4th Of July Fireworks: What’s Legal In Waukesha

WAUKESHA, WI — As plans for Fourth of July celebrations ramp up in Wisconsin, and more locally in Waukesha, those looking to shoot off fireworks should brush up on the laws regarding the popular holiday activity.

The Waukesha Police Department is reminding residents ahead of 4th of July about the use of fireworks in the city. In an effort to keep the holiday injury free, Waukesha Police want the community to know nearly all fireworks are illegal by city ordinance. It may be legal for a wholesaler, with the required permits, to sell fireworks. However, the use of fireworks by the general public is illegal.

Fireworks means anything manufactured, processed or packaged for exploding, emitting sparks or combustion which does not have another common use.

To read about the firework ordinance go to the City of Waukesha website. The City of Waukesha is holding a 4th of July parade and fireworks show.

Wisconsin permits the sale and use of fireworks that are non-aerial and non-explosive.

Massachusetts is the only state where fireworks are completely banned aside from professional displays, according to a May report from Reader’s Digest. Illinois, Ohio and Vermont have the next-strictest laws in 2021, the report said.

Indiana — which lies between Illinois and Ohio — has among the most lenient fireworks laws.

Kris Zambo, owner of Dynamite Fireworks in Hammond, Indiana, told Patch in 2018 that a law passed in the mid-2000s essentially made fireworks “wide open” in the Hoosier State. His store’s proximity to the Illinois border allowed the family to turn a side business selling fireworks into a permanent store, drawing droves of cars from Illinois.

• See Also: How To Keep People, Pets Safe During 4th of July Fireworks

“About 80 percent of our customers come from Illinois,” Zambo told Patch.

Dynamite Fireworks is one of many northwest Indiana fireworks stores that beckon Illinois consumers to cross the border with gaudy billboards promising the biggest bang for the buck. The region has gained a reputation as the unofficial fireworks capital of America, with more than 100 consumer-grade fireworks retailers.

Related On Patch: Fireworks On The Down-Low: Indiana Retailers Do Booming Business

States with stricter fireworks laws have cited data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that shows thousands of people are injured in fireworks-related injuries every year, with multiple deaths reported as well. In 2019, about 10,000 fireworks injuries were treated in hospital emergency rooms. Fireworks-related deaths totaled 12 in that year, according to the commission.

The commission has stated fuses on fireworks need to burn somewhere between three seconds and nine seconds to be safe and legal. Legal fireworks can also have no more than 50 milligrams of pyrotechnic composition to be legal, the commission said.

Fireworks celebrations in America date back to 1777, when the first 4th of July celebration occurred. Oddly enough, there were no red, white and blue fireworks to mark the one-year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Fireworks came in only one color — orange — back then, according to the Smithsonian Institution.