One of the most exciting things about 4th of July are the fireworks. Ever since I was a kid, I've loved to see the sky light up in bright colors and special designs. With the holiday right around the corner, I know I can expect a long night of loud booms and colorful skies as an aftermath to one of summer's most beloved days. Though I'd love to see fireworks go off until the sun comes up, I have to wonder, is it legal to shoot fireworks after midnight?

Since I grew up in Florida and there were no time restrictions for shooting off fireworks, I found it strange to not hear them at random hours when I moved to Georgia in 2013. To be quite honest, I never thought that firework restrictions even existed for any state. As I've gotten older though, I realize how wrong I was because, according to USA Today, there are rules and requirements for buying and using consumer fireworks in each state. The site noted that before you use the fireworks that you've purchased, it's a must for you to do your research to prevent breaking any laws. How surprising is that?

Although not every state has a firework time restriction, knowing whether or not your state does can help you avoid any ramifications related to going over curfew. For example, Credit.com noted that Georgia and Indiana residents cannot set fireworks off past midnight on the 4th of July. Residents in Maine, however, cannot use their fireworks past 12:30 a.m. for the holiday. Though these three states were the only mentioned as ones that fireworks cannot be used past midnight, Men's Journal noted that Delaware, Massachusetts, and New Jersey prevent the use of fireworks all together. Additionally, the aforementioned USA Today article noted that some neighborhoods or communities can also have their own firework guidelines, so it's important to do your research on that, too.

Overall, though you may be able to use your fireworks well past the midnight time stamp in some places, it's better that you double check the law in both your state and your neighborhood.