Guide Rankings Law Updated June 25, 2026

Flamethrower Legality by State

Industrial fire-warning imagery representing state flamethrower laws

Flamethrower Legality by State

Ranking - Law

State flamethrower law is mostly permissive at the ownership level, but California uses a permit system for Tier I devices and Maryland treats flamethrowers as destructive devices.

Quick Answer

Flamethrower Legality by State

  1. 1

    Flamethrower legality by state is green in 48 states. Texas, Florida, and New York are in the group with no statewide flamethrower permit or ban in the current source set.

  2. 2

    Maryland is the strictest outlier. Maryland law puts flamethrowers inside its destructive-device statute, which is why simple possession is a felony there.

  3. 3

    California is the permit outlier. Tier I flamethrowing devices that project a burning liquid stream at least 10 feet require a State Fire Marshal permit.

Map

Flamethrower Legality by State Map

Flamethrower Status
Legal
Restricted
48 states are green on this map. California is the permit outlier for Tier I devices at 10 feet or more, and Maryland is the only full-ban state in the current source set.
Flamethrower Legality by State Map
State Flamethrower Status
Alabama Legal
Alaska Legal
Arizona Legal
Arkansas Legal
California Restricted
Colorado Legal
Connecticut Legal
Delaware Legal
Florida Legal
Georgia Legal
Hawaii Legal
Idaho Legal
Illinois Legal
Indiana Legal
Iowa Legal
Kansas Legal
Kentucky Legal
Louisiana Legal
Maine Legal
Maryland Restricted
Massachusetts Legal
Michigan Legal
Minnesota Legal
Mississippi Legal
Missouri Legal
Montana Legal
Nebraska Legal
Nevada Legal
New Hampshire Legal
New Jersey Legal
New Mexico Legal
New York Legal
North Carolina Legal
North Dakota Legal
Ohio Legal
Oklahoma Legal
Oregon Legal
Pennsylvania Legal
Rhode Island Legal
South Carolina Legal
South Dakota Legal
Tennessee Legal
Texas Legal
Utah Legal
Vermont Legal
Virginia Legal
Washington Legal
West Virginia Legal
Wisconsin Legal
Wyoming Legal

48 states are green on this map. California is the permit outlier for Tier I devices at 10 feet or more, and Maryland is the only full-ban state in the current source set.

Flamethrower Legality by State Table

Flamethrower Status

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Print-ready table — Flamethrower Legality by State

Why Maryland Bans Flamethrowers

Maryland legal code and warning imagery representing the state ban
Maryland directly lists a flamethrower as a destructive device, which is why simple possession becomes a felony.

Maryland is the only full-ban state in the current source set because its criminal code directly names a flamethrower as a destructive device in § 4-501. Once that label applies, § 4-503 makes manufacturing, transporting, possessing, selling, distributing, or using the device a felony.

Maryland's story is older than it looks. The 2002 recodification bill says the flamethrower wording was carried over without substantive change from former Article 27, § 139A(c), so the state did not create a brand-new flamethrower panic law in 2002; it preserved an older destructive-device rule.

California Flamethrower Permit Law

Permit paperwork and flame device controls representing California restrictions
California requires a permit for Tier I devices that project a burning liquid stream at least 10 feet, rather than banning every device outright.

California is not a full-ban state on this page. California's restriction is narrower because the official 2018 bill text ties the permit rule to Tier I devices, defined as nonstationary and transportable devices that project a burning liquid stream at least 10 feet.

California's system is closer to regulated ownership than outright prohibition. The Office of the State Fire Marshal still lists a Flame Throwing Device Permit Application, and the penalty section allows up to 1 year in county jail, state prison, or a fine of up to $10,000 for using or possessing a Tier I device without the permit.

Quick Answers

Are flamethrowers legal in the US?
Yes in 48 states on this map. California is restricted by permit and Maryland is banned.
Which states ban flamethrowers?
Maryland is the only full-ban state in the current source set. California is the other red state on this map, but its rule is a permit system rather than a complete ban.
Can I buy a flamethrower in California?
Not freely if the device is Tier I. California requires a State Fire Marshal permit for a nonstationary and transportable device that projects a burning liquid stream at least 10 feet.
Can I buy a flamethrower in Maryland?
No under this map's statewide rule. Maryland defines a flamethrower as a destructive device and makes possession a felony.
Why does Maryland ban flamethrowers?
Maryland bans flamethrowers because § 4-501 puts them inside the state's destructive-device definition. The 2002 recodification bill says that wording was carried over without substantive change from former Article 27, § 139A(c), so the ban is an older destructive-device rule rather than a new stand-alone flamethrower law.
Do you need a permit for a flamethrower in California?
Yes for Tier I devices on this page. California's permit rule covers nonstationary and transportable devices that project a burning liquid stream at least 10 feet.

Methodology

This page uses current state statutes for Maryland and California, then treats the other 48 states as green because the current source set identifies no statewide flamethrower permit or ownership ban there. Federal firearms definitions in 18 U.S.C. § 921 and 26 U.S.C. § 5845 focus on projectile weapons and listed destructive devices, so the 48-state result is an inference from those federal definitions plus the state-law sources below.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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