Boulder, CO Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)

Section 5-6-6 defines fireworks broadly: "any article, device, or substance prepared for the primary purpose of producing a visual or auditory sensation by combustion, explosion, deflagration, or detonation," expressly naming toy cannons, blank cartridges, firecrackers, torpedoes, skyrockets, rockets, Roman candles, aerial shells, sparklers, and any tablet or device containing an explosive substance. armed forces, or the Colorado National Guard. Outside those carve-outs, Subsection (b) prohibits possessing, manufacturing, storing, selling, or using any firework unless the operator has first obtained a supervised public-display permit under the city fire code, Chapter 10-8.

2, "Fireworks Display," requires the permit applicant to carry a certificate of insurance covering death or injury from the display of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate before the city manager will issue the permit. Subsection (c) reaches beyond the person who lights the fuse: any resident present when someone else fires fireworks on residential property has an affirmative duty to take reasonable steps to stop it and, failing that, to cooperate with police in identifying the offender, or else become a complicitor in the same offense.

Boulder Police and Boulder Fire-Rescue jointly enforce the ban, and, like other Title 5 offenses, a conviction carries the general penalty of Section 5-2-4: a fine of up to $2,650 per violation, up to ninety days in jail, or both.