Medford, MA Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)

Medford's fire prevention code, Chapter 42 Article III of the Revised Ordinances, is defined in Section 42-71 as the combination of the article's own provisions with the applicable general laws of the commonwealth, the state fire prevention regulations at 527 CMR, the state building code, and the accepted acts of M.G.L.A. c. 148. Fireworks displays fall under that umbrella: Section 42-80 sets fire permit fees generally and points to the Appendix A fee schedule, where item (6) lists a flat $50.00 fee for a permit for display of fireworks under M.G.L.A. c.

148, Section 39A, the same $50.00 rate charged for open burning permits, bonfire permits and most other permits issued under the fire prevention code. The Bureau of Fire Prevention, established in Section 42-73 inside the fire department and run under the supervision of the chief of the fire department, reviews and issues the permit; the officer in charge is appointed by the chief, and the bureau files an annual report on all code proceedings. An applicant whose permit is refused, or who believes the code has been misapplied, can appeal the chief's decision under Section 42-74.

Violations of the fire prevention code, including staging a fireworks display without the required permit, are punished under Section 42-72: a penalty under the general penalty section, Section 1-13, capped at $300.00 per offense, applies to every violation and noncompliance, and where the condition is not corrected, each ten days it continues counts as a separate offense.