Irvine, CA Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)

Irvine Municipal Code Section 4-4-113 authorizes the Fire Chief or Director of Public Safety to seize, take, or remove, at the owner's expense, every stock of fireworks offered or exposed for sale and any fireworks stored or held in violation of the City Code, defining "fireworks" the same way the California Fire Code defines the term. Originally adopted by Ordinance No. 93-5 in 1993, the section gives Irvine's Fire and Public Safety Departments direct confiscation authority over illegal fireworks anywhere in the city, at a retail location or in private storage, without waiting on a criminal conviction.

Because the seizure trigger is tied to the CFC definition of "fireworks," it reaches the same categories the State Fire Marshal treats as dangerous, closing the door on backyard use even where neighboring cities allow "safe and sane" retail sales. For organized pyrotechnic displays, Irvine's local amendments to California Fire Code Chapter 56, adopted November 12, 2025 by Ordinance No. 25-26, add two operator-facing requirements. 2 mandates that every fireworks display, regardless of mortar, device, or shell size, be electrically fired rather than hand-lit. 3 requires the applicant to submit a diagram of the display grounds to the Orange County Fire Authority showing the discharge point, the calculated fallout area (100 feet of radius per inch of shell size), nearby buildings, roads and travel routes, the spectator restraint line, and any trees or overhead utility lines. OCFA reviews and must approve this plan before a display permit issues.