South Carolina: Are fireworks legal?
South Carolina allows the sale and use of 1.4G consumer fireworks, including aerial ones, except small bottle rockets, to buyers 16 and older.
State law defines consumer fireworks as the federal 1.4G class, explicitly including aerial devices, and regulates their sale through the Board of Pyrotechnic Safety. The only consumer item it bans outright is small bottle rockets, and sales to anyone under 16 are illegal. The law sets no statewide sale dates. Private use is inferred: no statute bans it, and the law bars setting off fireworks only inside posted fireworks-prohibited zones.
Conditions
- Must be 16 or older to buy
- Small bottle rockets banned
- Local ordinances and fireworks-prohibited zones may apply
What the law says
Some small devices designed to produce audible effects are consumer fireworks, including, but not limited to, whistling devices, ground devices containing 50 mg or less of explosive materials, and aerial devices containing 130 mg or less of explosive materials. ... Retail sale and use of small bottle rockets are not legal within South Carolina. ... Fireworks may not be sold to anyone under the age of sixteen.
Sources
- S.C. Code §§ 40-56-20, 40-56-220 Official · scstatehouse.gov
- S.C. Code ch. 23-35 (incl. § 23-35-175, fireworks prohibited zones) Official · scstatehouse.gov
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- South Carolina Board of Pyrotechnic Safety (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation)
- Phone
- 803-896-4259
- Website
- llr.sc.gov
How bordering states compare
- Georgia Aerial fireworks allowedGeorgia allows adults 18 and older to buy and use consumer fireworks, including Roman candles and aerial items, within state time and place limits.
- North Carolina Sparklers and ground fireworks onlyNorth Carolina allows sparklers, fountains and other ground or hand-held sparkling devices, but bans fireworks that explode, spin or fly.
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