Bowling Green, KY Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)

The Board of Commissioners regulates fireworks under Sec. 15-5 of the Bowling Green Code of Ordinances, enforced by the City Fire Chief or designee. Anyone wanting to use fireworks outside the June 27-July 5 window (excluding July 4, which runs noon to 11:00 p.m.) must file a permit application with the Fire Chief at least fifteen days before the event; the permit, once granted, is valid for a single four-hour period between noon and 9:00 p.m. Fireworks cannot be discharged from a motor vehicle or on another person's property without consent, and never on public property.

Retail sale is separately licensed: permanent and seasonal fireworks retailers selling Class C consumer fireworks pay a $25 annual permit fee, while retailers selling higher-hazard consumer fireworks under KRS 227.702(2) and (3) pay $1,000 a year. Sales structures must sit at least 75 feet from fuel pumps, and stand-alone structures for the higher-hazard classes need 50 feet of separation from other buildings. Storage facilities must be reported in writing to the Fire Chief with a zoning verification letter, a business registration copy and a site plan, and cannot sit within 75 feet of fuel pumps or inside multi-tenant buildings.

Ancillary retailers whose fireworks sales stay under 10% of gross sales are exempt from the permit requirement but limited to Class C consumer fireworks. No one under 18 can buy, sell or use fireworks unless supervised by a parent or guardian, and public displays need a competent operator and State Fire Marshal approval before the Fire Chief issues a display permit.