Brown County, WI Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)
Key Facts
- State Law
- Wis. Stat. §167.10
- Permit Issuer
- Mayor / village pres. / town chair
- Sparkler Limit
- Up to 36 inches (no permit)
- Max Forfeiture
- $1,000
Summary
Wis. Stat. §167.10 requires a user's permit for nearly all consumer fireworks (firecrackers, bottle rockets, Roman candles, mortars, aerial repeaters). Permits issued by the mayor, village president, or town chairperson, or designee, where use will occur. Sparklers under 36 inches, snakes, smoke bombs, caps, and small fountains are exempt.
167.10 Regulation of fireworks. 167.10(1) (1) Definition. In this section, "fireworks" means anything manufactured, processed or packaged for exploding, emitting sparks or combustion which does not have another common use, but does not include any of the following: 167.10(1)(a) (a) Fuel or a lubricant. 167.10(1)(b) (b) A firearm cartridge or shotgun shell. 167.10(1)(c) (c) A flare used or possessed or sold for use as a signal in an emergency or in the operation of a railway, aircraft, watercraft or motor vehicle. 167.10(1)(d) (d) A match, cigarette lighter, stove, furnace, candle, lantern or space heater. 167.10(1)(e) (e) A cap containing not more than one-quarter grain of explosive mixture, if the cap is used or possessed or sold for use in a device which prevents direct bodily contact with a cap when it is in place for explosion. 167.10(1)(f) (f) A toy snake which contains no mercury. 167.10(1)(g) (g) A model rocket engine. 167.10(1)(h) (h) Tobacco and a tobacco product. 167.10(1)(i) (i) A sparkler on a wire or wood stick not exceeding 36 inches in length that is designed to produce audible or visible effects or to produce audible and visible effects. 167.10(3) (3) Use. 167.10(3)(a) (a) No person may possess or use fireworks without a user's permit from the mayor of the city, president of the village or chairperson of the town in which the possession or use is to occur or from a person designated by the mayor, president or chairperson to issue a user's permit. 167.10(5) (5) Local regulation. 167.10(5)(a) (a) Subject to pars. (b) to (e) , a city, village, town or county may enact an ordinance for any of the following: 167.10(5)(a)1. 1. Defining "fireworks" to include all items included under sub. (1) (intro.) and anything under sub. (1) (e) , (f) , (i) , (j) , (k) , (L) , (m) and (n) . 167.10(5)(a)2. 2. Prohibiting the sale, possession or use, as defined by ordinance, of fireworks. 167.10(5)(a)3. 3. Regulating the sale, possession or use, as defined by ordinance, of fireworks. 167.10(5)(b) (b) An ordinance under par. (a) may not be less restrictive in its coverage, prohibition or regulation than this section but may be more restrictive than this section.
Full Breakdown
Under Wis. Stat. §167.10(1), 'fireworks' means anything manufactured for exploding, emitting sparks, or combustion that has no other common use, but excludes: sparklers on a wire/wood stick not exceeding 36 inches, toy snakes without mercury, smoke devices with less than 1/4 grain explosive mixture, caps with less than 1/4 grain per cap, model rocket engines, and certain DOT Division 1.4 fountains and cones. §167.10(3) requires a user's permit for all non-exempt fireworks, issued by the mayor of a city, president of a village, or chair of a town (or designee), minors cannot receive permits. Possession or use without a permit is a violation. Brown County itself does not issue user's permits; the City of Green Bay, De Pere, and each town/village issues its own. Local ordinances may further restrict items state law permits.
Violations & Fines
Wis. Stat. §167.10(9): first offense forfeiture not to exceed $1,000; subsequent offenses or use causing damage may carry higher penalties or criminal charges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are bottle rockets and firecrackers legal in Brown County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brown County
How Brown County compares: Cities Where Fireworks Are Banned or Heavily Restricted·Compare Brown County to another location·View the Wisconsin fire regulations overview
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