Fireworks are illegal in Los Angeles. Every type, every season, every use. The ban covers the City of Los Angeles and the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, and it applies to possession, sale, and discharge, not just lighting the fuse. Basic criminal fines start at $1,000 and escalate sharply with the type and quantity involved.
What the Ban Covers
Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 57.5608.1.2 makes it unlawful to use, give, possess, sell, or discharge any fireworks inside city limits.1American Legal Publishing. Los Angeles Municipal Code – SEC. 57.5608.1.2. FIREWORKS The only exception is a permitted public display run by a patriotic, civic, or religious organization under a permit from the Fire Chief. There is no personal-use permit.
If you live outside city limits in an unincorporated pocket of the county, a separate rule applies but reaches the same result. Los Angeles County Fire Code Section 5601.1.3 prohibits the possession, manufacture, storage, sale, handling, and use of fireworks in unincorporated areas.2ICC Digital Codes. 2023 County of Los Angeles Fire Code – Section 5601.1.3 Fireworks
Safe and Sane Fireworks Are Not Legal Here
Some California cities allow “Safe and Sane” fireworks — ground-based items that carry the State Fire Marshal’s approval seal — during a narrow window around the Fourth of July. A handful of communities near Los Angeles do this. Los Angeles is not one of them.1American Legal Publishing. Los Angeles Municipal Code – SEC. 57.5608.1.2. FIREWORKS There is no seasonal exception and no carve-out for the approved category. Buying Safe and Sane fireworks legally in another city and carrying them into LA breaks the law the moment you cross the line.
Dangerous Fireworks Carry Steeper Penalties
California draws a hard line between Safe and Sane items and “dangerous fireworks,” and the penalty schedule reflects it. Under Health and Safety Code Section 12505, dangerous fireworks include firecrackers, skyrockets and any device that rises into the air with combustible or explosive material, roman candles, chasers that dart along the ground, sparklers longer than 10 inches or thicker than a quarter-inch, trick items designed to surprise the user, and fireworks kits.3California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 12505 The State Fire Marshal can also classify a firework as dangerous based on the chemicals it contains or its unsuitability for untrained users.
Criminal Fines and Jail Time
A general violation of the state fireworks law is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $1,000 to $2,000, up to one year in county jail, or both.4California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 12700 That’s the tier for lighting off Safe and Sane items where they’re banned or possessing consumer fireworks without a permit.
Possessing dangerous fireworks is punished on a weight schedule that includes packaging:4California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 12700
- Under 25 pounds is a misdemeanor with a $1,000 to $2,000 fine, up to one year in county jail, or both. A second conviction raises the minimum fine to $2,000.
- 25 to 100 pounds can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony, with a $2,000 to $10,000 fine and up to one year in county jail.
- 100 to 5,000 pounds can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony, with a $10,000 to $20,000 fine. A misdemeanor conviction carries up to one year in county jail; a felony carries 16 months, two years, or three years.
- Over 5,000 pounds carries a $20,000 to $100,000 fine, with the same jail or felony terms as the previous tier.
Felony terms come from Penal Code Section 1170(h). For the two heaviest tiers, the charging decision between misdemeanor and felony is up to the prosecutor and the court based on the circumstances.
Selling, giving, or delivering dangerous fireworks to anyone under 18 draws the same penalties as possessing them. A second conviction tacks on an additional $10,000 fine, and the court cannot grant probation or suspend the sentence.5California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 12702
Administrative Fines and Property Owner Exposure
The City of Los Angeles also issues administrative citations, which can land even when prosecutors don’t file criminal charges. A 2025 Los Angeles Police Commission report puts administrative fines at $1,000 to $2,000 for a first violation and at least $2,000 for subsequent ones.6City of Los Angeles. Los Angeles Police Commission Report These can be issued to property owners when someone else lit the fireworks on their property.
Civil liability rides on top of that. Anyone responsible for illegal fireworks can be sued for medical bills, property repairs, and fire suppression costs. When engines and crews respond to a brush fire, suppression costs alone can run into the tens of thousands.
Your Insurance Probably Won’t Help
Homeowners and renters policies typically exclude damage caused by illegal activity. If your fireworks start a fire that spreads to a neighbor’s property, expect the claim to be denied. The same goes for guest injuries at a backyard show: if a roman candle you provided costs someone their fingers, liability coverage likely won’t respond because the underlying conduct was illegal. Every dollar of damage, medical cost, and legal defense falls on you personally.
Reporting Illegal Fireworks
Where to call depends on the danger:
- For a fire, injury, or immediate danger, call 911.
- For a non-emergency report, call LAPD at 1-877-275-5273 or file through the MyLA311 app.7City of Los Angeles. MyLA311
- To report online, use the LAPD’s fireworks complaint form at complaint.lacity.org/fireworks.
Enforcement scales up around the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve, when LAPD and the Fire Department deploy units specifically to chase illegal fireworks.
The Legal Alternative
Permitted public displays are the only lawful way to see fireworks in LA. They’re run by pyrotechnic operators licensed by the State Fire Marshal and required to file fire safety plans and stage suppression equipment on site.8Office of the State Fire Marshal. Fireworks Public shows run at venues including the Rose Bowl, Hollywood Bowl, and Marina del Rey around major holidays, and many are free or bundled with general event admission.