Rhode Island Fireworks Laws (2026): Permits and Penalties

Rhode Island bans "display fireworks" and "aerial consumer fireworks" for the general public outright, absent a state fire marshal certificate of competency and a local fire authority permit, but exempts a defined list of ground-based novelty items from that ban entirely, under R.I. Gen. Laws §11-13-1 and Title 23, Chapter 28.11.

Jurisdiction scope: This article addresses Rhode Island's state fireworks law under R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 11-13 (§§11-13-1 through 11-13-7) and Title 23, Chapter 28.11 (§§23-28.11-3 through 23-28.11-10): the exempt-novelty category, firecrackers, toy blank-cartridge devices and blank-cartridge sales, the permit and certificate-of-competency scheme for display and aerial consumer fireworks, and penalties. It does not address §11-13-10's definitions of destructive or incendiary devices and explosives (a separate, broader public-safety chapter this article does not otherwise draw on), the state fire marshal's regulatory rules adopted under §23-28.11-10, which are separate administrative code, not General Laws text, or the general Fire Safety Code (Title 23, Chapters 28.1-28.39) beyond the specific cross-references described here.

Display and Aerial Consumer Fireworks Are Banned Without a Permit

Rhode Island's baseline rule is a ban, not an allowance. Under §11-13-1(a):

"No person shall offer for sale at retail or at wholesale, shall possess or have under his or her control, use or explode, or cause to explode for exhibition or amusement, display fireworks or aerial consumer fireworks unless permits are obtained pursuant to this chapter and chapter 23-28.11."

The statute defines the two banned categories by reference to industry and federal transportation standards: "display fireworks" under APA 87-1 (2001 ed.) §2.7.2, classified as DOT explosives 1.3G, UN0335; and "aerial consumer fireworks" under APA 87-1 §3.1.2, classified DOT 1.4G, UN0336. Both require both a state fire marshal certificate of competency and a local fire authority permit before anyone can possess, use, sell, or display them, described in detail below.

The Exempt Novelty List

A specific list of ground-based and hand-held items falls outside the display/aerial ban entirely. The statute enumerates them directly:

"Certain fireworks and devices that are exempt from the definitions of display fireworks and aerial consumer fireworks shall include, but are not limited to, the following: ground-based and hand-held sparkling devices (non-aerial fireworks) ... fountains, illuminating torches, wheels, ground spinners, flitter sparklers, sparkers; novelties ... party poppers, snappers, toy smoke devices, snakes, glow worms, wire sparklers and dipped sticks; paper caps containing not more than twenty-five hundredths (0.025) grains of explosive mixture ... and model rockets and model rocket engines ... The storage, possession, sale, transportation and use of the items in the above reference section that are not included in the definition of display fireworks and aerial consumer fireworks shall be allowed at all times throughout the state for persons at least sixteen (16) years of age."

R.I. Gen. Laws §11-13-1(a)

That list is Rhode Island's real consumer market: §11-13-1(a) sets no permit requirement, no calendar window, and no clock-hours restriction for it, and fixes its purchase and use age at 16, not 18. Chapter 23-28.11's permit and certification requirements expressly do not apply to this exempt category, under §23-28.11-3(a).

Narrow Exceptions to the Permit Requirement

Section 11-13-1(a) also lists specific activities that do not need a display/aerial fireworks permit even though the devices themselves fall in the banned categories: use by a common carrier for signal or illumination purposes, blank cartridges in a show or theater, explosives used for blasting, use as signals in an athletic or sporting event, use for ceremonial or military purposes, sale for shipment out of Rhode Island, and sale for any permitted use, provided the seller holds the Fire Safety Code permit required for storing, selling, or transporting these items under Title 23, Chapters 28.1 through 28.39.

The Permit and Certificate of Competency Process

A person who wants to possess or display display fireworks, aerial consumer fireworks, or pyrotechnics before the public must complete a multi-step process, not a single application. First, a competency exam: an applicant pays a $10 fee to the state fire marshal, who examines the applicant's experience and ability to run a fireworks or pyrotechnics demonstration within 90 days of the application, testing understanding of the applicable National Fire Protection Association standards, under §23-28.11-4(a). A qualifying applicant then pays $50 and submits proof of a satisfactory psychiatric exam completed within the prior year to receive the certificate of competency, under §23-28.11-4(b). Before any permit issues, the applicant must also show at least $1,000,000 in financial responsibility to cover property or person damage claims, which the local fire authority may require in a higher amount depending on local conditions, under §23-28.11-7. Only then can the applicant get the actual permit, issued by the local fire authority on a state fire marshal form, for a $50 fee, and only once the certificate of competency and insurance are confirmed current, under §23-28.11-3(c)-(d). A nonresident applicant faces one more requirement: appointing, in writing, a member of the Rhode Island bar association to accept service of process in any action against the applicant, under §23-28.11-8. The certificate itself is not permanent: it is valid for one year and renews without a new exam on March 1 following the original issue date for a $50 fee, a lost, misplaced, or stolen certificate is replaced for $10, and no renewal issues after July 1, 2003 unless the holder demonstrates adequate familiarity with the applicable NFPA requirements to the fire marshal's satisfaction, which can be shown by passing an exam, under §23-28.11-5.

Storage, handling, transportation, and display of fireworks must follow NFPA 1123 (display) and NFPA 1124 (manufacture, transportation, storage, and retail sale); pyrotechnics performed before a proximate audience must follow NFPA 1126, under §23-28.11-3(a)-(b). The state fire marshal can deny an exam, or suspend or revoke a certificate for a minimum of one year, for a common-law crime conviction, statutory arson, or a violation of any fireworks, explosives, or pyrotechnics law, rule, or regulation, or for falsifying an application, under §23-28.11-6.

Purchase Age

Rhode Island's age floor for the exempt novelty category is 16, not 18: the statute permits storage, possession, sale, transportation, and use of those items "at all times throughout the state for persons at least sixteen (16) years of age," under §11-13-1(a). Chapter 11-13 sets no separate numeric purchaser age for display or aerial consumer fireworks; §§23-28.11-3 and 23-28.11-4 gate that category entirely through the certificate-of-competency and permit process described above, issued to an applicant who passes the fire marshal's exam. Two further, narrower age floors sit elsewhere in the same chapter: no one may sell a blank cartridge to a person under 21, under §11-13-5, and no one may sell a fulminate cartridge, or a gun, pistol, or other device arranged to explode one, to a child under 15 without a parent's or guardian's written consent, under §11-13-3(a).

Firecrackers and Toy Blank-Cartridge Devices

Chapter 11-13 separately bans two more device categories, outside both the exempt-novelty list and the display/aerial permit scheme, each carrying its own $20 penalty rather than the felony tiers described below. A firecracker containing any explosive other than gunpowder cannot lawfully be sold, exposed for sale, possessed with intent to sell, used, or exploded anywhere in the state:

"Every person who shall sell, expose for sale, possess with intent to sell, use, or explode, or use or explode any firecracker containing any explosive other than gunpowder shall be fined not more than twenty dollars ($20.00)."

R.I. Gen. Laws §11-13-7

A toy device made to discharge a blank cartridge, such as a repeating toy cane or a toy pistol, cannot be sold, possessed with intent to sell or use, or discharged anywhere in the state, under §11-13-4. A violation of §11-13-4, or of the under-21 blank-cartridge sale ban described above, is fined up to $20 per offense, under §11-13-6.

Sale Window, Use Window, and Hours

Chapter 11-13's seven sections (§§11-13-1 through 11-13-7) and Chapter 23-28.11 set no statewide calendar sale-date or use-date restriction. The exempt novelty category may be sold and used "at all times throughout the state," and display and aerial consumer fireworks are controlled by the permit and certificate process, which is tied to an approved display and a competent operator, not to a fixed date range. Neither fireworks chapter sets a clock-hours limit on use; any hours rule would come from the state fire marshal's regulations under §23-28.11-10 or from a local ordinance.

Local Option

Neither Chapter 11-13 nor Chapter 23-28.11 contains a fireworks-specific municipal opt-in or opt-out clause. The local authority that does exist is a general one:

"Town and city councils may, from time to time, make and ordain all ordinances and regulations for their respective towns and cities, not repugnant to law, which they deem necessary for the safety of their inhabitants from fire, firearms, and fireworks..."

R.I. Gen. Laws §45-6-1(a)

That is broad police-power language covering fire, firearms, and fireworks safety together, not a chapter-specific fireworks local-option provision, so a Rhode Island reader should check for a town or city ordinance separately rather than assume one of the fireworks chapters itself hands local governments a fireworks-specific power.

Penalties: Two Overlapping Statutes

Rhode Island penalizes fireworks violations under two different sections that do not fully align. Section 11-13-1(b) sets a felony as the default, with a narrow misdemeanor carve-out based on value:

"Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a felony and shall be fined not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each offense and/or imprisoned for not more than one year for each offense; except that any person using or having in his or her possession without a permit with intent to use display and aerial consumer fireworks with a value of under five hundred dollars ($500) shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) for each offense and/or imprisoned for not more than one year for each offense."

R.I. Gen. Laws §11-13-1(b)

Any §11-13-1 prosecution is also time-limited: no complaint for a violation can be sustained unless brought within 30 days of the offense, and fines collected are split evenly between the complainant and the state, under §11-13-2.

Section 23-28.11-9(a) splits the penalty differently, by whether the violation is mere possession or actual use or display, and its use/display felony carries a materially higher ceiling than §11-13-1's:

"Any person found to be in violation of the provisions of this chapter relating to possession of display fireworks and aerial consumer fireworks or pyrotechnics shall be fined not less than one hundred ($100) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisoned for not more than one year. Any person found to be in violation of the provisions of this chapter relating to use or display of display fireworks and aerial consumer fireworks or pyrotechnics shall be guilty of a felony, and shall be fined not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or imprisoned for not more than five (5) years, or both."

R.I. Gen. Laws §23-28.11-9(a)

An officer, including the state fire marshal or a deputy, may arrest without a warrant anyone found in violation and must immediately seize the fireworks or pyrotechnics, which are forfeited to the state upon conviction, under §23-28.11-9(b)-(c). None of Chapter 11-13's or Chapter 23-28.11's live sections sets an enhanced penalty for a repeat offense; each fine and sentence ceiling above applies per violation, not on an escalating scale.

Crossing State Lines

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. Because Rhode Island bans display and aerial consumer fireworks for the general public outright, bringing one of those devices in from a broader-allow neighboring state risks both Rhode Island's own felony-level penalty and the federal transport statute.

For a neighboring state with a broader consumer-fireworks allowance, see New Hampshire's fireworks laws; for another state that restricts the public to a defined novelty list, see Massachusetts's fireworks laws.

For how Rhode Island's rule compares with every other state, see the fireworks laws by state comparison.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about fireworks laws in the United States as of September 2026. It is not legal advice. Fireworks statutes, local ordinances, permit requirements, and penalties change frequently; verify the current rule with the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal or your local fire authority before possessing, using, or displaying fireworks, and consult a lawyer licensed in your state 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 Rhode Island?

A defined list of ground-based novelties (fountains, sparklers, party poppers, snakes, wire sparklers, and similar items) is legal at all times for a person at least 16, under R.I. Gen. Laws §11-13-1(a). Display fireworks and aerial consumer fireworks are banned for the general public and require a state fire marshal certificate of competency and a local fire authority permit.

How old do you have to be to buy fireworks in Rhode Island?

16, for the exempt novelty category, under §11-13-1(a). There is no separate numeric purchaser age for display or aerial consumer fireworks; that category is instead controlled by the certificate-of-competency and permit process. Two narrower age floors apply elsewhere in the same chapter: 21 to buy a blank cartridge, under §11-13-5, and 15 to buy a fulminate cartridge or a device arranged to explode one without a parent's or guardian's written consent, under §11-13-3(a).

Are firecrackers legal in Rhode Island?

Not if the firecracker contains any explosive other than gunpowder: selling, possessing for sale, using, or exploding one is fined up to $20 per offense, under §11-13-7. That section does not reach a firecracker made with gunpowder alone; such a device is restricted only if it falls within the display fireworks or aerial consumer fireworks categories that §11-13-1 defines by reference to APA 87-1, which are banned without a permit. A toy device made to discharge a blank cartridge is separately banned outright, and selling blank cartridges to anyone under 21 carries the same $20 fine, under §§11-13-4 through 11-13-6.

Can you get a permit to use aerial fireworks in Rhode Island?

Yes, but it is a multi-step process: pass the state fire marshal's competency exam, obtain the certificate of competency (which requires a psychiatric exam within the prior year), show at least $1,000,000 in financial responsibility, and obtain a local fire authority permit, under §§23-28.11-3, 23-28.11-4, and 23-28.11-7. It is designed for a supervised commercial or organizational display, not personal consumer use.

What is the penalty for illegal fireworks in Rhode Island?

It depends on which statute applies. Under §11-13-1(b), an unpermitted display/aerial violation is a felony (up to $1,000 and up to one year), or a misdemeanor if the fireworks are worth under $500, and a prosecution must be brought within 30 days of the offense, under §11-13-2. Under §23-28.11-9(a), bare possession carries $100 to $500 and up to one year, while use or display is a felony carrying at least $1,000 and up to five years. Firecrackers and toy blank-cartridge devices carry a separate, much smaller fine of up to $20.

Is there a specific season or window for using fireworks in Rhode Island?

No statewide calendar sale-date or use-date window exists anywhere in Chapter 11-13 or Chapter 23-28.11. Exempt novelties may be used at all times statewide, and display or aerial consumer fireworks are controlled by permit rather than a calendar date.