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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA · FIREWORKS

District of Columbia Fireworks

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Conditional
District of Columbia statewide rule

The District of Columbia allows only a short list of permitted items — sparklers no more than 20 inches long (not tube or champagne-style sparklers), fountains, cones, torches, box fire, snakes, colored lights, paper novelties and caps. Firecrackers and anything that explodes or moves after it is fired are prohibited to possess or use (12 DCMR H 5609). FEMS says fines and penalties for using or possessing illegal fireworks start at $2,000 and/or arrest.

§ fems.dc.gov
Verified Oct 28, 2026Reviewed
What the official source says
“Any person found engaging in the use or possession of illegal fireworks in the District of Columbia could face fines and penalties starting at $2,000 and/or arrest”

Read on Oct 28, 2026 from fems.dc.gov.

Checked once · Oct 28, 2026

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Every Fireworks rule LawLert has for District of Columbia

Each rule below is the full statewide entry, with the official source it rests on and the date it was last checked.

Restricted

The District of Columbia permits only toy paper caps, sparklers no more than 20 inches long, torches, box fire, fountains, cones, non-poisonous snakes, paper novelty items, colored lights and other items the Fire Marshal has tested and approved (12 DCMR H 5609.1.1.2). Prohibited: firecrackers of any kind; anything that explodes, such as cherry bombs, salutes, Roman candles, floral and artillery shells; anything that moves after it is fired, such as bottle rockets, parachutes, buzzbombs, pinwheels, helicopters and jumping jacks; wire sparklers over 20 inches; cylindrical tube sparklers of any size, including champagne, birthday-cake and wedding sparklers; and anything that throws flame or sparks more than 12 feet (5609.1.1.1, 5609.2.1).

§ dcregs.dc.govVerified Oct 28, 2026Reviewed
What the official source says
“cylindrical tube sparklers of any size which emit showers of sparks, or heat and light, including, but not limited to, products advertised as champagne sparklers, birthday cake sparklers, and wedding sparklers”

Read on Oct 28, 2026 from dcregs.dc.gov.

Checked once · Oct 28, 2026

Full rule, with nearby states →

Info

The District's Fire Code sets no calendar window for using permitted fireworks. No fireworks may be offered for retail sale between 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m., and retail license applications are taken June 1–25 each year (12 DCMR H 5609.5). Fireworks may not be discharged within 50 feet of where fireworks are stored, handled or sold, or within 50 feet of a gas pump or a building where flammable liquids are kept (5609.6). On National Park Service land, such as the National Mall, using or possessing fireworks is prohibited without a permit (36 CFR 2.38).

§ dcregs.dc.govVerified Oct 28, 2026Reviewed
What the official source says
“No fireworks product shall be offered for retail sale from any location in the District of Columbia between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m.”

Read on Oct 28, 2026 from dcregs.dc.gov.

Checked once · Oct 28, 2026

Full rule, with nearby states →

Info

The District's Fire Code sets no minimum age for buyers of permitted fireworks; it requires anyone taking part in retail fireworks sales to be at least 18 and a wholesale licensee to be at least 21 (12 DCMR H 5609.4.2, 5609.5.4). Retailers need a DLCP retail license and a Fire Marshal permit. Fireworks on the District's prohibited list that are bought in Maryland or Virginia remain illegal to possess or use in the District (5609.1.1.1).

§ dcregs.dc.govVerified Oct 28, 2026Reviewed
What the official source says
“No individual shall participate in the retail sale of fireworks unless he or she has reached his or her 18th birthday.”

Read on Oct 28, 2026 from dcregs.dc.gov.

Checked once · Oct 28, 2026

Conditional

In the District of Columbia you may buy only the permitted items — sparklers no more than 20 inches long, fountains, cones, torches, box fire, snakes and novelties; nothing that explodes or moves after it is fired — from retailers holding a DLCP retail license and a Fire Marshal permit, selling from a fixed location and not between 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. (12 DCMR H 5609.5). Retail license applications are taken June 1–25 each year.

§ dcregs.dc.govVerified Oct 28, 2026Reviewed
What the official source says
“A retail license will be issued to persons for the sale of fireworks only from a fixed location.”

Read on Oct 28, 2026 from dcregs.dc.gov.

Checked once · Oct 28, 2026

Conditional

In the District of Columbia, no personal-use permit is needed for the narrow legal list (sparklers under 20 inches, fountains, cones, torches, novelties), but most consumer fireworks are prohibited. Retailers need a business license plus a Fire Marshal permit. Fines for illegal fireworks start around $2,000.

§ fems.dc.govVerified Oct 28, 2026Reviewed
What the official source says
“you should obtain a business license from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) and a permit from the DC Fire Marshal's office for fireworks inspection and storage.”

Read on Oct 28, 2026 from fems.dc.gov.

Checked once · Oct 28, 2026

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