Fireworks always a sight to be seen. But setting them off? That's a whole other matter.

To Verify the law, we reached out to a collection of experts:

SOURCES:

• Ohio interim Fire Marshall, Jeff Hussey
• Sandusky Fireworks Superstore President, Scott Allison
• State Representative Martin Sweeney.

The Fire Marshal tells us fireworks in Ohio fall into three categories:
-Trick and Novelty
-Consumer and
-Exhibitor

So which is which?

Let's start with Trick and Novelty fireworks, which we found, all into the four S's.

"The four S's are Snaps, Snakes, Sparklers and Smoke Bombs. Items you can find at Walmart.
No one really wants those, but those are pretty much unregulated items that can be sold pretty much anywhere," says Scott Allison.

Including in his Sandusky store. But the big sellers there are the thousands of the dazzling explosives. Everything except the high-octane kind that could light up Progressive Field…which are the ones classified as Exhibitor fireworks.

His store is one of 44 wholesale locations, licensed through the Fire Marshal's Office to sell the Consumer kind. And you definitely get a big bang for your buck with these pyrotechnics - but be careful what you buy.

"The more traditional consumer fireworks like Fire Crackers and Bottle Rockets are illegal to set off in Ohio," Fire Marshall Jeff Hussey.

Yep. You can sell them. And you can buy them. But we learned you have to get them out of the state in 48 hours because it's against the law to set ‘em off.

Get caught and you could face a $1,000 fine and up to 6 months in jail. But it seems a lot of people are taking that chance.

State Representative Martin Sweeney says, he knows Ohioans have been 'doing it in the dark' for decades. Which is why he wants to change, what he calls, the “chaotic” way we sell them and enforce the law.

And there is a proposal: House Bill 266. We're told it would clear the smoke and let local jurisdictions control regulation - such as setting time restrictions or permit requirements. That’s the same way it's done in surrounding states. But that isn't the law here...just yet.

So...are fireworks illegal in the state of Ohio?

The Fire Marshal sums it up best: "It is legal to purchase them, they just cannot be set off in the state legally."

And that's Verified.

But here's the other thing you need to be careful about. If you're going to buy any fireworks, you can only go to one of those 44 licensed stores in the state. Otherwise you will definitely be breaking the law.

RESOURCES:

Below is a list of the 44 Fireworks Wholesalers and the 6 Fireworks Manufacturers. After speaking with our Testing & Registration Bureau Chief, she pointed out something that will be helpful for you. Wholesalers are the retail stores, however manufacturers can also be retail stores in addition to manufacturing Fireworks. Our chief said she believes that most, if not all, of the 6 manufacturers operate as a store as well. I’ve included their names and city below as well.