Minnesota Fireworks Laws (2026): Ban, Sparkler Exception, Permits

Minnesota bans nearly all consumer fireworks. Only a narrow, weight-capped list of novelty items, sparklers, ground sparkling devices, snakes and glow worms, smoke devices, and trick noisemakers, is excluded from the statutory definition of "fireworks" and legal to buy and use, under Minn. Stat. § 624.20, subd. 1.

Jurisdiction scope: This article addresses Minnesota's state fireworks law under Minn. Stat. §§ 624.20 to 624.25: the near-total ban, the narrow novelty exclusion and its age, ID, and local-fee rules, the display-permit track, and the quantity-based penalty structure. It does not address Minnesota's separate open-burning or wildfire-danger restrictions.

The Ban and Its Narrow Exclusion

Minnesota defines "fireworks" broadly, then bans nearly everything that definition covers:

"Except as otherwise provided in sections 624.20 to 624.25, it shall be unlawful for any person to offer for sale, expose for sale, sell at retail or wholesale, possess, advertise, use, or explode any fireworks."

Minn. Stat. § 624.21

That broad definition in § 624.20, subd. 1(a) names blank cartridges, toy cannons, hot-air balloons that use fire, firecrackers, torpedoes, skyrockets, Roman candles, and "other fireworks of like construction." Subdivision 1(c) then carves a short, specific list back out of that definition:

"The term also does not include wire or wood sparklers of not more than 100 grams of mixture per item, other sparkling items which are nonexplosive and nonaerial and contain 75 grams or less of chemical mixture per tube or a total of 500 grams or less for multiple tubes, snakes and glow worms, smoke devices, or trick noisemakers which include paper streamers, party poppers, string poppers, snappers, and drop pops, each consisting of not more than twenty-five hundredths grains of explosive mixture."

Minn. Stat. § 624.20, subd. 1(c)

Everything outside that list, firecrackers, Roman candles, skyrockets, and any other aerial or explosive device, stays illegal to sell, possess, or use statewide. A separate exclusion in subdivision 1(b) also keeps toy pistols and toy guns that use paper caps of 25/100 grains or less, and toy pistol caps that contain less than 20/100 grains of explosive mixture, out of the definition entirely.

Age, ID, and Where Novelty Items Can Be Used

Even the excluded novelty items carry conditions. The same subdivision requires a purchaser to be 18 or older and to show photo ID, and bars use on public property:

"The use of items listed in this paragraph is not permitted on public property. This paragraph does not authorize the purchase of items listed in it by persons younger than 18 years of age. The age of a purchaser of items listed in this paragraph must be verified by photographic identification."

Minn. Stat. § 624.20, subd. 1(c)

Local Governments Can Charge a Fee, Not Block Retail Sale

Minnesota's statute gives local governments a narrow, specific role, not a broad opt-in or opt-out. Subdivision 1(d) lets a local unit of government charge an annual license fee for retail sale of the excluded novelty items, capped at $350 for a retailer that sells only those items or $100 for any other retailer. But the same subdivision limits what a local government can do beyond that fee:

"A local unit of government may not: (1) impose any fee or charge, other than the fee authorized by this paragraph, on the retail sale of items authorized under paragraph (c); (2) prohibit or restrict the display of items for permanent or temporary retail sale authorized under paragraph (c) that comply with National Fire Protection Association Standard 1124 (2003 edition); or (3) impose on a retail seller any financial guarantee requirements, including bonding or insurance provisions, containing restrictions or conditions not imposed on the same basis on all other business licensees."

Minn. Stat. § 624.20, subd. 1(d)

No Statewide Sale-Date Window

Sections 624.20 through 624.23 set no statewide calendar sale-date restriction. Sale of the excluded novelty items is gated by age and photo ID, not by a date range, and sale of every other device stays prohibited outright regardless of the calendar. Do not assume a June or July sale window applies here; Minnesota's structure is device-based, not date-based.

Who Else Is Exempt: Wholesalers, Engineers, and Ceremonial Uses

Sections 624.21 and 624.23 carve out several narrow, non-consumer exemptions from the general ban. Under § 624.21, a professional engineer licensed under Minn. Stat. §§ 326.02-326.03, or a person under that engineer's direct supervision, may possess, use, or explode fireworks when undertaking acoustical testing, and a wholesaler may sell to a person holding a valid display permit or sell fireworks for shipment out of state. Under § 624.23, a resident wholesaler, dealer, or jobber may possess or sell non-prohibited fireworks at wholesale, and possession or sale for shipment directly out of state is not prohibited. That section also exempts fireworks possession or use by airplanes and railroads for signal or illumination purposes, and blank cartridges used for a show or theater, for signal or ceremonial purposes in athletics or sports, by military organizations, or as a bird or animal repelling device. None of these exemptions create a general consumer purchase right.

Display Permits

Beyond the novelty exclusion, Minnesota allows supervised fireworks displays through a permit and certification system under § 624.22. An outdoor display must be supervised by an operator the state fire marshal has certified, and either a municipality or fair association holds the display within its own limits, or another organization first secures a permit. A permit application goes to the municipal clerk (or, outside an incorporated municipality, the county auditor) at least 15 days before the display date, and the local fire chief or sheriff investigates the operator's certification and the display's safety before a permit issues. An indoor fireworks display instead goes through the state fire marshal directly, with a $150 fee plus inspection cost reimbursement.

To become a certified operator, an applicant must be at least 21 years old, pass a written examination with a score of at least 70 percent, and show experience assisting or operating at least five prior displays, one within the current or preceding year, under § 624.22, subd. 2. Certification costs $100, lasts four years, and can be suspended or revoked for a fraudulent application, a safety hazard, conducting a display with assistants who were not at least 18 years old, properly instructed, and continually supervised, or another violation of fireworks law. A display permit authorizes that display only. It is not transferable and does not create any right to buy, possess, or use fireworks outside the permitted display.

Local and state fire officials also have seizure authority: under § 624.24, the state fire marshal, a sheriff, a police officer, or a local fire marshal must seize illegal fireworks stock offered for sale, stored, or held in violation of the chapter, at the owner's expense.

Penalties: Tiered by Quantity

Minnesota's penalty scales with the amount and type of fireworks involved, under § 624.25:

"Any person violating the provisions of sections 624.20 to 624.24 may be sentenced as follows: (1) if the violation involves explosive fireworks in an amount of 35 pounds gross container weight or more, to imprisonment for not more than 364 days, or to payment of a fine of not more than $3,000, or both; (2) if the violation involves explosive fireworks in an amount of less than 35 pounds gross container weight, to imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or to payment of a fine of not more than $1,000, or both; and (3) if the violation involves any amount of fireworks other than explosive fireworks, to imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or to payment of a fine of not more than $1,000, or both."

Minn. Stat. § 624.25

The statute does not add an enhanced tier for a second or subsequent violation.

Federal Law

Federal law sets the floor: 16 CFR 1500.17 and Part 1507 define which consumer devices may be sold at all; 27 CFR 555.141(a)(7) exempts the importation, distribution and storage of consumer fireworks from ATF licensing (manufacture is not exempt); 18 U.S.C. 836 makes it a federal offense, punishable by up to one year, to transport fireworks into any state whose law specifically prohibits or regulates their use, in violation of that law, except in the course of continuous interstate transportation, with exceptions for common carriers, water carriers and federal agencies; and USPS Publication 52 § 341.22 bars fireworks from the mail entirely.

Minnesota's near-total ban means 18 U.S.C. 836 matters most for fireworks bought legally in a neighboring state. Bringing consumer fireworks purchased in a state with broader rules, such as Wisconsin, into Minnesota can trigger both the state's own possession offense under § 624.21 and the separate federal transportation offense.

For the broader regional picture, see the fireworks laws by state comparison, including Michigan's fireworks laws, a broad-allow neighbor across Lake Superior, and Wisconsin's fireworks laws, a bordering state with its own device rules.

If you are also researching Minnesota's roadside rules, see Minnesota's open container laws.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about fireworks laws in Minnesota as of September 2026. It is not legal advice. Fireworks statutes, local license fees, and penalties change frequently and are often further restricted by county or city ordinance beyond what state law requires; verify the current rule for your specific city and county before buying, selling, or using fireworks, and consult a lawyer licensed in Minnesota for advice about a specific situation.

Statutes cited reflect their in-force version as of 2026-09-17. Last updated: 2026-09-17.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are fireworks legal in Minnesota?

Almost all fireworks are banned. Only a narrow list of novelty items, capped-weight sparklers, ground sparkling items, snakes and glow worms, smoke devices, and low-composition trick noisemakers, is excluded from the statutory definition of fireworks and stays legal, under Minn. Stat. § 624.20, subd. 1(c).

Are sparklers legal in Minnesota?

Wire or wood sparklers up to 100 grams per item are legal for a purchaser who is 18 or older and shows photo ID, under Minn. Stat. § 624.20, subd. 1(c). Larger sparkler-type products fall outside the exclusion and remain banned.

Can a Minnesota city charge a fee to sell sparklers, or ban them outright?

A local government may charge an annual retail license fee for sellers of the excluded novelty items, capped at $350 for a sparkler-only retailer or $100 for any other retailer. It cannot charge any other fee, and it cannot prohibit or restrict the retail display of items that meet NFPA 1124, under Minn. Stat. § 624.20, subd. 1(d).

Is there an age minimum to buy sparklers or novelty fireworks in Minnesota?

Yes. A purchaser must be at least 18 years old and show photographic identification to buy any of the excluded novelty items, under Minn. Stat. § 624.20, subd. 1(c).

What is the penalty for illegal fireworks in Minnesota?

Penalties scale by quantity under Minn. Stat. § 624.25. A violation involving 35 pounds or more of explosive fireworks carries up to 364 days in jail, a fine of up to $3,000, or both. A smaller amount of explosive fireworks, or any amount of non-explosive fireworks, carries up to 90 days and a fine of up to $1,000.

Can you get a permit for a fireworks display in Minnesota?

Yes. A supervised outdoor or indoor display can proceed under a permit from the local municipality, county, or state fire marshal, using an operator the state fire marshal has certified, under Minn. Stat. § 624.22. The permit authorizes that display only and does not create a right to buy or possess fireworks otherwise.