Chatham County, GA Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)
Key Facts
- Sale/storage of fireworks
- Prohibited countywide (Sec. 21-201)
- Discharge of fireworks
- Unlawful at any time (Sec. 21-202(1))
- Fire balloons
- Sale and launching banned (Sec. 21-202(3)-(4))
- Default penalty
- Up to $500 fine / 30 days jail (Sec. 2-108)
- Original adoption
- Ordinance #52, Nov. 26, 1937
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Chatham County only
Summary
Chatham County bans selling, wholesaling or otherwise disposing of fireworks and firecrackers anywhere in the unincorporated county, and bars storing any fireworks at all. Discharging fireworks is unlawful year-round, including Christmas and other holidays. Firing guns and building bonfires are barred in any park, square or grass plat.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to sell, either at wholesale or retail or in any other manner dispose of fireworks or fire crackers, of any kind or size, torpedo canes or sticks, torpedoes or percussion caps in Chatham County. No fireworks of any kind shall be stored in Chatham County. (#52, 11/26/37) ... It shall be unlawful for any person, during the Christmas or other holidays, or at any other time, to discharge fireworks or fire crackers of any kind or size, torpedo canes or sticks, torpedoes, percussion caps, or other explosives of any kind or character.
Full Breakdown
Code of Chatham County Sec. 21-201 makes it "unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to sell, either at wholesale or retail or in any other manner dispose of fireworks or fire crackers, of any kind or size, torpedo canes or sticks, torpedoes or percussion caps in Chatham County," and separately bans storing any fireworks in the county. That provision traces to Ordinance #52, adopted November 26, 1937, and has not been superseded in the current code. Sec. 21-202 goes further and bans discharge itself: it is unlawful "during the Christmas or other holidays, or at any other time," to set off fireworks, firecrackers, torpedo canes, torpedoes, percussion caps or other explosives.
The same section (Sec. " Sec. 21-202(3)-(4) add a companion ban on selling or launching lit "fire balloons" (illuminated toy balloons) anywhere in the unincorporated county. Neither Sec. 21-201 nor Sec. 21-202 states its own fine, so the county's general penalty clause, Sec. 2-108, applies: a fine of up to $500, up to 30 days in the county jail, or up to 60 days of work-gang labor, with each day a violation continues charged as a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Because Sec. 21-201 and Sec. 21-202 set no specific fine, violations fall under Sec. 2-108's general penalty: up to a $500 fine, up to 30 days in the county jail, or up to 60 days on the work gang, any combination at the court's discretion, plus case costs. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy or store fireworks in unincorporated Chatham County?
Is setting off fireworks legal on the Fourth of July in Chatham County?
What happens if I violate the fireworks ordinance?
Does this ban apply inside Savannah or Tybee Island?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chatham County
How Chatham County compares: Cities Where Fireworks Are Banned or Heavily Restricted·Compare Chatham County to another location·View the Georgia fire regulations overview
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