Lawn darts

Yes, lawn darts are banned in the United States. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) banned their sale nationwide effective December 19, 1988, after the toys were linked to the deaths of three children. The federal rule is short and direct: any lawn dart is a banned hazardous product.

What Exactly Is Banned

The ban targets the classic outdoor game, often sold under the brand name Jarts: large darts with heavy, pointed tips meant to be thrown into the air and stick in the ground. The rule covers:

• New sets sold in stores or online
• Used sets resold at garage sales, flea markets or on resale sites
• Lawn darts packaged with other games, such as backyard sports bundles

Lawn darts made for children were already banned under a separate rule, the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

Who Banned Them and When

This was actually the second attempt. In 1970, regulators allowed lawn darts only as adult games: they had to carry warning labels and could not be sold in toy stores. That did not stop children from using them. CPSC records showed three children, aged 4, 7 and 13, had died, and an estimated 670 lawn dart injuries were treated in US emergency rooms each year, three quarters of them involving children under 15. In May 1988, the commission voted to ban lawn darts, and they were pulled from stores the week before Christmas that year.

How the Ban Works Today

The ban is written into federal regulations at 16 CFR Part 1306, and it still applies more than 35 years later. The CPSC has repeatedly reminded the public that old sets may still be sitting in garages, basements and second-hand stores. Anyone who sees lawn darts for sale can report it to the CPSC hotline at (800) 638-2772 or info@cpsc.gov.

What It Means If You Own a Set

• Do not sell it. Reselling used lawn darts counts as a sale under the ban.
• Do not give it away. The CPSC says sets should not be passed on because they can still harm others.
• Destroy it. The CPSC urges owners to discard or destroy old lawn darts.

Legal Alternatives

Backyard games sold as “lawn darts” today use soft or blunt weighted tips that are not designed to stick in the ground, which keeps them outside the ban. Ring toss, cornhole and horseshoes are other popular, legal options.

Outside the US

Canada also banned the sale of pointed lawn darts. For a similar child-safety ban north of the border, see why Canada outlawed baby walkers in 2004, or browse our full list of products banned in the USA.