In Colorado, you have to be at least 16 years old to buy fireworks, and that age limit applies to every type the state allows, including sparklers. It’s also illegal for a vendor to sell, give, or otherwise hand fireworks to anyone under 16.1Justia. Colorado Code 12-28-102 – Unlawful Use or Sale of Fireworks
There is one carve-out on the use side. A child under 16 can hold and use permissible fireworks if an adult is supervising. A 10-year-old with a sparkler at a family cookout is fine; the same child walking up to a fireworks stand to buy that sparkler is not.1Justia. Colorado Code 12-28-102 – Unlawful Use or Sale of Fireworks
Every licensed vendor must post a warning sign at least 8½ by 11 inches in a visible spot stating that purchases under 16 are illegal and spelling out the penalties. If you see a stand without one, that vendor is out of compliance and risks losing its license.
What a 16-Year-Old Can Legally Buy
Being old enough only gets you access to what Colorado calls “permissible fireworks.” Anything that flies into the air or explodes with a bang is off the list. Firecrackers, bottle rockets, roman candles, and cherry bombs are all illegal to sell or possess in the state.2Justia. Colorado Code 24-33.5-2001 – Definitions
The permitted categories are:
- Cylindrical and cone fountains, limited to 75 grams of pyrotechnic composition per tube, or 200 grams for multi-tube units on a common base.
- Wheels, capped at 60 grams per driver unit or 200 grams per complete wheel.
- Ground spinners containing no more than 20 grams.
- Sparklers and dipped sticks up to 100 grams total, with chlorate or perchlorate content limited to 5 grams.
- Illuminating torches and colored fire up to 200 grams each.
- Snake and glow worm pellets of 2 grams or less, sold in packages of 25 or fewer.
- Trick noise makers such as snap pops and cigarette loads with no more than 50 milligrams of explosive composition.
- Multiple-tube devices individually mounted on a wood or plastic base with at least half an inch between tubes, a single external fuse, spark showers no higher than 15 feet, and no more than 500 grams total.
Federal consumer product rules layer on top of the state list. A legal firecracker, for example, can contain no more than 50 milligrams of pyrotechnic composition, and every device must carry warning labels describing its hazards and safe handling.3U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Fireworks
Your City or County May Ban Fireworks Entirely
Colorado lets cities and counties impose stricter rules than the state, and many have. Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Lakewood, Littleton, Golden, Thornton, and a long list of other Front Range communities ban all consumer fireworks, including the permissible ones the state otherwise allows. Local penalties are frequently harsher than state penalties, with some cities imposing fines up to $1,000 and jail terms up to a year.
Before you buy or light anything, check the rules for the specific city and county where you’ll be using them. Fire departments and local government websites usually publish their policies ahead of the Fourth of July, and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control recommends confirming current restrictions with your county sheriff.4Fire Prevention and Control. Fireworks Safety
Fire Bans Can Shut Everything Down
Colorado’s dry summers create a second override. The Governor can declare fire bans during periods of extreme fire danger, and counties and fire districts can add their own restrictions independently. These bans often prohibit all fireworks use, even in places that normally allow permissible types, and they can take effect on short notice.
The stakes go well beyond a citation. Recklessly or deliberately setting fire to someone else’s land is a petty offense carrying a mandatory fine of $250 to $1,000 that a court cannot waive. If the fire is set knowingly during a declared fire ban or restriction, the charge rises to a class 6 felony.5FindLaw. Colorado Code 18-13-109 – Firing Woods or Prairie
Civil liability is where the numbers get serious. Anyone who starts a fire that damages another person’s property has to pay for the harm, and if the Governor has declared a drought emergency at the time, the responsible party can be held liable for treble damages, meaning three times the actual loss. Agricultural burning and authorized fire management operations are excluded, but fireworks that spark a wildfire are not.6Justia. Colorado Code 13-21-105 – Setting Fire to Woods or Prairie Suppression costs alone can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Penalties for Buying, Selling, or Using Illegally
At the state level, possessing illegal fireworks (anything off the permissible list) is a petty offense that can bring a fine and up to 10 days in jail. Local charges for the same conduct are often heavier, with municipal fines reaching $1,000 and jail time up to a year.
For sellers, the exposure is bigger. Selling without a license, selling illegal fireworks, or selling to a buyer under 16 can cost a vendor the license and bring additional criminal charges. The Division of Fire Prevention and Control administers the licensing program.7Fire Prevention and Control. Fireworks Regulatory Program
Bringing Fireworks In From Wyoming or Another State
Being 16 doesn’t help you if the fireworks themselves are illegal here. Driving to a state with looser laws and loading up the trunk is a common plan, but anything that isn’t legal to sell in Colorado isn’t legal to possess in Colorado either, no matter where you bought it. Law enforcement watches border routes in the days before the Fourth of July.
Federal law treats consumer fireworks as hazardous materials, and knowing violations of the transportation rules carry civil penalties up to $75,000 per violation, with higher exposure if a violation causes death, serious injury, or major property damage.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 5123 – Civil Penalty Willful or reckless violations can also bring prison time.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 5124 – Criminal Penalty Most people caught in a car with contraband fireworks face state charges, but the federal ones are on the books.