Louisiana Firework Laws: Don’t Get Burned By These Illegal Explosives!

With the Fourth of July coming up, there are lots of fireworks stores popping up around Louisiana. What kind of 4th would it be without colorful explosions in the sky?

But before you pick up every firework with a cool package, make sure you are following the laws so you can stay safe and avoid jail time.

The No-Go List in Louisiana

Owning, selling, or lighting illegal fireworks in Louisiana can land you up to a $1,000 fine and two years in jail. The kicker is that the punishment stacks, so if you own 5 different boxes of illegal fireworks, you'll get 5 separate charges. To avoid a $5,000 ticket and 10 years in jail, here are the fireworks to stay away from if you see them.

• Cherry Bombs
• Tubular & 2 inch Salutes
• Firecrackers longer than 1.5 inches or wider than 0.25 inches
• Repeating & Aerial Bombs
• Torpedoes wider than 3/8 in diameter
• Roman Candles with more than 10 shots
• Sky Rockets bigger than 6 ounces

Fireworks like Cherry Bombs are illegal not just in Louisiana but in the entire country. Many fireworks are included on the list of explosives regulated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, including things like M-100 salutes.

Legally sold fireworks are tested to ensure they will be safe for you and your family to set off during your holiday celebration. Under federal law, fireworks can only have 50 milligrams of explosive material at most, but illegal fireworks like an M-100 cherry bomb have over 10,000 milligrams of explosive.

For your safety, it's important to double-check check the fireworks you're getting are legal.