In Corpus Christi, possessing or setting off fireworks inside city limits, including city beaches, is illegal, and anyone who carelessly injures another person with fireworks can be held liable under Texas negligence law. The Burkett Law Firm explains the state rules in Occupations Code Chapter 2154, local restrictions and your options after a fireworks injury.
Fireworks rules in the Coastal Bend depend on where you are standing. State law sets the baseline, Nueces County can tighten it in dry conditions, and the City of Corpus Christi bans fireworks inside its limits altogether. When someone ignores those rules and a person gets hurt, the same facts that break the law often support a civil claim for damages.
Are fireworks legal in Corpus Christi?
No. In a June 29, 2026 safety release, the Corpus Christi Fire Department stated that possessing or discharging fireworks within the city limits, including all city beaches, is illegal. The city warns that violators face fines of up to $2,000 per package of fireworks.
The city asks residents to report illegal fireworks to the non-emergency line at (361) 886-2600 and not to tie up 911 with fireworks complaints. If you want to see fireworks on the Fourth of July, the city encourages residents to attend a professional show, such as the Big Bang Celebration along the downtown seawall.
Neighboring cities, including Portland, Robstown and Port Aransas, can set their own rules. If you are celebrating outside Corpus Christi, check that city’s ordinance or call its fire marshal before you buy anything.
What does Texas state law say about fireworks?
Texas regulates fireworks through Chapter 2154 of the Occupations Code, administered by the State Fire Marshal’s Office. A few rules matter most for families:
- Consumer fireworks only at licensed stands. Fireworks classified as 1.4G, the consumer category, may be sold to the public only at authorized retail locations, and mail-order sales are prohibited (Tex. Occ. Code § 2154.252(b)).
- No sales to children or intoxicated people. Fireworks may not be sold to children under 16 or to anyone who is intoxicated or incompetent, and retailers must make a reasonable effort to check a buyer’s age (§ 2154.252(c)).
- Professional displays require a license. A public display that uses 1.3G fireworks must be run by a licensed pyrotechnic operator (§ 2154.251(a)(6)).
Section 2154.251 also lists places and ways you may never set off fireworks:
| Prohibited act under Tex. Occ. Code § 2154.251 | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Igniting fireworks within 600 feet of a church, hospital (other than a veterinary hospital), asylum, licensed child care center, or public or private school or college | Not near these buildings unless the organization gives written permission |
| Selling or igniting fireworks within 100 feet of a place where flammable liquids or compressed gases are stored and dispensed | Not near gas stations or fuel storage |
| Igniting fireworks within 100 feet of a place where fireworks are stored or sold | Not in the parking lot of a fireworks stand |
| Igniting or discharging fireworks in or from a motor vehicle | Not from a car, truck or truck bed |
| Placing ignited fireworks in, or throwing them at, a motor vehicle | Never toward vehicles or traffic |
Violations are criminal offenses. Under § 2154.303, many violations of the chapter are Class B misdemeanors, certain lower-level violations that cause minor property damage and no injury are Class C misdemeanors, and each day a violation continues is a separate offense.
When can fireworks be sold in Texas?
Under Tex. Occ. Code § 2154.202, retail permit holders may sell consumer fireworks from June 24 through midnight July 4 and from December 20 through midnight January 1. A county commissioners court may also authorize sales during optional periods tied to Texas Independence Day (February 25 through March 2), San Jacinto Day (April 16 through 21), Memorial Day weekend, and the days leading up to and including Diwali. A stand selling outside an authorized period is breaking state law.
Can Nueces County restrict fireworks outside city limits?
Yes, within limits. Under Tex. Loc. Gov’t Code § 352.051, once the Texas A&M Forest Service determines that drought conditions exist in a county, measured as a Keetch-Byram Drought Index of 575 or higher, the commissioners court may prohibit or restrict the sale or use of “skyrockets with sticks” and “missiles with fins” in the unincorporated area. For the Fourth of July season, that order must be adopted by June 15, and for the December season, by December 15. Knowingly violating the order is a Class C misdemeanor.
Nueces County commissioners have used this authority before. In June 2022 they banned the sale and use of aerial fireworks in unincorporated areas for the Fourth of July season, and in December 2024 an extended county burn ban also covered aerial fireworks. Whether an order is in place depends on drought conditions each season, so check the county’s current orders before buying fireworks for use in Banquete or other unincorporated parts of Nueces County.
Who is liable for a fireworks injury in Texas?
Fireworks injury claims are usually built on negligence: someone failed to use the care a reasonable person would use, and that failure caused harm. Several people or companies may share responsibility.
The person who lit the fireworks
The most common defendant is the person who set off the device, whether they aimed a rocket toward a crowd, lit fireworks while drunk, or used them in a place state or local law prohibits. Breaking a safety law, such as firing at a vehicle or lighting fireworks inside Corpus Christi city limits, can support an argument that the person was negligent as a matter of law, often called negligence per se.
Hosts and property owners
A homeowner or business that hosts a party and allows dangerous fireworks use may face a premises liability or negligence claim, particularly when the host supplied the fireworks or let intoxicated guests handle them. Homeowners and renters insurance liability coverage often responds to these claims, although intentional acts are typically excluded.
Parents
Under Texas Family Code Chapter 41, a parent can be liable for property damage caused by a child’s negligent conduct when it is reasonably attributable to the parent’s failure to exercise control and discipline, and for a child’s willful and malicious conduct if the child is at least 10 and under 18. Damages for willful and malicious conduct are capped at $25,000 per occurrence plus attorney’s fees and costs (§ 41.002). Chapter 41 covers property damage. When a child injures someone, a parent’s liability usually turns on ordinary negligence principles, such as whether the parent failed to supervise the child or allowed access to fireworks.
Sellers and manufacturers
A retailer that sells to a child under 16 violates § 2154.252 and may share fault for what follows. When a firework malfunctions, such as a fuse that burns too fast or a fountain that tips and fires sideways, a product liability claim under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Chapter 82 may apply against the manufacturer. A seller that did not make the product is generally liable only in the situations listed in § 82.003, such as when it knew of the defect or the manufacturer is insolvent or outside the court’s reach.
How serious are fireworks injuries?
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported at least 15 fireworks-related deaths and an estimated 13,000 emergency department-treated injuries nationwide in 2025, including about 1,300 injuries from sparklers alone. Burns to the hands, fingers and head were the most common.
Those burns can require skin grafts, and blasts to the face and head can cause eye injuries, hearing loss and traumatic brain injuries. When a fireworks accident takes a life, surviving family members may have a claim under the Texas Wrongful Death Act, discussed on our wrongful death attorneys page.
What if you were partly at fault?
Fireworks accidents often involve people who were all taking part. Texas follows proportionate responsibility under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001: you can recover only if you are 50 percent or less at fault, and your damages are reduced by your share. Our guide to the Texas 51% comparative fault bar explains how insurers use this rule.
You also have a deadline. Most personal injury and wrongful death claims in Texas must be filed within two years under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, as our Texas personal injury statute of limitations guide explains.
To protect a claim, get medical care first, then:
- Photograph the scene, your injuries and any damaged property
- Keep the packaging and remains of the firework that caused the injury
- Write down the names of the person who lit it, the property owner and any witnesses
- Save phone videos taken by you or others at the scene
When should you call a lawyer after a fireworks injury?
Talk to a lawyer if you or your child suffered burns, an eye injury, a hand injury or any harm requiring surgery, if a defective product may be involved, or if an insurer is denying the claim. Since 1960, The Burkett Law Firm has stood up for burn victims, injured children and other people hurt by someone else’s carelessness across Corpus Christi, Nueces County and the Coastal Bend. You can review the personal injury cases we handle, and lead attorney David Burkett is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
We take personal injury cases on contingency, so you pay no attorney’s fees or case costs unless we recover compensation for you. To talk through what happened, phone The Burkett Law Firm at (361) 882-8822 or send us a message online and schedule a free consultation.
Reviewed by David Burkett, Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law – Texas Board of Legal Specialization
