Santa Barbara County, CA Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)

California Health and Safety Code Section 12500 et seq. (the State Fireworks Law) lets each city or county decide whether to permit 'Safe and Sane' state-approved fireworks. Santa Barbara County has elected to PROHIBIT all fireworks in the unincorporated area under County Code Chapter 15 (Fire Prevention) and the locally adopted California Fire Code, and the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria, Buellton, and Solvang have separately adopted full bans within their city limits. Only the cities of Santa Maria, Lompoc, and Guadalupe in north Santa Barbara County allow 'Safe and Sane' fireworks, and only when (1) the fireworks are State Fire Marshal-approved (bearing the State Fire Marshal seal), (2) purchased from a licensed stand operated inside that city, (3) used within the city limits, and (4) discharged during the specific dates and hours each city sets each year (typically late June through 10 p.m. or midnight on July 4). 'Dangerous fireworks' - bottle rockets, Roman candles, firecrackers, M-80s, mortars, sky lanterns, aerial shells, sparklers larger than 10 inches, and any device that explodes or leaves the ground - are illegal everywhere in California under State law and cannot be sold or used in ANY part of Santa Barbara County. Penalties include misdemeanor citation with fines up to $2,000, civil cost-recovery for wildfire suppression under California Health and Safety Code Section 13009 (a person whose negligence causes a fire is liable for the full cost of fighting it), and seizure of fireworks. Santa Barbara County Fire Department, CAL FIRE Los Padres National Forest cooperators, and the Sheriff conduct joint patrols and pre-July 4 sweeps; tips can be reported through the County Fire Department's fireworks tip line. The County also enforces a 'social-host' approach: the person who allows fireworks to be discharged on their property, even by guests, can be cited.