Gilroy, CA Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)

Chapter 10A of the Gilroy City Code lets only 'safe and sane' fireworks, as defined in Health and Safety Code § 12529, be sold in the city, and only during a five-day window each year: beginning 9:00 a.m. on July 1 and ending 10:00 p.m. on July 4 (§ 10A.1). No retailer may sell without a permit from the fire chief (§ 10A.2), and only a nonprofit, public agency, or public-agency-affiliated organization built around student or youth activities, with a permanent Gilroy meeting place, at least 20 members, and at least a year of local operation, may apply (§ 10A.5).

The city caps the market at sixteen permits a year, one per organization unless issued jointly, and each applicant must carry at least $2,000,000 in individual liability coverage and $5,000,000 aggregate naming the city as an additional insured. Stands themselves are regulated down to the footprint: no more than 400 square feet, no closer than 25 feet to a building or 100 feet to a gas pump, cleared of weeds for 50 feet around, staffed at all times by an adult, and limited to the same 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. sale window (§ 10A.7).

Anyone under 18 cannot sell, handle, or be paid for working the stand, and retailers cannot sell to a buyer under 18. Beyond the retail rules, § 10A.15 makes any property owner, tenant, or event host 'strictly liable' for illegal fireworks used on their property, the adjacent public street, or at their gathering, with administrative citations of $1,000 for a first violation and $2,000 for a second or later violation under § 10A.16, plus a public-safety cost-recovery fee of up to $500 per incident under § 10A.17.