: CONSUMER FIREWORKS LAWS
What kind of consumer fireworks does your state allow, if any? We've broken the states out by the kind of laws below, and you can view details for each state using our map. (Find the embed code for this map at the end of the guide). You can also view details on the American Pyrotechnics Association website where they have a state-by-state consumer law directory.
We focused on consumer fireworks laws, but the American Pyrotechnics Association also has a state-by-state directory of commercial fireworks laws on the same page.
Most Consumer Fireworks Allowed:
ALABAMA
ALASKA
ARKANSAS
INDIANA
IOWA
KANSAS
KENTUCKY
LOUISIANA
MAINE
MICHIGAN
MISSISSIPPI
MISSOURI
MONTANA
NEBRASKA
NEW HAMPHIRE
NEW MEXICO
NORTH DAKOTA
OHIO
OKLAHOMA
PENNSYLVANIA
SOUTH CAROLINA
SOUTH DAKOTA
TENNESSEE
TEXAS
UTAH
WASHINGTON
WEST VIRGINIA
-- -- --
Non-aerial/Non-explosive Fireworks Allowed
ARIZONA
CALIFORNIA
COLORADO
CONNECTICUT
DELAWARE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
FLORIDA
GEORGIA
IDAHO
MARYLAND
MINNESOTA
NEW YORK
NORTH CAROLINA
OREGON
RHODE ISLAND
VIRGINIA
WISCONSIN
-- -- --
Novelty Items Only Allowed:
ILLINOIS
NEW JERSEY
VERMONT
-- -- --
Regulated by County
HAWAII
NEVADA
WYOMING
-- -- --
Total Ban on Fireworks
MASSACHUSETTS
___
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The APA also has some charts that list national fireworks sales by the pound, revenues and injuries over the years. You can find them here: https://www.americanpyro.com/industry-facts-figures.
___
CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS
-- Is there a 4th of July fireworks show in your community? If yes, who puts it on? Sometimes it's the city, county or a local nonprofit. Have they noticed shifts in availability and pricing because of the potential tariffs?
-- Has uncertainty surrounding the availability of fireworks caused your local show's hosts to change out fireworks for cheaper ones, shorten their display time or consider other kinds of displays instead, like drone shows?
-- If your state allows most kinds of fireworks to also be sold to consumers, speak with fireworks sellers and roadside stands to get their take on the tariffs and fireworks supply. Have they had to raise their prices? If yes, has that impacted sales? Are they low in stock? Are they worried how potential tariffs could inform next years supply?
___
EMBED THIS GRAPHIC
This AP digital embed map shows consumer fireworks laws by state. This map is current as of June 10, 2025, and will not update. Sources: American Pyrotechnics Association; National Conference of State Legislatures.
To embed, insert this code into your CMS:
!-- start AP embed --
iframe title="Consumer fireworks laws" aria-label="Map" id="ap-chart-jraai" src="https://interactives.ap.org/embeds/jraai/2/" scrolling="no" width="100%" style="border:none" height="504?/iframescript type="text/javascript"!function()("use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e)(if(void 0!==e.data("datawrapper-height"))(var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data("datawrapper-height"))for(var r=0;rt.length;r++)(if(t(r).contentWindow===e.source)t(r).style.height=e.data("datawrapper-height")(a)+"px"))))))();/script
!-- end AP embed --
___
Localize It is a reporting resource produced by The Associated Press for its customers' use. Questions can be directed to the Local News Success team at localizeit@ap.org
