Ellsworth has a similar ordinance prohibiting the use and sale of fireworks within the city limits. The use of fireworks outside the “compact urban area” is allowed on 4 July and 31 December. Before you start your fireworks, it`s a good idea to check with your municipal office. Many municipalities have time limits on when fireworks are approved for consumers. Consumer fireworks tested and certified by a 3rd party laboratory to meet CPSC standards. For more information about consumer fireworks in Maine, the city`s fireworks ordinances or call Michelle Mason Webber at (207) 626-3873. For information on authorizing to sell fireworks to Maine consumers, please contact Tim Fuller at (207) 626-3888. Maine is an anomaly in New England because fireworks are legal for consumers. Probably not by chance, it is also estimated that some of the most fireworks-related injuries occur in Maine and New Hampshire, the two states in the region where they are legal. Section 222: Possession of Fireworks – A person may not possess or have fireworks under his control unless he has a permit.
Cities with restrictions on fireworks are listed on the Maine State Fire Marshal`s website. Unlike last year, when the pandemic forced the cancellation of many of the state`s large fireworks displays, most cities (which typically host fireworks) will do so in 2021. Sparklers are legal in Maine, but fire department officials warn of their incredibly hot temperature, saying an adult should always be present during use. Since then, about 50 municipalities have completely banned the use and sale of fireworks, while nearly 60 have ordinances restricting both. Two municipalities, Sanford and Frye Island, prohibit the use, but not the sale, of fireworks. Some of Maine`s skies will light up with a festive fireworks display over the next few nights. Before you spend money on pyrotechnics, check if they are legal in your city, otherwise you could face fines. Article 223: Sale of fireworks – No person may sell, possess or offer for sale fireworks with the intention of selling them. Use is allowed every day from 9:00 a.m.
to 10:00 p.m., except July 4, December 31 and weekends immediately before and after July 4 and December 31. On these days, the use of fireworks for consumers is allowed from 9:00 to 12:30 the next day. Consumer fireworks may only be used on the property of the person using them or a person who consents to such use. Celestial lanterns (also known as floating or Chinese lanterns) are illegal to use, buy, sell or possess in Maine: Fact Sheet (PDF, 1 page, 51 KB) Illegal Explosive Devices from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In the summer of 2020, the pandemic caused the extinction of the large fireworks of the fourth of July, usually organized by municipalities. Instead, people brought pyrotechnics into their own backyards, which led to the inevitable chaos – a 50% increase in deaths and injuries in 2020 compared to 2019. By 2021, most of the annual professionally curated fireworks were back, and fire officials encouraged people to participate instead of experiencing illegal or dangerous fireworks in your own backyard. 1. “Consumer fireworks” have the same meaning as in Section 555.11 of code of Federal Regulations 27 or a later provision, but include only those products that have been tested and certified by a Part 3 testing laboratory to comply with the standards of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission in accordance with Chapter 47 of the United States Code. “Consumer fireworks” do not include the following products that may be illegally sold, used, or possessed in Maine: Section 237: Seizure, Decomposition, and Disposal of Fireworks Professional Fireworks Take Place Statewide.
Contact your community to find the nearest one in your area. 2. fireworks: flammable or explosive compositions or substances; any combination of these compositions or substances; or other goods prepared to produce a visible or audible effect by incineration, explosion, deflagration or detonation, including empty cartridges or toy cannons in which explosives are used; the type of balloon that needs fire underneath to propel it; fireworks, torpedoes, missiles, Roman candles, bombs, rockets, wheels, coloured fires, shafts, mines, snakes or other fireworks of similar design; fireworks containing explosive substances or combustible compounds; or any other device containing an explosive substance or combustible compound. The term “fireworks” does not include consumer fireworks or toy guns, toy rods, toy guns or other devices in which paper caps or plastic caps containing 25/100 grains or less of explosive compound are used if they are designed in such a way that the hand cannot come into contact with the cap when it is in place for the explosion. Paper caps or plastic caps containing less than 20/100 grains of explosive mixture, sparks not containing magnesium chlorates or perchlorates or signals, old cannons or replicas if no projectile is fired. In March 1997, a new CPSC standard came into force banning large, unstable multi-pipe fireworks. This standard is designed to eliminate the risk of fatal tipping that killed two innocent bystanders, including a 3-year-old boy, at family gatherings. Under Chapter 416, “A Law to Legalize the Sale, Possession, and Use of Fireworks,” fireworks were divided into three categories as follows: According to a report released in March by the Maine State Fire Marshal`s Office, 14 people were taken to medical facilities to treat fireworks injuries in 2020, and the victims ranged in age from 5 to 41 years. Section 225: Carriage of Fireworks – No person may carry fireworks in a motor vehicle or conveyance unless permitted by the regulations of the Commissioner of Public Safety.
Consumer fireworks can only be sold from a fixed and permanent stand-alone building dedicated exclusively to the storage and sale of fireworks for consumers. Buildings must be fully sprinkled with a sprinkler system that complies with NFPA 13, with a few exceptions. The Maine Legislature legalized the sale and use of fireworks at the state level in 2012, but the legislation also allows municipalities to enact their own ordinances and restrictions. In 2017, lawmakers also extended that right to Maine plantations. Note: Under Chapter 416, the legislative branch of a municipality may make an order prohibiting or restricting the sale or use of fireworks to consumers in the municipality. Municipalities that prohibit or restrict the sale or use of fireworks for consumers must provide a copy of the relevant restriction or prohibition to the State Fire Marshal`s Office within 60 days of acceptance. A municipality may require a person to obtain a municipal permit to sell fireworks to consumers in the municipality. A municipality that elects to issue municipal permits under this subsection must notify the Office of the State Fire Marshal at least 60 days before the start of its approval program for the sale of fireworks to the general public. For example, the City of York has scheduled a professional fireworks display for July 2, July 3 and August 7. Other cities have restrictions that prohibit certain types of fireworks. These communities include: Farmingdale, Gardiner, Hallowell, Harpswell, Jay, Lewiston, Monmouth and Oakland. Since 2012, it has been legal to buy and sell fireworks in Maine.
While many parts of the state allow the use of fireworks, some cities have enacted bans on the use and sale of fireworks to consumers. Bangor, for example, prohibits both the sale and use of fireworks. Fines range from $100 to $1,000 for each offence.
