OHIO, USA — Starting Friday, many Ohioans will be able to set off consumer-grade fireworks on their personal property, or on someone else's personal property with their permission, on select days of the year, like the Fourth of July weekend.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 172 into law in November 2021, legalizing consumer-grade fireworks at the state level for those 18 years or older and giving local governments and municipalities the freedom to restrict dates and times or ban them outright.
A growing number of municipalities in northwest Ohio are choosing to opt out of the legislation. This means discharging fireworks will always remain illegal. These include:
- Toledo
- Holland (Plans to opt out at a later date.)
- Oregon
- Waterville
- Haskins
- Bowling Green
- Walbridge
- Port Clinton (Council is expected to vote to opt out.)
Some municipalities are deciding to not opt out and will go along with the new Ohio House Bill. This means you will be able to release fireworks on certain days. These include:
- Maumee
- Sylvania
- Perrysburg
- Rossford
- Northwood
- Findlay
- Swanton
- Fremont
- Genoa
Below are municipalities we are waiting to hear back from.
- Millbury
- Whitehouse
- Delta
- Wauseon
- Oak Harbor
- Put-In-Bay
Perrysburg Fire Chief Rudy Ruiz said the city felt comfortable allowing fireworks.
"We really didn't have that much of a concern with the new law. We talked about it with city administration and we felt the people around here usually use those pretty safely. And with the new laws, it adds some more rules to the whole process. So we feel the rules in place are going to be sufficient," Ruiz said.
But he clarified it's "not a free-for-all" and there are still rules in place, like needing to light fireworks in an area that is not dry and slightly damp.
And for "certain fireworks, at least the ones that go up, you need to have a clearance of 150 feet," he said.
NOTE: This story will be updated as communities report whether they will opt out of the new fireworks legislation.
No matter when or where you plan to set off fireworks, local retailer Phantom Fireworks has these crucial safety dos and don'ts:
- Do not let children handle fireworks
- Do not consume alcohol or drugs while handling fireworks
- Do not keep trying to light malfunctioning or "dud" fireworks
- Do not use fireworks as weapons
- Do not light fireworks indoors
- Do not light more than one firework at a time
- Do use common sense
- Do purchase fireworks from licensed, reliable sources
- Do stabilize fireworks on hard surfaces before igniting them
- Do have a water source ready nearby
- Do pay attention to the environment around you, like wind and nearby trees
- Do notify your neighbors if you plan to light fireworks since the loud noises can affect veterans and pets
Last week, Toledo City Council opted out of HB 172. This means Toledoans will have to make a choice: Watch city-sanctioned fireworks shows or shoot their personal fireworks off outside of city limits.
Toledoans may not have to travel far to set off their fireworks though, as the city of Sylvania, Sylvania Township and Perrysburg still will allow fireworks, according to leaders in those communities.
Many other communities around Toledo have not publicly stated they are opting out, meaning consumer-grade fireworks
Opting out of the bill applies to July 3, 4 and 5 and all of the other dates HB 172 declared legal for Ohioans to launch their own:
- New Year's Day
- Chinese New Year
- Cinco de Mayo
- Memorial Day weekend
- Juneteenth
- The first Friday, Saturday and Sunday before and after July 4
- Labor Day weekend
- Diwali, a festival of lights celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains
- New Year's Eve
Multiple Toledo City Council members, as well as Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong, cited instances in the city's history of fireworks gone dangerously awry.
On July 4, 2021, a truck hauling fireworks caught on fire, launching its load in the street and injuring three people.
Armstrong said this incident, as well as a fire in 2008 at the Hunter's Ridge Apartments that left over 100 people homeless, were examples of how fireworks could lead to destruction in amateur hands.
"The easy way to think about it is, if it goes boom, it's illegal," Toledo Police Chief George Kral said.
DeWine signed HB 172 -- sponsored by Rep. Brian Baldridge (R-Winchester) and Rep. Michael J. O'Brien (D-Warren) -- into law back in November 2021, but it was not the first time a fireworks bill arrived at his desk that year.
DeWine previously vetoed Senate Bill 113 -- sponsored by Sen. Michael A. Rulli (R-Salem) and Sen. Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) -- in July 2021.
DeWine vetoed it because it would make Ohio "one of the least restrictive states in regard to fireworks law" and that more safety measures would be needed before he would sign a bill legalizing fireworks.
Both HB 172 and SB 113 sought to remove the requirement that Ohioans who purchased fireworks in the state could not set them off in Ohio and had to take them out of state within 48 hours of purchasing them.
Both bills also included the same list of dates legal for consumer-grade fireworks.
So, why did DeWine sign HB 172 but veto SB 113?
He said after vetoing SB 113 he was able to work with the "General Assembly to arrive at a compromise that included changes I wanted to see in the legislation” after he realized his veto could have been overridden.
DeWine said these changes include limiting the dates fireworks are legal to "more traditional holidays" that Ohioans celebrate while recognizing the state’s numerous culturally diverse holidays, despite both bills having the same list of holidays.
The bill "also reduces, by half, the allowable increase in showroom size originally offered in Senate Bill 113, while requiring enhanced fire sprinkler systems,” DeWine said. “The measure further prohibits the discharge of fireworks while in possession of, or under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances or on another person’s property without that person’s permission.”
What can I set off? And how do I do it safely?
Not all fireworks are legal, though. No, you can't buy an experimental cherry bomb from your friend and set it off in your back yard.
Fireworks myst be "consumer-grade," which means fireworks that you can buy at a licensed retailer, such as Phantom Fireworks in Holland, or at a local supermarket.