Growing up in very rural Minnesota, the Fourth of July felt like magic. Because we lived much further north, the sunset almost obscenely late. We got to stay up until dark, well past our bedtime, playing games in my cousins’ yard. Finally, once we could see the stars, we could break out the fireworks. Barely more than sparklers and bottle rockets, these bursts of sound and light thrilled my little heart.
A few decades later, one of my fondest memories with my in-laws came on the same holiday. They took their boat out for a spin on the St. Croix River to go see fireworks in Stillwater. Watching from the water gave me a whole new perspective, and it was all joy. On the boat ride back to the dock, both sides of the river lit up with other cities and rural families hosting their own displays.
Just a few years after that, my youngest child made sure to take her sweet time during labor. I entered the hospital on July 3, but she waited until after midnight to make her appearance. She’s our Independence Day baby. We joked that she knew full well what she was doing: her birthday would have fireworks.
You need to know these things because I need to reassure you that I am not a hater. I honestly really love fireworks. Whether I was a wide-eyed, sleep-deprived kiddo or an adult in need of some color, fireworks have always thrilled me. At this time of year, they not only celebrate this country that we love, but they also remind us of the simple pleasures of summer. They evoke happy memories and inspire wonder.
And yet I am asking you – no, actually, I am begging you – do not set them off in your backyard. If you have neighbors anywhere in sight, your property is not an appropriate location for a fireworks display. In fact, if you’re shooting anything more elaborate than a cone sparkler, it’s illegal.
Did you hear that? It’s illegal. Nearly any firework you might set off in your driveway is illegal in Minnesota. You could be fined up to $1,000 or spend 90 days in jail or both. Even our neighbors to the east in Wisconsin will find that shooting off almost any firework outside of specially-designated areas is outside the law.
You may not deploy even a bottle rocket in this state. (I didn’t know this as a kid, which makes our rural explosion-fest suddenly shocking to me.) For that matter, even sparklers are illegal if you use them on public property, which includes neighborhood parks and the street in front of your house. If you need more details on what exactly is illegal, check out the Minnesota fire marshal’s page.
Fireworks in Minnesota are not illegal because people hate fun. They’re illegal because they’re dangerous. In 2017, the last year for which I could find statistics, eight people died and nearly 13,000 people were seriously injured because of fireworks. We all accept a level of inherent risk in most anything we do – approximately 450 people die each year because they fell out of bed, for example – but to willfully bring it on yourself for something that’s supposed to be fun is another matter. Making things even worse, many of these injuries and deaths are children. You don’t need to invite that tragedy into your home.
Beyond fireworks being illegal on their own merits, and for good reason, deploying fireworks in your backyard almost certainly breaks your city’s noise ordinance. Aerial explosions after 10 pm would be a violation of these rules. If your neighbors call the cops on you, it’s not because they are funsuckers. It’s because you’re breaking the law and you need to be held accountable.
And again, paying attention to your neighborhood noise isn’t intended to make life boring. Consider, for instance, the many veterans in our communities or victims of domestic violence for whom fireworks sound exactly like gunshots or roadside bombs. How must they feel in the weeks surrounding Independence Day? On a more basic level, consider those families who have spent all evening trying to get a colicky baby or overtired toddler to sleep, only to have them shocked awake by bursts of sound and light over their house. How neighborly would they feel on those nights? Noise ordinances are meant to help all these people in your community and more.
So what are you supposed to do? How are you supposed to celebrate this great holiday and let your kids experience some wonder? For starters, how about you just find out where the nearest approved fireworks display will happen? You can’t shoot them off in your own yard, but you can find something about a million times better not too far from you. And yes, your kid will have to stay up late to see it. That’s part of the fun!
Please, enjoy your summer. Have a fantastic Fourth of July. Go on boat rides and stay up late and write your name with a sparkler. But really, seriously, do not shoot off any fireworks. Trust me, you’ll have fun without it, and your neighbors will thank you for the precious, miraculous, uninterrupted sleep.
