Are Lawn Darts Illegal? The Real Story
Short answer: the dangerous old ones are illegal, and the safe modern ones are not. In 1988 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the metal-tipped, weighted-spike lawn darts known as Jarts. That ban covers selling, manufacturing, and importing them in the United States. It is still in force.
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Short answer: the dangerous old ones are illegal, and the safe modern ones are not. In 1988 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the metal-tipped, weighted-spike lawn darts known as Jarts. That ban covers selling, manufacturing, and importing them in the United States. It is still in force.
What you can buy today are soft-tip and weighted-but-blunt sets designed to land flat instead of spearing the ground. Those are perfectly legal. Here is the full story, why the ban happened, and how to tell a safe set from a vintage one you should never touch.
What the 1988 ban actually covers
The CPSC banned lawn darts with elongated metal tips designed to stick in the ground. The rule prohibits their sale, manufacture, and import in the United States. It came after the darts were linked to thousands of emergency-room injuries and several child deaths, with a heavy metal spike that could pierce a skull when thrown.
The ban is specific to that weighted-spike design. It is not a ban on the game of lawn darts as a concept. That distinction is the whole reason safe versions exist and sell legally today.
What is legal to buy now
Modern lawn darts swap the metal spike for a soft, weighted, or rounded tip. Soft-tip sets are aimed at kids and families. Weighted-but-blunt sets give adults more of that satisfying arc and stick-the-landing feel without the dangerous point. Both are sold legally across the U.S.
When you shop, look for the words soft tip, weighted, or blunt, and confirm there is no exposed metal spike. That is the line between a legal modern set and a banned one.
Never buy or sell vintage Jarts
Old metal-tipped Jarts still surface at garage sales and on resale sites. Reselling them is illegal under the federal ban, and they are genuinely dangerous. A weighted steel point thrown high enough to arc down is exactly the hazard the CPSC outlawed.
If you inherit a vintage set, the safe move is to dispose of the darts, not to play with them or list them for sale. No nostalgia is worth the risk, and selling them can land you on the wrong side of the law.
Get a safe set instead
You can still enjoy the game. Skip the vintage spikes and grab a legal soft-tip or weighted-blunt set built for backyards. These are the ones I recommend.
Franklin Sports soft tip lawn darts
Vetted by the commissioner and ready to play out of the box.
GoSports weighted yard darts
Vetted by the commissioner and ready to play out of the box.
Hey Play soft tip darts for kids
Vetted by the commissioner and ready to play out of the box.
Are Lawn Darts Illegal? The Real Story FAQ
Are lawn darts illegal in the US?
The original metal-tipped lawn darts, often called Jarts, are illegal to sell, manufacture, or import in the United States under a 1988 CPSC ban. Modern soft-tip and weighted-but-blunt sets are not covered by that ban and are sold legally nationwide. The ban targets the dangerous metal-spike design, not the game itself.
What was banned in 1988?
In 1988 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned lawn darts with elongated metal tips meant to stick in the ground. The decision followed thousands of injuries and several child deaths. The ban blocks the sale, manufacture, and import of those weighted-spike darts in the United States, and it remains in effect today.
Can you still buy lawn darts?
Yes, you can buy modern lawn darts. Soft-tip sets and weighted-but-blunt sets are legal and widely available because they replace the banned metal spike with a safe tip. What you cannot legally buy or sell are the original metal-tipped Jarts from the 1980s, which remain banned.
Are vintage lawn darts worth anything?
Collectors sometimes list vintage metal Jarts, but reselling them is illegal under the federal ban, and resale sites generally remove the listings. More to the point, they are dangerous. The responsible move with an old set is to dispose of the darts rather than play with them or try to sell them.
Why were lawn darts banned?
The original lawn darts had heavy metal spikes that, when thrown in a high arc, came down with enough force to pierce a skull. They were linked to thousands of emergency-room injuries and several deaths of children. The CPSC banned the metal-tipped design in 1988 to stop those injuries.
Are soft-tip lawn darts safe?
Soft-tip lawn darts are far safer than the banned metal versions because the tip cannot spear the ground or a person. They are designed for backyard and family play. As with any thrown game, you still keep the landing zone clear and supervise young kids, but the deadly hazard of the old spikes is gone.