Over 200 Citations Issued Countywide for Fireworks Violations

RIVERSIDE (CNS) - More than 200 citations were written and over 2,000
pounds of unlicensed pyrotechnics seized during the recent Fourth of July
weekend multi-agency fireworks enforcement campaign throughout Riverside
County, according to a report the Board of Supervisors will review today.
  

The Executive Office's ``After-Action Report,'' which will be part of
the board's consent agenda Tuesday, showed that, compared to the same period
last year, there was a 22% jump in the number of citations issued -- 212 this
past July 4 weekend, as opposed to 172 in 2025.
  

Those figures combine the aggregate citations handled by the county
Sheriff's, Fire and Code Enforcement departments.
  

The number of 911 fireworks-related calls for service and complaints
also rose -- 3,776 during the holiday weekend this year, compared to 3,696 last
year, according to the narrative.
  

Authorities confiscated 2,105 pounds of alleged illegal pyrotechnics
during operations earlier this month, a drop from last year, when 2,194 pounds
were seized over the same period, the report stated.
  

County fire personnel were sent to 69 fireworks-related blazes during
the most recent holiday weekend, a one-third drop from 2025, when they
responded to 102 fires, officials said.
  

``As a result of a robust public information campaign and enforcement
program, the safety of our communities was enhanced with the reduction of fire
risks associated with illegal fireworks,'' according to the Executive Office.
  

For the last five years, the board has implemented a ``You Light It,
We'll Write It'' countywide messaging campaign, utilizing digital and
traditional media sources to make the public aware of the potential perils and
consequences of igniting unlicensed pyrotechnics.
  

In April 2021, the county Office of County Counsel, in collaboration
with the Sheriff's Department and Cal Fire, drafted amendments to Ordinance No.
858 that augmented civil penalties for possession, transportation or ignition
of illegal fireworks, ranging between $1,000 and $5,000. The amount depends on
the number of violations within a 36-month period. The previous fines were
between $500 and $1,000.
  

The revisions also created liabilities for property owners who
knowingly permit someone to light unlicensed pyrotechnics.
  

The final provision of the revised ordinance granted the fire chief
authority to designate specific locations in unincorporated areas where so-
called ``safe and sane'' fireworks can be sold and ignited by residents. In
Blythe, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs and Indio, the devices -- such as
sparklers, fountains and snappers -- are permitted.

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