Independence Day has passed, but fire season hasn't — it runs all summer, and the two separate layers of law that decide whether a backyard show is legal keep moving. The first is your state's fireworks law — what you can buy and light, set state by state and tightened county by county. The second moves much faster: fire restrictions and burn bans, which escalate and lift through the summer as heat and drought conditions change — and an active burn ban can make even perfectly legal fireworks unlawful to use where you're standing.
Every status below is pulled live from LawLert's database — dated, and linked to the official state source. 47 of the 51 state fire-restriction entries were re-verified within the last week.
Live fire-restriction & burn-ban status, state by state
Fire restrictions are issued statewide in some states and county-by-county in others (Texas, for example, has no statewide ban — counties issue their own, and roughly 80 of 254 had one active in late June 2026). Each entry links to the official source and to LawLert's live state page, which also carries campfire and open-burning rules.
ArizonaConditionalverified Oct 18, 2026
Arizona is now out of seasonal fire restrictions on federal land. BLM lifted its last seasonal order, the Arizona Strip District's Stage 1 restrictions (Fire Prevention Order AZ-ASD-2026-03, which…
ArkansasConditionalverified Oct 18, 2026
49 of Arkansas's 75 counties are under a county burn ban: Arkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clark, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Garland,…
CaliforniaConditionalverified Sep 27, 2026
LawLert has been unable to re-read CAL FIRE's burn-status table since September 27, 2026 (CAL FIRE's site blocks LawLert's automated reader), so the county figures below are the last LawLert could…
ColoradoConditionalverified Oct 18, 2026
Colorado has no single statewide fire ban — restrictions are set separately by each county, national forest, BLM field office and national park, and most federal units have now lifted their seasonal…
FloridaConditionalverified Oct 18, 2026
No statewide or regional burn ban is in effect in Florida - the Florida Forest Service publishes one on its Current Wildfire Information page "if and when it becomes necessary," and none is posted…
IndianaConditionalverified Oct 17, 2026
BENTON COUNTY IS UNDER A COUNTYWIDE BURN BAN: on the Indiana Department of Homeland Security's official Burn Ban Map, Benton County Emergency Management reported a Countywide Burn Ban on October 12,…
KansasConditionalverified Oct 16, 2026
Kansas has no statewide emergency burn ban, but open burning is prohibited by default statewide under K.A.R. 28-19-645: "a person shall not cause or permit the open burning of any wastes, structures,…
KentuckyConditionalverified Oct 17, 2026
Kentucky's fall forest fire hazard season is IN EFFECT now: it began on Thursday, October 1, 2026 and runs through December 15, 2026: during it, burning between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. within 150 feet of…
LouisianaConditionalverified Oct 17, 2026
Louisiana has no statewide burn ban, but 32 of its 64 parishes are under a parish burn ban right now: Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Catahoula, East…
MichiganConditionalverified Oct 17, 2026
Michigan has no statewide burn ban, but open debris burning is NOT PERMITTED ANYWHERE in 6 northern counties today on the DNR's daily Burn Permits map (map data of October 16, 2026): Alger, Alpena,…
MinnesotaConditionalverified Oct 18, 2026
Minnesota requires a DNR burning permit for open debris burning statewide, and restrictions are set county by county on the DNR's burning-restrictions map, which is updated daily. NO OPEN BURNING IN…
MississippiConditionalverified Oct 17, 2026
No statewide burn ban. Mississippi bans are county-by-county: the County Board of Supervisors requests one and the Mississippi Forestry Commission approves it, and in MFC's words "All burn bans…
MissouriConditionalverified Oct 17, 2026
Missouri has no statewide burn ban, but county burn bans ARE in effect in southwest Missouri. The State Fire Marshal's county burn-ban spreadsheet (the file linked from the official County Burn Bans…
MontanaConditionalverified Oct 17, 2026
Montana issues fire restrictions per land-management unit (county, national forest, BLM district, FWP site) — there is no single statewide Stage, and the Stage can differ between landowner classes…
NevadaConditionalverified Oct 17, 2026
Nevada sets public-land fire restrictions per land-management unit — there is no single statewide Stage. STAGE 2 HAS ENDED ON THE SIERRA FRONT: BLM's Carson City District rescinded its Stage 2 Fire…
New MexicoConditionalverified Oct 17, 2026
New Mexico's statewide fire restrictions on state-jurisdiction land have been LIFTED. State Forester Order 2026-02 rescinds the restrictions imposed on April 6, 2026 for all non-federal, non-Tribal…
North DakotaConditionalverified Oct 17, 2026
North Dakota has no permanent statewide burn ban, but most of the state is covered. On the state's own burn-restriction layer (NDDES WebEOC declarations), 62 Fire Emergency Declarations are in force:…
OhioConditionalverified Oct 17, 2026
Ohio's fall open-burning restriction is IN EFFECT now: it began October 1, 2026 and runs through November 30, 2026. During October and November — and again March through May — Ohio Revised Code…
OklahomaConditionalverified Oct 17, 2026
No statewide Governor's burn ban is in effect. Oklahoma Forestry Services' official burn-ban layer, last edited October 13, 2026, shows 10 of Oklahoma's 77 counties under an active county burn ban:…
OregonConditionalverified Oct 17, 2026
Oregon sets fire restrictions unit by unit - there is no single statewide stage, and on ODF-protected land what is restricted today depends on your district's currently declared fire danger level.…
South DakotaConditionalverified Oct 16, 2026
South Dakota has no statewide burn ban, and by law it cannot have one: under SDCL 34A-1-18 a general prohibition on open burning is set by each municipality, or by the county outside municipal…
TexasConditionalverified Oct 18, 2026
Texas has no statewide burn ban; outdoor burning bans are declared county-by-county by each commissioners' court, and the statute reaches only the county's unincorporated area. On the Texas A&M…
UtahConditionalverified Oct 18, 2026
Utah's statewide Stage 2 fire restrictions have been lifted. The Stage 2 closure orders that covered state and unincorporated private land from June 26, 2026 were rescinded county by county through…
WashingtonConditionalverified Oct 18, 2026
Washington's statewide outdoor burn ban has ENDED. Governor's Emergency Proclamation 26-03 prohibited all outdoor and agricultural burning in all 39 counties "until noon on Wednesday, September 30,…
West VirginiaConditionalverified Oct 16, 2026
West Virginia's fall burning season is IN EFFECT now: it began October 1, 2026 and runs through December 31, 2026, and during it outdoor burning is prohibited during the daytime hours of 7 a.m. to 5…
WisconsinConditionalverified Oct 16, 2026
Wisconsin has no statewide burn ban, and no county's DNR-issued burning permits are suspended. On the DNR's official burn-restriction feed, 8 counties - Adams, Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Jackson,…
WyomingConditionalverified Oct 18, 2026
Wyoming has no statewide burn ban - restrictions are issued per land-management unit and county, and 2 of them changed in late September 2026. BLACK HILLS NATIONAL FOREST: a NEW Stage 2 order,…
AlabamaInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
LawLert cannot confirm Alabama's live statewide status, and here is why: the Alabama Forestry Commission publishes no live statewide status page — it announces restrictions as dated press releases,…
AlaskaInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
Alaska's statewide burn-permit season is over — a burn permit is not required right now. The Division of Forestry & Fire Protection requires one statewide only from April 1 through August 31 for open…
ConnecticutInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
Burning brush on residential property in Connecticut requires a valid, signed permit from your municipality's local Open Burning Official. Open burning is not allowed when the Air Quality Index is…
DelawareInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
Delaware's statewide Ozone Season open-burning ban has ENDED for 2026: DNREC's open-burning page states most open burning is prohibited May 1 through September 30 (7 DE Admin. Code 1113). From…
District of ColumbiaInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
Open burning is prohibited in the District of Columbia year-round. Under the DC air-quality rules, 20 DCMR 604.1, open fires are banned outright, and 604.2 allows them only for a short list of…
GeorgiaInfoverified Oct 16, 2026
Georgia's EPD summer open-burning ban has ENDED for 2026: EPD's Summer Open Burning Ban page states the ban runs May 1 - September 30 in 54 counties, so it lifted after September 30, 2026. From…
HawaiiInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
Hawaii has no statewide stage-based fire-restriction system. Under state air rules (HAR 11-60.1 Subchapter 3), open burning is generally PROHIBITED with limited exceptions (cooking, fire training,…
IdahoInfoverified Oct 18, 2026
Idaho issues fire restrictions by area (national forest, BLM district, IDL protection area), so there is no single statewide Stage. NO IDAHO FIRE RESTRICTION ZONE IS IN FORCE: IDL's official Fire…
IllinoisInfoverified Oct 16, 2026
Illinois has no statewide burn-ban system — restrictions are local. Standing state law (Illinois EPA open-burning page): open burning of refuse is generally prohibited; in any town, or within 1 mile…
IowaInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
Iowa has no statewide burn ban, and no county had one in force on the State Fire Marshal's own map. Under Iowa Code §100.40, the State Fire Marshal may prohibit open burning in an area — at the…
MaineInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
No statewide burn ban is in effect in Maine. On the Maine Forest Service's current daily wildfire-danger class data (the feed behind the Wildfire Danger Report at mainefireweather.org, which…
MarylandInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
Maryland's summer open-burning prohibition is OUT OF SEASON: under state air-quality regulation COMAR 26.11.07.03C, open burning is PROHIBITED June 1 through Aug 31 each year in Anne Arundel,…
MassachusettsInfoverified Oct 9, 2026
LawLert last read the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services open-burning page on October 9, 2026 and cannot re-read it. Massachusetts has no active statewide wildfire burn ban, and residential…
NebraskaInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
Nebraska's baseline law (Neb. Rev. Stat. §81-520.01) is a statewide open-burning ban on bonfires, outdoor rubbish fires and land-clearing fires — waived only by a burn permit from your local fire…
New HampshireInfoverified Oct 7, 2026
LawLert last read the burning-permit statute on the New Hampshire General Court site on October 7, 2026 and cannot re-read it. New Hampshire requires a written permit from the local forest fire…
New JerseyInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
In any district where Firewardens have been appointed, a permit (the written permission of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection) is required before you set fire to, or cause to be…
New YorkInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
No statewide burn ban is posted on New York DEC's fire-danger map. On the most recent FDRA risk table published on that map, effective October 17, 2026, 3 of New York's 10 Fire Danger Rating Areas…
North CarolinaInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
No state-issued burn ban in effect: the statewide ban issued March 28, 2026 was fully lifted — 81 counties on May 3 and the final 19 effective 8 a.m. May 8 — and none has been issued since (no ban is…
PennsylvaniaInfoverified Oct 16, 2026
No statewide burn ban (one requires a Governor's proclamation — none active), and the annual state-forest spring restriction (fire rings prohibited Mar 1–May 25) is out of season, though state-forest…
Rhode IslandInfoverified Oct 9, 2026
LawLert last read the Rhode Island DEM wildfire-danger page on October 9, 2026 and cannot re-read it. Rhode Island's fall fire-weather season is in effect: it began October 1, 2026 and runs to…
South CarolinaInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
LawLert read the South Carolina Forestry Commission's Bans and Alerts page today and it lists no active State Forester's or Governor's Burning Ban. The page does not publish an affirmative "no ban"…
TennesseeInfoverified Oct 17, 2026
No active burn bans in Tennessee — the Division of Forestry's burn-ban page states "Currently, there are no active burn bans in the State of Tennessee". Counties CANNOT issue their own burn ban —…
VermontInfoverified Oct 13, 2026
LawLert last read the Vermont FPR Wildfire Situation Update on October 13, 2026 and cannot re-read it. No state-issued burning restrictions are in effect (Vermont FPR's live Wildfire Situation Update…
VirginiaInfoverified Oct 16, 2026
No statewide burning restriction is in effect right now — Virginia's 4 PM Burning Law applies only Feb 15–Apr 30. During prolonged drought or elevated fire danger, individual localities may enact…
Where consumer fireworks are legal in 2026
The product layer is its own map: most states permit at least some consumer fireworks, several allow only ground-based "safe and sane" items, and Massachusetts bans consumer fireworks outright. For the full plain-English breakdown, see Fireworks Laws by State (2026). The live status by state:
Permitted (12): AK, AL, AR, GA, IN, ND, OK, PA, SC, TX, WV, WY
Conditional / limited (34): AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, HI, IA, ID, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, RI, SD, TN, UT, VA, WA, WI
Restricted / banned (5): CT, DE, IL, MA, VT
On federal land, fireworks are banned — period
Headed to a national park, seashore, or forest this summer? Using or possessing fireworks on National Park Service land is prohibited under 36 CFR 2.38(b) outside narrow permit/designated exceptions — the NPS states plainly that fireworks are illegal on all land it manages. The Forest Service likewise prohibits fireworks on national forest land and warns of penalties up to a $5,000 fine and/or six months in jail (36 CFR 261.52) — plus liability for fire-suppression costs. Several states' own restriction orders on the live board above repeat it: on BLM/USFS public lands, fireworks are always prohibited. The LawLert app warns cannabis and firearms trackers as they enter any of 300+ mapped federal units — and the same boundary is where your fireworks must stay in the car.
The local rule wins
Even in a "permitted" state, counties and cities ban or narrow fireworks use — and drought-year emergency orders stack on top. LawLert resolves the rule for your exact location (city → county → state), shows the dated official source, and can alert you the moment a burn ban or fireworks rule changes where you are. That's the difference between a good show and an expensive one.
Can a burn ban make legal fireworks illegal?
Yes. Even where consumer fireworks are legal under state law, an active burn ban or fire-restriction order — issued statewide, by your county, or for public lands — can prohibit their use, and violations can carry fines or criminal charges. Always check the current restriction where you'll actually light them.
Are fireworks allowed in national parks or national forests?
No. Using or possessing fireworks on National Park Service land is prohibited under 36 CFR 2.38(b) outside narrow permit/designated exceptions, and the Forest Service prohibits them on national forest land, warning of penalties up to a $5,000 fine and/or six months in jail plus potential fire-suppression costs.
Where are consumer fireworks legal in 2026?
Most states allow at least some category of consumer fireworks, several allow only ground-based 'safe and sane' items, and Massachusetts bans consumer fireworks entirely. Counties and cities can restrict further — the local rule wins.
How do I check my county's current burn ban?
Burn bans move fast in fire season and can change week to week all summer. Open your state's live burn-ban page on LawLert for the current, dated status and the official source, or use the LawLert app to resolve the rule for your exact location and get an alert when it changes.