Can I Celebrate Halloween With Big, Wicked Fireworks in Michigan?
Halloween fun is upon us in Michigan. The toilet paper will be flowing in the trees, dig dong ditch will be afoot and the kids will be having fun trick or treating. Can we celebrate Halloween with fireworks in Michigan?
Lighting fireworks is something I enjoy doing all year. I light them off to celebrate just about anything. If the Lions make the playoffs or if the Tigers win a game, that's a reason to celebrate, fireworks are a fun way to enjoy the win. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are a couple of my favorite holidays to celebrate with fireworks. Have I been doing this illegally?
Can I Light Fireworks in Michigan to Celebrate Halloween?
Michigan residents love lighting fieworks. Odds are that your neighborhood sounds like a war zone around the 4th of July. It can be frustrating when you want to sleep but the neighbors are still having their fun. I'm not "Carl". I was that person once that lit them into the late hours of the night and karma is coming back on me. I let it slide.
When it comes to state laws regarding fireworks in Michigan, it's pretty simple.
The local municipalities have control:
Michigan’s Fireworks Safety Act of 2011 (Public Act 256) was amended in December 2018, giving local government entities – villages, townships, and cities – the right to restrict the days and times for their residents to use consumer fireworks by enacting a local ordinance.
While local government sets the rules, the state trumps local.
Even if a local government chooses to restrict fireworks in their municipality by passing a local ordinance, state law requires that fireworks must be allowed on the following days, after 11:00 a.m.:
December 31 until 1:00 a.m. on January 1
The Saturday and Sunday before Memorial Day, until 11:45 p.m.
June 29 to July 4, until 11:45 p.m.
July 5, if it falls on a Friday or Saturday, until 11:45 p.m.
The Saturday and Sunday before Labor Day, until 11:45 p.m.
Now you know! It's cool that Michigan makes fireworks a "must allow" event on certain dates throughout the year. Most local ordinances are cool about it. I'm going to light some off on Halloween and have some fun.
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Gallery Credit: Scott Clow