Officials Urge ‘Common Sense’ Ahead of Annual July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza

With the July 4th holiday weekend approaching and additional excitement due to the 250th anniversary of the country’s Declaration of Independence, public safety officials and police departments are reminding the public about state and local fireworks laws.

Most consumer-grade fireworks became legal for purchase in Pennsylvania in 2017. Anyone 18 or older can purchase and use “Class C” (or consumer-grade) fireworks such as firecrackers, Roman candles, bottle rockets and similar products that contain a maximum of 50 milligrams of explosive material. In 2022, in response to public backlash over an explosion in fireworks sales, the state legislature overhauled the bill that repealed the state’s 1939 Fireworks Act to give local communities greater control over their ability to restrict and permit the use of fireworks.

Lower Saucon Township updated its fireworks ordinance in 2019. The ordinance–which was shared by township police in a post on their Crimewatch site this week–restricts the use of fireworks to between the hours of 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. It also includes a prohibition on the discharge of consumer-grade fireworks within 150 feet of any occupied structures, which is identical to the state law’s prohibition.

“Just because certain fireworks are legal in PA does not mean you have to use them,” police said. “Fireworks affect everyone: children, adults, someone suffering from PTSD and family pets.”

“If you feel the need to use certain fireworks that are legal in PA, use them responsibly and with common sense,” police added.

According to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission data, in 2025 nearly 13,000 people were treated for fireworks-related injuries in emergency departments nationwide, with approximately 74 percent of those injuries occurring during the period around the July 4th holiday.

For more information about the state’s fireworks law and public safety resources, visit the commonwealth’s Fireworks FAQ site.