The start of 2025 marks the start of some new laws in Minnesota. One of the new laws that will be going into effect has to deal with what type of lightbulb you'll be able to find in stores. So if you like to use these styles of lightbulbs, now is the time to stock up, as come January 1st, you won't be finding them on Minnesota shelves.

The lightbulbs that won't be allowed for sale in Minnesota all deal with the element mercury. The soon-to-be-banned lightbulbs all have mercury as part of the bulb, making it hazardous to throw away in the trash can. Here are the banned types of bulbs in Minnesota, come January 1st, 2025.

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• Screw-type base compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs)
• Bayonet-type base CFLs
• Mercury vapor lamps
• Mercury vapor lamp ballasts

The two most familiar to the 'normal' lightbulb consumer are the first two listed. The screw-type compact fluorescent are those funky-looking twisty bulbs that were popular several years ago. The other bulb type, the bayonet-type bulbs, are those bulbs you see in the overhead lights are work or school. They've got those little nubs that slide into the light ballast, making it possible to turn on the light.

Am I breaking the law by having these bulbs after Jan 1?

So does that mean if you've got a lamp or light with that type of bulb in it you are breaking the law? No. It just means you might need to find a different light/lamp in the future.

In 2026, Minnesota is poised to stop selling the lamps that take those lightbulbs.