Overview

• Fire Marshal Jason Lee’s 10-team unit has patrolled neighborhoods since July 2, using drones and resident reports to locate and record illegal fireworks in real time.
• A tiered fine structure imposes penalties of $1,000 for a first offense, $2,500 for a second, $5,000 for each subsequent violation and $10,000 for displays near schools or parks.
• By July 5, at least 60 citations were under review across Sacramento and neighboring agencies, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential fines.
• On July 3–4 alone, crews documented two properties that discharged a combined ten fireworks, resulting in more than $35,000 in fines.
• Revenues from illegal fireworks citations are earmarked to offset enforcement operations and the surge in emergency response costs experienced during the holiday weekend.