Cleveland, OH
Are you allowed to shoot off fireworks in your Northeast Ohio city? Check this list
CLEVELAND, Ohio – It is legal to set off fireworks from your home in Ohio, but many cities have their own laws banning the practice.
In 2021, state lawmakers passed House Bill 172, which allows people to discharge, ignite or explode fireworks on private property on certain days of the year, including the Fourth of July. These include firecrackers, bottle rockets and Roman candles.
Cities are allowed to opt out of the law, which went into effect last summer. Most Cleveland suburbs have decided to ban the private use of fireworks. Those caught shooting them off face misdemeanors. Other cities, like Cleveland, have had ordinances on their books for years that forbid it.
Maple Heights allows residents to possess and use bottle rockets and firecrackers on private property.
“We follow the state law regarding fireworks,” the city’s police chief, Todd Hansen, said in an email.
Broadview Heights is one of the many Cuyahoga County suburbs that does not allow residents to set off fireworks.
“We want everyone to have a safe and happy Fourth of July, but I will have extra officers on patrol to enforce our local ordinances regarding fireworks,” said Steven Raiff, the city’s police chief.
Broadview Heights will be having fireworks displays at its Home Days festival on July 6, 7 and 8.
Cleveland police are urging people to be safe if they use fireworks over the holiday weekend, even though they are illegal in the city. Forty percent of fires on Independence Day are a result of fireworks.
“The discharge of, ignition or explosion of any fireworks, except novelty or trick fireworks, is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree,” police said in a statement. “Violations of this section after having been warned within 36 hours of a second occurrence are a misdemeanor of the third degree. Violations of this section during any dates of June 15 through July 15 inclusive are a misdemeanor of the third degree.”
Many communities are hosting their own fireworks displays and other events to celebrate the holiday. Downtown Cleveland Alliance’s Light Up the Lake starts at 10 p.m. Tuesday with prime viewing locations from the Flats, Voinovich Park, Whiskey Island, Wendy Park, Edgewater Park and Kirtland Park.
Northeast Ohio cities that do not allow residents to shoot off fireworks:
Amherst
Avon Lake
Bay Village
Beachwood
Bedford
Bedford Heights
Berea
Brecksville
Broadview Heights
Cleveland
Cleveland Heights
Garfield Heights
Highland Heights
Euclid
Fairport Harbor
Lakewood
Mayfield Village
Medina
Mentor
Middleburg Heights
Parma
Rocky River
Seven Hills
Shaker Heights
South Euclid
Strongsville
Tallmadge
Twinsburg
Wadsworth
Warrensville Heights
Westlake