In Texas, retailers can sell consumer fireworks during two guaranteed statewide windows every year: June 24 through midnight on July 4, and December 20 through midnight on January 1.1Texas Department of Insurance. Retail Fireworks Selling Seasons For 2026 only, because July 4 falls on a Saturday, the legislature extended the Independence Day window by one day, so sales run through 11:59 p.m. on July 5.2Texas Legislature Online. 89(R) SB 996 – Committee Report (Unamended) – Bill Analysis County commissioners courts can also open sales for several additional holidays throughout the year.
The Two Guaranteed Statewide Windows
These two periods are locked in by state law and do not require any local approval:
- Independence Day: June 24 through midnight on July 4.
- New Year’s: December 20 through midnight on January 1 of the following year.
The 2026 one-day extension to July 5 is a special measure that expires September 1, 2026. In future years, the window closes at midnight on July 4 unless the legislature acts again.2Texas Legislature Online. 89(R) SB 996 – Committee Report (Unamended) – Bill Analysis
Extra Holiday Windows Your County May Open
Outside those two mandatory periods, a county commissioners court can vote to allow fireworks sales for additional holidays. If your county has not opted in, these windows do not apply where you live. The available periods are:
- Texas Independence Day: February 25 through midnight on March 2.
- San Jacinto Day: April 16 through midnight on April 21.
- Cinco de Mayo: May 1 through midnight on May 5, only at locations within 150 miles of the Texas-Mexico border and only with county approval.
- Memorial Day: The Wednesday before the last Monday in May through midnight on Memorial Day.
- Juneteenth: June 14 through midnight on June 19.
- Diwali: Five days before the first day of Diwali through midnight on the last day of Diwali.
- Lunar New Year: Five days before Lunar New Year through midnight on Lunar New Year.
Juneteenth, Diwali, and Lunar New Year were added by 2025 legislation.3State of Texas. Occupations Code Chapter 2154 – Regulation of Fireworks and Fireworks Displays Because Diwali and Lunar New Year shift dates each year, check the Texas Comptroller or your county’s website for the exact selling dates in any given year.4Texas Comptroller. Fireworks and Texas Taxes
Drought Conditions Can Shut Sales Down Mid-Window
A sales period being open on the calendar does not guarantee stands will be selling in your area. When the Keetch-Byram Drought Index reaches 575 or higher in a county, the Texas A&M Forest Service issues a determination, and the commissioners court can then order a ban on the sale or use of certain fireworks in unincorporated areas.5State of Texas. Local Government Code Chapter 352 – County Fire Protection
These drought orders apply only to “restricted fireworks,” defined in the statute as sky rockets with sticks and missiles with fins. Fountains, sparklers, and other consumer fireworks remain available unless a county judge declares a local disaster, which can restrict all fireworks use.5State of Texas. Local Government Code Chapter 352 – County Fire Protection A general county burn ban does not, by itself, prohibit fireworks sales or use. The burn ban and the fireworks restriction come from separate statutes, so check whether a specific fireworks order is in place before you assume one way or the other.
City and County Bans That Override the Calendar
Cities and counties can impose fireworks rules stricter than the state calendar. A home-rule municipality can prohibit fireworks sales and use entirely within city limits. Counties have similar authority over unincorporated areas and can prohibit all sales and use if the commissioners court finds an unreasonable fire risk.5State of Texas. Local Government Code Chapter 352 – County Fire Protection
Cities can also regulate nuisances up to 5,000 feet beyond their boundaries, which lets them restrict where you shoot fireworks just outside city limits. That extraterritorial authority does not extend to prohibiting fireworks sales in that zone, so a stand can still legally sell to you there even when the adjacent city prohibits lighting them.6State of Texas. Local Government Code Chapter 217 – Municipal Regulation of Nuisances and Disorderly Conduct Local rules vary a lot, so check your city and county websites before you drive to a stand.
Who Can Buy, and What Happens If You Buy Off-Season
You must be at least 16 years old to purchase consumer fireworks in Texas. Retailers are required to make a reasonable effort to verify a buyer’s age, and selling to anyone under 16, or to an intoxicated person, is a Class B misdemeanor that can also cost the retailer their permit for at least a year.7Texas Department of Insurance. Regulation of Fireworks and Fireworks Displays – Texas Occupations Code Chapter 2154
Most violations of the state fireworks code are Class B misdemeanors, carrying up to a $2,000 fine and up to 180 days in jail, with each day a violation continues counting as a separate offense.3State of Texas. Occupations Code Chapter 2154 – Regulation of Fireworks and Fireworks Displays A use violation that causes less than $200 in property damage and no injury drops to a Class C misdemeanor with a maximum $500 fine, and violations of county fire-protection orders also fall under Class C.5State of Texas. Local Government Code Chapter 352 – County Fire Protection
A quick boundary worth knowing: state law prohibits igniting fireworks within 600 feet of a church, hospital, school, licensed child care center, or institution of higher education without written permission, and within 100 feet of anywhere flammable liquids or compressed gases are stored or dispensed.7Texas Department of Insurance. Regulation of Fireworks and Fireworks Displays – Texas Occupations Code Chapter 2154 Those limits apply year-round, no matter which sales window is open.