Is it legal to shoot fireworks in Louisiana? What to know before setting them off July 4
The use of fireworks on Independence Day is a long-standing tradition throughout the U.S., ever since the first official observance in 1777 when the Founding Fathers envisioned a celebration with "illuminations."
If you're planning on setting off fireworks on July 4 this year in Louisiana, it may be worth knowing rules and regulations regarding exactly when you are allowed to use fireworks.
In Louisiana, you can typically begin buying fireworks for the Fourth of July as early as June 16 at noon, and up until midnight on July 5. For celebrating New Year's Eve, fireworks can be purchased in Louisiana from noon on Dec. 15 until midnight on Jan. 1, according to American Pyrotechnics Association.
However, while you are able to purchase fireworks during these time periods, you may not be allowed to use them depending on when the usage of fireworks is permitted in Louisiana.
Fireworks are usually permitted during a specific time period in Louisiana and, in some areas, you can light fireworks from June 25 until July 5 and from Dec. 15 until Jan. 1. However, local laws and ordinances may have differing dates for when fireworks are allowed.
Generally, the use of fireworks is prohibited between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. in Louisiana, except during extended hours, from 10 a.m. until 1 a.m., on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
In Louisiana, fireworks are often prohibited within a certain distance of churches, schools, hospitals or public buildings, according to Louisiana State Legislature.
In Louisiana, certain types of fireworks are illegal to posses, sell or use, including cherry bombs, tubular salutes, two-inch American-made salutes, repeating bombs, aerial bombs, as well as firecrackers exceeding certain dimensions, torpedoes exceeding certain diameters, Roman candles larger than a certain size, and sky rockets larger than a specific weight, according to Louisiana State Legislature.
Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Is it legal to shoot fireworks in Louisiana? Can you buy them here?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Chicago Tribune
Children have a ball despite Grayslake parade cancellation; ‘We still got to come out and have some fun'
Heavy rains forced the last-minute cancellation of Saturday's Grayslake Summerfest parade, but some in attendance still managed to have a ball, or two. At the corner of Whitney Street and Center Street, children set to march in the parade got a surprise when a parade participant released dozens of red and white beach balls from a truck which were apparently to be given away at the event. 'The kids are having a good time,' Tanya Blum of Island Lake said. 'This is so much fun.' Grayslake Colts youth football players ended up kicking around beach balls instead of footballs. 'We were down here for some team bonding before the parade, so we ended up actually having some fun and having some team bonding done before the storm came in,' Grayslake Colts football coach Micah Montondo said. 'Despite the parade being canceled, we still got to come out and have some fun.' Grayslake SummerFest, formerly known as Grayslake Summer Days, has kept the parade as a tradition for more than three decades and is sponsored by the Grayslake Chamber of Commerce. The parade was set to feature more than 50 entries, but was cancelled about 45 minutes before its scheduled start when a storm front moved in, forcing community partners to batten down the hatches and secure vendor tents. The gusty winds caused one large white barricade fixture to move on Whitney Street. The heavy metal partition stopped along a parking lot curb and did not ram into nearby parked cars. Vendor Samantha Schenk of Beer Bazaar of Grayslake was set up for beverage sales under a large tent on Whitney Street and watched the kids have a ball. 'The rain will pass,' she said. 'It happens. It's the Midwestern weather. It's bound to happen.' Meanwhile, personnel began clearing the parade route of safety cones. Robert Frank of Lake Villa made sure to keep larger American flags secure in the back seat of a 1967 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport. The collectible car was supposed to appear in the parade. 'It's gonna ride the storm out,' Frank said of the dark mustard yellow classic wheels. 'We've seen a few hailstorms in our lives. She's been around for a while.' Frank was there to volunteer at the beverage station staffed by the National Exchange Club. The club has a program that offers children complimentary American flags to wave. Those smaller 2,000 flags reserved for the parade will be saved for another day. No word yet whether the chamber's summer parade will be rescheduled. 'We never let them go to waste,' Frank said. 'Oh, they'll be handed out.'
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business Insider
Thunderstorms over Chicago caused dozens of flights to divert, including one that took 3 attempts to land
The Windy City lived up to its name this weekend as severe weather over Chicago disrupted travel plans for thousands of passengers in the Midwest. Some 80 flights destined for Chicago O'Hare landed at different airports on Saturday evening, according to data from Flightradar24. Per FlightAware, roughly 280 others were canceled throughout the day. A flash flood warning was issued for the two Illinois counties in which the airport is located, as thunderstorms rolled through the area. One Air Canada journey became a 2-hour flight to nowhere as it returned to where it took off. The Embraer E175 was over Michigan, an hour into its trip, when it abruptly U-turned and flew back to Toronto. A second attempt at the flight was then canceled, per Flightradar24 data. Some American Airlines passengers would take three attempts before reaching Chicago, seven hours later than expected. Flight 6412, from Idaho Falls, had been in the air for four hours when it turned around over Iowa and diverted to Cedar Rapids. An hour and a half later, the CRJ-700 made a second attempt at flying to O'Hare, the fourth busiest airport in the US. It circled twice just outside Chicago, but ultimately decided to go back to Cedar Rapids. Thankfully for passengers, the third time was the charm, as the pilots took off again and, this time, touched down in Chicago. It landed shortly after midnight, having been initially scheduled to arrive at 5 p.m. Many flights were diverted to other cities around the Great Lakes, such as Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Indianapolis, among others. Indeed, this meant many of them were able to launch second attempts and reach the Windy City later in the evening. Another American flight flew three hours from San José del Cabo, when it entered a holding pattern over Missouri. The Boeing 737 spent half an hour circling before diverting to Kansas City. It took off again an hour later — then spent another hour in a holding pattern — before landing around 8:30 p.m., a total delay of about three hours. Air Canada and American Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside North American working hours.
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
O.C. Fire Watch volunteers are at the ready as the season for ‘devil winds' approaches
To spark more interest from the public as high fire season approaches, bringing with it the promise of Santa Ana or 'devil winds' — and in light of recent devastating California wildfires — officials and volunteers with the Orange County Fire Watch program conducted a mock deployment for the media Wednesday morning at Pacific Ridge Trailhead in Newport Beach. 'We want to get information out before the real windy season and raise awareness ahead of the wildfire season when conditions are really dry,' said Scott Graves, communications manager for the Irvine Ranch Conservancy. 'The demonstration of what a typical Orange County fire would look like is part of the reason for holding the event.' The Fire Watch program is administered by the conservancy along with its partners, OC Parks, the cities of of Irvine and Newport Beach, and the Orange County Fire Authority. The IRC and OCFA work together to facilitate the volunteer program, which currently boasts more than 300 trained volunteers in 36 locations. Their mission is to reduce catastrophic wildfires through education, early reporting and deterrence. The volunteers and staff are deployed to areas that are prone to wildfires and monitor for potential danger such as dense brush growth and trailheads. 'They are activated during red flag warnings and Santa Ana winds,' said Renalynn Funtanilla, Fire Watch program coordinator. 'The truth is, this is a community issue and requires a community response,' Graves said. He added that providing visual and early detection assistance such as reporting potential arson activity goes beyond the Fire Authority and the Fire Watch program. 'It's on all of us to try to prevent wildfire ignitions, especially during high wind events,' he said. Four of the program's volunteers participated Wednesday in the mock deployment question- and-answer event. Yang Fei, a seven-year volunteer, said he keeps his eyes out for fire ignition and reports it 'to protect the nature.' Retiree Phil Sallaway has been a volunteer for two and half years. He explained he mostly works at the operations center where he helps monitor the ham radios. 'I've also been stationed at Santiago Canyon Road, a Fire Watch location where we educate the public about red flag days,'said Sallaway. 'We also observe and report fires and trespassers.' Mary Handfield, a frequent park visitor, received information about the Fire Watch volunteer program as a result of subscribing to the O.C. Parks mailing list. 'I signed up for the four-hour training class and joined the volunteer program six months ago,' Handfield said. 'The only deployment I've been on was on the Fourth of July at Carbon Canyon in Brea.' Her assignment was to watch for fires and to log in what she witnessed, for example, someone going off a trail or suspicious activity. 'I'm looking forward to the first wind event with Santa Anas coming up,' said Handfield. 'I can use what I've learned and hopefully prevent or catch a fire early.'
