Propane for the grill? Check.
Buns for the burgers? Check.
Firecrackers and bottle rockets?
Before you light up those Independence Day fireworks, you also might want to check the latest laws where you live.
The Maine Legislature pass a law allowing the sale and use of fireworks in January 2012, ending a 63-year statewide ban. But that law also allows individual cities and towns to adopt their own restrictions if they want to, and fireworks rules are now a patchwork of varying restrictions – especially in southern Maine.
Since the state law changed, 49 towns have prohibited the sale and use of fireworks outright, including Portland, South Portland, Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth, Yarmouth, Brunswick and Biddeford, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
At least 54 other towns allow fireworks by residents but with certain restrictions. Westbrook, for example, requires a city permit to sell fireworks, while Gorham requires a permit to light them off and is one of many towns that limit any use of fireworks to certain dates and times, including July 4th.
Residents can check with their town offices for local rules, or go the website of the Fire Marshal’s Office.
Interactive map: local fireworks rules
The map below illustrates the differences in local rules on fireworks use and sales, according to data from the State Fire Marshal’s office. Click on the map to view details for each town:
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