Monterey County Code Chapter 10.68 prohibits all fireworks - including 'safe and sane' fireworks - in the unincorporated areas of the County. MCC 10.68.040 sets penalties. The ban extends to all coastal beaches, federal and state parks, and military installations. State-licensed public displays are the only exception.
Monterey County Code Chapter 10.68 (Fireworks) bans the sale, use, possession, or discharge of any fireworks, including those labeled 'safe and sane,' in the unincorporated areas of Monterey County. The prohibition applies countywide on all federal, state, and county lands, including the Big Sur coast, Carmel Valley, the Salinas Valley wildland areas, all beaches, and all county and state parks. Only fireworks displays conducted by a state-licensed pyrotechnician under permit from the local fire authority and the Monterey County Fire Marshal are allowed. CAL FIRE and the local Fire Authority (Cal Fire BEU and the Monterey County Regional Fire District) actively enforce during the Fourth of July and New Year's periods. Cities of Salinas, Greenfield, Soledad, King City, and Gonzales separately allow the sale and use of state-approved 'safe and sane' fireworks under their own municipal codes during specified dates - the unincorporated-area ban is independent of those city rules.
Per MCC 10.68.040 and Cal. Health & Safety Code section 12700 et seq., possession or use of dangerous (non-safe-and-sane) fireworks is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail and substantial fines. The County Board of Supervisors has also adopted civil administrative penalties up to $1,000 per violation for the use, sale, or possession of any fireworks in the unincorporated area.
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