In Wisconsin no permit is needed for sparklers up to 36 inches, stationary cones and fountains, toy snakes, smoke bombs, caps, and noisemakers, but firecrackers, Roman candles, bottle rockets, mortars and any aerial or exploding device need a local permit.
Full rule, with nearby states →Wisconsin Fireworks
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Wisconsin permits sparklers and listed novelties without a permit; anything that explodes or leaves the ground requires a local user's permit — so most aerials and firecrackers are conditional on local approval (Wis. Stat. 167.10).
Every Fireworks rule LawLert has for Wisconsin
Each rule below is the full statewide entry, with the official source it rests on and the date it was last checked.
Wisconsin has no statewide season, and to possess or use permit-required fireworks you need a user's permit from the local mayor, village president, or town chair. Local ordinances may be more restrictive — setting dates and hours, or banning fireworks — but not less.
Full rule, with nearby states →In Wisconsin you generally must be 16 to buy the permit-exempt sparklers/novelties — they can't be sold to anyone under 16. Licensed retailers sell them, and possessing aerials without a local permit is illegal regardless of where they were bought.
In Wisconsin, beyond the exempt novelty items — small sparklers, cones, fountains, snakes and smoke devices — buying consumer fireworks requires a user's permit issued by the local mayor, village president or town chair, specifying the type, quantity, location and date.
In Wisconsin, a municipal permit from the mayor, village president or town chair is required to possess or use anything that explodes or leaves the ground (firecrackers, bottle rockets, Roman candles, mortars); sparklers and fountains need none.
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