Howard County, MD Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)
Key Facts
- Ground sparklers
- Banned without a State Fire Marshal permit
- Enforcement
- AHJ and Howard County Police both enforce
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine or 30 days
- Seizure
- Illegal fireworks are forfeited to the AHJ
- Pyrotechnic displays
- Need a separate State Fire Marshal permit
Summary
Howard County treats consumer fireworks, explosives, and model rocketry as fire-code violations unless a Maryland State Fire Marshal permit covers them. Ground-based sparkling devices, including cone and cylindrical fountains, cannot be sold, possessed, or discharged without that state permit and AHJ inspection. Illegal fireworks are subject to seizure, and violators face misdemeanor charges.
Except as provided in subsections 65.1.1.1, 65.1.5, 65.1.6, and 65.1.7 of this Code, the storage, use, and handling of explosives, fireworks, or model rocketry shall comply with the requirements of this chapter, NFPA standards referenced within this chapter, section 60.1 and section 60.2 of this Code, and the requirements set for forth in the Public Safety Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland....Unless the possession or discharge of the device is conducted under a state fire marshal permit and is subject to inspection by the AHJ, a person shall not possess, store, offer for sale, expose for sale, sell, use, burn, discharge, or explode a ground-based sparkling device, including but not limited to, non-aerial, non-explosive cone fountains, and cylindrical fountains....A person possessing, selling, or discharging illegal fireworks, explosives, unlawfully stored hazardous materials, or model rocketry shall forfeit the same to the AHJ. The AHJ may seize illegal fireworks, explosives, unlawfully stored hazardous materials, and model rocketry.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 91 | Zoning: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
2, and the Public Safety Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. 1 goes further for ground-based sparkling devices, defined to include non-aerial, non-explosive cone fountains and cylindrical fountains: a person may not possess, store, offer or expose for sale, sell, use, burn, discharge, or explode one unless the device is covered by a Maryland State Fire Marshal permit and subject to AHJ inspection. 5 lets the Howard County Department of Police enforce that sparkling-device rule alongside the AHJ. 6 authorizes the AHJ to seize illegal fireworks, explosives, unlawfully stored hazardous materials, or model rocketry, and forces anyone caught with them to forfeit the items.
The chapter's flame-effects rules for events tie in as well: open-flame devices used for cooking or pyrotechnic displays at gatherings need AHJ approval, and a pyrotechnic display additionally needs its own permit from the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Consumer fireworks retail sales areas, meaning the aisles adjacent to where consumer fireworks are displayed for sale, are a defined term the code regulates separately within the same chapter.
Violations & Fines
Violating Sections 65.1.1 through 65.1.7 is a Class A offense: a misdemeanor punishable, on conviction, by a fine of up to $1,000.00, imprisonment of up to 30 days, or both. A Fire Official can instead or additionally pursue civil penalties under Title 24 of the Howard County Code, and every day the violation continues counts as a new offense. Illegal fireworks, explosives, and rocketry are also subject to outright seizure and forfeiture to the AHJ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are sparklers legal in Howard County?
Who enforces the fireworks ban in Howard County?
What happens to fireworks Howard County seizes?
Can I set off a fireworks display for a private event in Howard County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Howard County
How Howard County compares: Cities Where Fireworks Are Banned or Heavily Restricted·Compare Howard County to another location·View the Maryland fire regulations overview
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