Jacksonville, NC Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)

Section 15-31, sitting in Chapter 15's article on offenses against public peace, bans the firing or discharging of a gun, squibs, crackers, gunpowder or other combustible substances in the streets or elsewhere for the purpose of making noise or disturbance, unless the person has a permit from the police department. The section carves out one narrow exemption: possessing, selling, using or firing paper caps and paper cap pistols is not a violation so long as doing so doesn't rise to a willful breach of the peace.

The provision sits alongside related public-peace rules, including Sec. 15-29's ban on needlessly discharging firearms and Sec. 15-30's permit system for air rifles, pellet guns and similar dangerous instruments, and it's cross-referenced from Sec. 16-24's separate ban on possessing firearms, weapons or fireworks on city recreational property. A conviction under Sec. 15-31 itself is a Class 3 misdemeanor, fined not more than $500 at the court's discretion, as provided by G.S. 14-4. Because the permit requirement runs through the police department rather than fire officials, anyone planning a fireworks display or noisy discharge inside city limits has to clear it with police in advance rather than assuming a private display is allowed.