Travis Leeman hangs a sign on the Discount Fireworks Superstore in Redmond. 06/25/25 (Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin)

Fireworks can be fun, but not for dry vegetation. Fireworks can be exciting, but not for wild animals. Fireworks can be legal — but not within Bend city limits.

In the week leading up to the Fourth of July, it’s important to remember where and when fireworks can be set off. In Oregon, fireworks may only be purchased from permitted retailers between June 23 and July 6 and any fireworks purchased out-of-state can not be brought into Oregon. They also cannot be set off within Bend city limits, Oregon State Parks, Oregon State Beaches, campgrounds or on state and federal forest lands.

If there are any doubts about the legality of a firework or where you can set it off, the best place to get more information is from the Oregon State Fire Marshall’s website. Legal fireworks outside of prohibited areas include novelty devices, wheels, flitter sparklers, fountains, smoke devices and ground spinners. Illegal fireworks include sky landers, missiles, rockets, firecrackers, cherry bombs, M-80s, Roman candles and bottle rockets — anything that flies or explodes.

Although just the possession of fireworks is prohibited in Bend, firework alternatives such as smoke bombs, wire core sparklers, snakes and party poppers can be used. In Redmond, Oregon-legal fireworks are permitted everywhere except for the Dry Canyon Parks System. The use of any illegal fireworks in Redmond may result in a fine of $500 and $750 in Bend, with repeat offenders facing harsher penalties including a $2,500 fine from the Oregon State Fire Marshall’s Office.

The reason fireworks are so heavily regulated in Oregon is because they pose a very real wildfire risk during a time when vegetation is particularly dry. A prominent example of a fire ignited by fireworks is the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire that burned over 48,000 acres in the Columbia River Gorge and cost the state approximately $36 million, which a judge ordered the teen who started the blaze to repay.

In 2018, a Fourth of July fire started by illegal fireworks left a large burn scar across the face of Pilot Butte and forced the evacuation of a nearby neighborhood.

“Bend Fire and Rescue has responded to several fireworks-related fires in the last few years. Community members have lost homes and been injured from the use of fireworks in Bend. We really want the community to understand that Central Oregon is in high fire danger right now, which means wildfire can be quick to spread and hard for responders to contain,” said Bend Fire and Rescue spokesperson Makayla Oliver.

Despite the tight restrictions, the Bend Police Department doesn’t issue many citations for fireworks. Last year, the law enforcement agency only cited three people, and two of those citations were issued in October, said Bend Police Department spokesperson Sheila Miller. No citations have been given out this year, but Miller said one reason the citation rate has been so low is because officers are stretched thin Fourth of July week investigating other calls, such as drunk driving.

“We encourage our community to take responsibility for their actions and recognize that we live in a very fire-prone environment, and setting off fireworks, especially aerial fireworks that are illegal statewide, puts our entire city in danger,” Miller said. “We will have lots of additional officers out. They’ll be looking for people setting off illegal fireworks, but they’ll also be looking for DUIIs and making sure that we don’t have large gatherings of kids drinking and doing drugs in parks as we’ve seen in years past.”

For those who don’t want to purchase or set off their own fireworks, there are several public firework shows planned for the Fourth of July. One of the biggest annual fireworks shows in Central Oregon takes place at the top of Pilot Butte. Be warned: small fires erupt on Pilot Butte nearly every year, but Bend Fire and Rescue prepare the butte in advance and have crews stationed during the show.

The fireworks from Pilot Butte can be seen anywhere from within the city, with popular viewing locations at Providence Park and Ponderosa Park. The show begins at 10 p.m. and lasts approximately 20 minutes. In Redmond, there is another fireworks display that takes place at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds. The light show begins at 10 p.m.