Banned and Restricted Fireworks in North Dakota + City Ordinances

The Fourth of July will be here before we know it, and if there's one thing North Dakotans love, it's to make things go boom. Yes, we love a good city fireworks show, but we also like to light a few things off ourselves. To help everyone out, we thought we'd put together a general "Don't get yourself in trouble" fireworks guide.

Interesting Fact: North Dakota only allows the sale of fireworks June 27th through July 5th and December 26th through January 1st, according to LegalClarity.org. A person must also be at least 12 years old to purchase any firework.

It's a little difficult to outline which fireworks are prohibited in the state; North Dakota law lists fireworks that are allowed, rather than creating a comprehensive list of things that aren't allowed. You can pretty much assume that anything not listed as "Permitted" is prohibited.

According to LegalClarity.org, the following types of fireworks and explosives are not allowed generally allowed for consumers in North Dakota.

• M-80s
• Cherry bombs
• Silver salutes
• Quarter sticks (or larger explosive salutes)
• Firecrackers containing more than 50 milligrams of explosive composition
• Homemade fireworks
• Modified or altered fireworks
• Bottle Rockets
• Roman Candles
• Skyrockets
• Daygo Bombs
• Professional/display fireworks (unless properly permitted) Illegal explosive devices not classified as consumer fireworks

Interestingly enough, North Dakota is one of a few states that have been named as allowing the most consumer fireworks. Now, keep in mind that certain cities have their own rules and ordinances as to what is allowed to be fired off, regardless of state law.

Bismarck

According to the City of Bismarck, anything sold at a fireworks stand that must be ignited, including snakes and sparklers, would not be legal in the city.

The sale, possession, or discharge of fireworks within the City of Bismarck is prohibited, and violators could be charged with a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and/or fined up to one thousand dollars.

For more information on what is or isn't legal within the city, click here. 

(Also Read: How to Win Medora Musical Tickets in 2026)

Fargo

According to the City of Fargo's website, the possession and use of fireworks is unlawful. The city's definition of "Fireworks" is as follows.

Any substance or combination of substances or articles prepared for the purpose of producing a visible or an audible effect by combustion, explosion, deflagration, or detonation and includes blank cartridges, toy cannons, and toy canes in which explosives are used, the type of balloons which require fire underneath to propel them, firecrackers, torpedoes, sky rockets, Roman candles, daygo bombs, sparklers, or other fireworks containing any explosive or inflammable compound, or any tablets or other devices containing any explosive substance and commonly known as fireworks.

Mandan

According to the City of Mandan's website, the possession, use, discharge, and explosion of fireworks is permitted, but only from noon to 11:59 pm on July 3rd and 4th.

The site also states that sky lanterns and bottle rockets are prohibited within city limits. Also, fireworks are prohibited at all city parks.

Keep these rules in mind, so you can celebrate the 4th, without any hiccups. We'll keep updating this post with other rules and ordinances we discover.