Rock County, WI Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)

Rock County Code Sec. 211 adopts Wis. 10 "including all changes, amendments and revisions now or hereafter made thereto" by reference, then sets its own penalty: a forfeiture of not more than $1,000. Under the statute's Sec. 10(1), "fireworks" means anything manufactured, processed or packaged for exploding, emitting sparks or combustion that has no other common use. The definition carves out everyday items: matches, lighters, stoves, model rocket engines, caps using no more than one-quarter grain of explosive mixture, and sparklers on a wire or wood stick no longer than 36 inches.

Anything outside those carve-outs cannot be possessed or used in Rock County without a user's permit issued under Sec. 10(3)(a) by the mayor, village president, or town board chairperson of the municipality where the fireworks will be used, not by the county itself. Permits go only to public authorities, fair associations, amusement parks, park boards, civic organizations, individuals or groups, and agricultural producers protecting crops from predatory birds or animals; a copy must reach the local fire or law enforcement official at least two days before the use date, and the issuing official can require a bond or liability insurance.

Municipal fireworks displays open to the public exempt only the permitted operator, not spectators who bring their own devices. Sec. 10(5) lets Rock County and its cities, villages, and towns regulate fireworks more strictly than the state law, but never more loosely than it, which is the authority Rock County used to set its $1,000 forfeiture ceiling.