Milwaukee, WI Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)
Key Facts
- Sale/use/discharge
- Banned citywide
- Fine range
- $500-$1,000 per violation
- Jail if unpaid
- Up to 40 days
- Wholesale exception
- Ship-through only, outside city
- Parental liability
- Up to $1,000 if minor consents
Summary
Milwaukee bans selling, keeping, using or discharging fireworks anywhere in the city, with fines up to $1,000 and jail for violators or consenting parents.
No person may sell, expose or offer for sale, use, keep or discharge, or explode in this city any firecracker, bottle rocket, cherry bomb, colored smoke bomb, toy cap, blank cartridge, toy pistol or cannon in which explosives are used, contrivances using explosive caps or cartridges, sparklers, display wheels... sky rockets, Roman candles, aerial salutes, American or Chinese bombs or other fireworks of like construction...
Full Breakdown
City Code § 105-47 prohibits any person from selling, exposing for sale, using, keeping, discharging or exploding firecrackers, bottle rockets, cherry bombs, sparklers, Roman candles, sky rockets, aerial salutes and similar devices anywhere in Milwaukee. The ban covers items containing nitrates, chlorates, or other explosive or flammable compounds. Wholesalers may still sell fireworks at wholesale if the product ships directly outside city limits, so the retail and use ban does not reach legitimate wholesale distribution passing through Milwaukee.
Violations & Fines
Forfeiture of $500 to $1,000 per violation, plus up to 40 days in the county jail or house of correction if the forfeiture isn't paid. A parent or guardian who consents to a minor's use of fireworks faces the same forfeiture and jail exposure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set off sparklers in my Milwaukee backyard?
Can a store sell fireworks in Milwaukee?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Milwaukee
How Milwaukee compares: Cities Where Fireworks Are Banned or Heavily Restricted·Compare Milwaukee to another location·View the Wisconsin fire regulations overview
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Fireworks in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Milwaukee County handle fireworks.