Michigan fireworks rules: state dates and local limits

Michigan lets a city or township restrict consumer fireworks on most days of the year. A shorter list of holiday-adjacent dates works differently: local ordinances may limit the hours allowed by state law, but they may not prohibit consumer fireworks throughout those protected periods.

The protected days, as the law stands now: June 29 through July 4, and again on July 5 when it lands on a Friday or Saturday. The Saturday and Sunday right before Memorial Day. The Saturday and Sunday right before Labor Day. And New Year’s Eve into New Year’s morning. On those dates, the protected hours run from 11 a.m. until 11:45 p.m.; New Year’s runs until 1 a.m. That’s roughly a dozen days a year, down from the old law that covered the day before, of, and after every national holiday.

The local ordinance is the next check. Detroit, Grand Rapids, and many smaller places restrict use outside the protected dates or set the allowed hours. Look up the ordinance for the exact city or township before using consumer fireworks.

State law also sets rules that apply regardless of local ordinance. You cannot use consumer fireworks on someone else’s property, or on public, school, or church property, without permission. Use while under the influence is prohibited, and a person must be at least 18 to buy consumer fireworks. A local civil fine may be as high as $1,000 for a violation, with half directed to the local police agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. The statewide dates are only half the answer; the ordinance for the exact city or township supplies the other half.