To put on a fireworks display in Maryland, you need a Maryland fireworks permit issued by the State Fire Marshal, and the application has to be filed by a Maryland-certified fireworks company at least 10 days before the event. The standard fee is $50, filing late adds another $50, and the applicant must post either a surety bond or liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 before the permit issues. Several counties ban consumer fireworks outright, so where you plan to shoot matters as much as what you plan to shoot.
When You Need a Permit
Anyone who discharges fireworks, or possesses them intending to discharge them, needs a permit from the State Fire Marshal.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Public Safety Code Section 10-104 – Permit to Discharge Fireworks The same statute covers professional 1.3G display shells and consumer 1.4G items like firecrackers, Roman candles, and bottle rockets. There is no separate track for private backyard events; the rules that govern a municipal Fourth of July show govern a wedding send-off too.
The permit is nontransferable. Only the person or entity named on it may conduct the specific display it authorizes.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Public Safety Code Section 10-104 – Permit to Discharge Fireworks
Items That Don’t Require a Permit
A short list of low-power novelties falls outside the legal definition of “fireworks” and can be used without a permit under state law:
- Sparklers that contain no chlorates or perchlorates
- Ground-based, nonaerial, nonexplosive sparkling devices labeled to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission standards
- Snappers containing less than 0.03 grains of explosive composition
- Snakes that produce ash, contain no mercury, and are not regulated by the Department of Transportation
- Paper caps with less than 0.20 grains of explosive composition, and cap devices with 0.25 grains or less where the hand cannot touch the cap during use
Everything else is regulated as fireworks. Possession without a valid permit is a misdemeanor whether or not you light anything.
How to Apply
You cannot file the application yourself. Every display permit application must be submitted by a Maryland-certified fireworks company on behalf of the event sponsor.2Maryland State Police. Explosives and Fireworks If you want a fireworks display at your event, your first step is hiring one of these companies. They prepare and file the paperwork.
The application must reach the State Fire Marshal at least 10 days before the discharge date.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Public Safety Code Section 10-104 – Permit to Discharge Fireworks Each showing needs its own application, even for multiple dates at the same venue.
Before the State Fire Marshal signs off, the local Authority Having Jurisdiction conducts a site survey. Depending on that agency’s workload, the full process from filing to issued permit can take up to 30 days.2Maryland State Police. Explosives and Fireworks Plan the paperwork well before the 10-day minimum if you want to avoid trouble.
What It Costs
The statutory permit fee is $50, paid to the State Fire Marshal with the application.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Public Safety Code Section 10-104 – Permit to Discharge Fireworks Applications submitted less than 10 days before the display date carry an additional $50 late processing fee, for a total of $100.3Maryland State Police. Application for Public Fireworks Display
Volunteer fire departments and volunteer ambulance and rescue companies pay no permit fee and no late fee.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Public Safety Code Section 10-104 – Permit to Discharge Fireworks The permit itself and every safety and insurance requirement still applies to them.
Insurance and Bond
The Fire Marshal will not issue the permit until the applicant provides either a surety bond with a Fire Marshal-approved corporate surety or an approved liability and property insurance policy.4Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Public Safety Code Section 10-105 – Bond or Insurance The coverage runs to the State and pays for any damage to persons or property caused by the fireworks the permit covers. A person injured by the display can sue on the bond in the State’s name.
For public displays, the minimum coverage is $1,000,000.5Maryland State Police. Maryland Code Public Safety Article Title 10 – Fireworks and Sparklers The Maryland administrative code adds per-person floors: at least $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 when more than one person is injured, and $10,000 for property damage.6Legal Information Institute. Maryland Code of Regulations 29.06.01.09 – Fireworks and Explosive Materials The State must be named as an insured. Deductible-only coverage will not be accepted, and the insurer must give the State Fire Marshal at least 30 days’ notice before cancellation.
Applicants also have to carry workers’ compensation as required by Maryland law. For operators not covered by workers’ compensation, the applicant must provide accident insurance in the amounts the State Fire Marshal prescribes.7Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Public Safety Code Section 10-106 – Workers Compensation and Accident Insurance
Where State Approval Isn’t Enough
Maryland’s statute sets the floor. Counties and municipalities can go further, and several do. Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Howard County, and Baltimore City prohibit all fireworks.8Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. What You Should Know about Fireworks Montgomery County goes so far as to ban sparklers, leaving only snap-and-pop noisemakers, snakes, and party poppers legal. The Town of Bel Air in Harford County and the Town of Ocean City in Worcester County also prohibit consumer fireworks sales and use.
Other counties layer their own permits or fees onto the state process. Check with your local government before assuming a state permit clears the way; a state-issued permit does not override a local ban.
Penalties
Possessing or discharging fireworks in violation of the state fireworks subtitle is a misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $250 per offense.9Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 10-111 – Penalties Because each act of possession or discharge counts separately, a single event with several violations can produce a stack of fines.
The State Fire Marshal can also seize any fireworks possessed or sold in violation of the law, at the owner’s expense. Seized fireworks are forfeited and destroyed, and the Fire Marshal’s Office tracks compliance history, which affects future permit applications.
Federal exposure is far greater. Violating ATF licensing, storage, or recordkeeping requirements for display fireworks can carry up to 10 years in federal prison, a fine, or both.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 844 – Penalties Transporting explosives with knowledge that they will be used to harm people or destroy property starts at 10 years and rises to 20 if someone is injured, up to life if someone dies.
Retailers of Exempt Novelties
Selling the exempt items (sparklers, snappers, snakes, and similar novelties) is not a free-for-all. Retailers have to submit their products for testing and approval by the State Fire Marshal’s Office before offering them for sale. The minimum purchase age is 16. In counties and cities that ban all consumer fireworks, retailers cannot sell even the exempt items, so local ordinances need to be checked before ordering inventory.