December 20, 2017
Pennsylvania residents who are tired of heading out-of-state for high-power fireworks and sick of lighting lame sparklers are now in luck entering 2018.
In a quiet move, Pennsylvania lawmakers recently passed House Bill 542, a piece of tax legislation that officially allows for the sale, purchase and use of aerial fireworks.
State residents were previously limited to a narrow group of "safe and sane" items and risked running afoul of the law by setting off Class C fireworks with a permit in their own backyards.
Under the new law, vendors must now be licensed to obtain a new certificate to sell aerial fireworks to state residents over the age of 18.
The law will also generate revenue for first responders statewide by adding a 12 percent fireworks tax on top of the state's six percent sales tax.
The days of loading up on roadside fireworks from out-of-state are now numbered in Pennsylvania.
