Chatham County, NC Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)

Fireworks in unincorporated Chatham County sit at the intersection of the noise chapter and the fire prevention chapter. Section 92.05(G) exempts "noise from lawful fireworks and noisemakers on holidays" from the county's general noise-ordinance restrictions, so a holiday fireworks display that is otherwise lawful will not, on its own, violate the 60-decibel standard in § 92.04 or the general unreasonably-loud-noise prohibition in § 92.02. "Lawful" is the operative word: the fire prevention chapter requires a permit for the activity through the Fire Marshal's Office, and Appendix B, the fee schedule referenced in § 93.09, lists a $50 fee for the "FWK Fireworks" permit category, distinct from the county's other special-use permit fees such as blasting or tent permits.

Fireworks used or sold without that permit, or outside what the permit authorizes, are illegal fireworks under the fire code, and Appendix C, the civil-penalty schedule tied to § 93.99(C), sets a civil penalty of $150 per violation per day for "Illegal fireworks," the same per-day-per-violation structure the appendix uses for illegal burning and inoperable fire systems. The Fire Marshal and authorized representatives issue citations for these violations, and civil penalties under § 93.99(D) must be paid within 72 hours of the citation. Because the noise exemption in § 92.05(G) only covers "lawful" fireworks, using unpermitted or illegal fireworks removes both the noise-ordinance protection and exposes the user to the separate fire-code civil penalty.