Can I keep 1.4 fireworks in Ohio?
YES. It was illegal to keep 1.4 fireworks for more than 48 hours in Ohio, unless you were a licensed Manufacturer, Wholesaler, Exhibitor, or Out of State Shipper. Carriers and warehouses are not required to be licensed. The law changed this year, removing the 48-hour rule.
Is it legal to sell 1.4 fireworks in Ohio?
YES. There are 50 licensed Manufacturers and Wholesalers that have stores in Ohio.
Can Licensed Exhibitors sell fireworks?
When a licensed exhibitor takes payment for fireworks it is actually for their logistics services. Some charge one fee for an entire fireworks show. Some charge for each minute the fireworks show lasts. Some may break down every fee and charge it separately. We charge by the actual fireworks items that you want in the display. All of our logistics costs are included in the items price. This includes; shipping, warehousing, drayage, licensing, insurance, permitting, planning, equipment, labor, rent, and the items original cost.
Can I take the fireworks with me?
YES. If you have an Ohio I.D., you can transport 1.4 fireworks. The fireworks are technically the property of the licensed exhibitor and are meant to be set up at one of their permitted displays. It is the carrier’s responsibility to obey the law.
What happens if they don’t show up to the display show?
Ohio law does not require you to be registered for the fireworks show if you only setup or clean-up 1.4 fireworks. We won’t know who shows up and who doesn’t.
Can I set off 1.4 fireworks in Ohio?
Only if you have a license and permit. The law changed on July 1st 2022 to allow you to set fireworks off on certain days of the year.
Does that mean I can’t set off the fireworks I get from you?
When you bring the fireworks to our permitted display show an exhibitor will set them up and attach them to an electronic firing system. You can push the fire button that is under the control of a licensed exhibitor.
Why don’t you transport the fireworks to the display yourself?
It would be very time consuming and confusing to try to sort out so many orders all at once. We would rather concentrate on safely setting up the display than handling drayage.
Why don’t all licensed exhibitors do this?
Most people get their exhibitor license so they can set off professional 1.3 fireworks. Many feel it’s not worth their time to do a display for less than 3 or 4 thousand dollars. Most people want to spend $100 or less. Ohio is the #2 state for 1.4 fireworks sales but people can’t set them off. We saw a huge need for people to have their own 1.4 fireworks displays without breaking the law. Electronic firing systems make it possible to safely and legally set them off while the exhibitor remains in control.
What is Fireworks Farm?
Fireworks Farm is our small business created to market products produced and stored on our farm in Marion, Ohio.
What activities are defined as agriculture?
Ohio Revised code defines agriculture in Section 519.01. Agriculture includes farming, apiculture (bee keeping), viticulture (wine making and grape growing), and production of fruits and vegetables. It also includes processing, drying, storage, and marketing of agricultural products when those activities are conducted in conjunction with, but are secondary to production.
Are you allowed to have a winery on a farm?
Yes. Our Ohio Farm Winery Permit allows us to make and sell wine from agricultural products produced on our farm. We grow blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, and peaches and produce honey.
Are you allowed to have a business on a farm?
Normally Farm markets are allowed when at least half of the items sold are produced on the farm (Revised Code 519.21(C)(1)). If you have a winery and grow grapes then no zoning certificate is required (Revised Code 519.21(A)). This agricultural exemption is not understood by many people but the Ohio Supreme Court clarified it in their decision on Terry v. Sperry.
Is a shipping container an accessory building?
The Pleasant Township Zoning Resolution 15.01 says that an accessory building does not include a boxcar or semi-trailer. An intermodal shipping container can be considered a boxcar and is not subject to Building Code.
Are you allowed to store consumer fireworks on a farm?
Shipping containers are not subject to review for Conditional Permitted Uses for Accessory Buildings (6.02 Use Regulations). Storage or sale of flammable materials only applies to enclosed buildings constructed prior to April 6, 1995 (11.22 Material Storage). A fireworks exhibit permit allows for the storage of fireworks consistent with the most recent NFPA standards. Flammable or toxic materials with an agricultural use like welding equipment or pesticides are also exempt from 11.22 Material Storage.
Why can’t I get firecrackers and bottle rockets around here?
In the 50s and 60s, you could order firecrackers through the mail that were 1000 times more powerful than today’s firecrackers. They had names like M-80, cherry bomb, quarter-stick, silver salute, and block buster. Kids nationwide suffered serious injuries so many states banned fireworks completely. The federal government then put limits on the amount of explosive power fireworks could have by creating separate categories for consumer and professional fireworks. The unforgettable damage caused by those early explosives kept fireworks bans in place for decades. Laws have been changing though. Safety regulations, better quality products, testing, and consumer education have vastly lowered injury rates. 47 states have legalized fireworks with only Illinois, Vermont and Massachusetts left. Although Vermont has laws similar to Ohio with a small number of stores.
Why is the fireworks law so confusing?
Even though some fireworks were banned, retail stores were allowed to stay open to prevent economic harm to the companies and to allow people to buy the fireworks they love. Some laws still haven’t clarified the difference between consumer and professional fireworks so we have to rely on federal and other referenced standards. Reports have shown that serious injuries actually increase when fireworks are completely banned because people resort to using homemade and professional type explosives.
Will I get arrested for fireworks?
It’s possible, but rare. Almost every arrest I’m aware of was in combination with a non-fireworks violation like, disturbing the peace or disorderly conduct.
Can anyone confiscate my fireworks?
Not if you are transporting them (or providing any logistics services) for a legal business or permitted use. If your rights are violated it could be a violation of the Hobbs Act.
What’s the difference between 1.4, 1.3, Class B, C, Consumer and Professional Fireworks, Pyrotechnics and Explosives?
Consumer fireworks, 1.4 explosives, and Class C fireworks usually mean the same thing. These include things like sparklers, bottle rockets, firecrackers with less than 50 milligrams of flash powder, and aerial devices with less than 130 milligrams of flash powder (the size of an aspirin). They are considered moderately flammable with no blast hazard. 1.4 fireworks are approved by the Consumer Products Safety Commission.
Professional fireworks, 1.3 explosives, and Class B usually mean the same thing. These are dangerous federally regulated display fireworks that you see in a permitted public exhibition. Only highly trained licensed people can go near these.
Class B and C fireworks are old terms that were replaced with 1.3 and 1.4 explosives by the U.S. Department of Transportation for shipping purposes. Pyrotechnics includes all types of fireworks and other items that contain similar compositions. Fireworks includes both consumer and professional types of fireworks. Some of these terms can have definitions that vary slightly from place to place so professionals usually just say 1.3 and 1.4.
What are agricultural fireworks?
Fireworks devices distributed to farmers, ranchers, or growers through a wildlife management program administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior or an equivalent state or local program are not subject to the powder content limits. Such devices must be distributed in response to a written application describing the problem that requires their use and there must be no other available or adequate means of control. Such devices must be distributed in a quantity no greater than that needed to control the problem.
It seems like people either love fireworks or hate them. What gets them so excited about fireworks?
Just hearing the word “fireworks” gives many people an emotional reaction. They might not even know why. Fireworks are meant to incite strong emotions by encompassing our senses. Nothing can awe or excite a large crowd more except maybe live music. Some people experience fear or anger because it reminds them of being burnt by a sparkler as a child or loud noises that frightened them. Maybe they saw on the news that someone was injured by a homemade device. They may think consumer fireworks are the same as illegal explosives. Irrational people often associate negative emotional impulses with assumptions or rumors to soothe their ego without educating themselves on the facts. Rational people are aware of this and are somewhat able to counteract their base impulses, but our continual connection to social media makes us prone to new forms of viral emotional effects. We are as besieged with emotions and drama as ancient humans because human nature has not changed. That’s why fireworks excite us.