All fireworks - including state-approved 'Safe and Sane' fireworks and sparklers - are illegal everywhere in unincorporated Sonoma County. The ban traces to the catastrophic Tubbs (2017), Kincade (2019), and Glass/Walbridge (2020) fires; the Sheriff's Office and Permit Sonoma enforce it strictly on and around July 4. The only fireworks lawfully discharged in unincorporated areas are licensed public displays operated by a California state-licensed pyrotechnic operator with a permit from the Sonoma County Fire Marshal under California Health & Safety Code Section 12500 et seq.
Sonoma County Code Chapter 13 (Fire Safety Ordinance) and the State Fireworks Law (California Health & Safety Code Sections 12500-12728) together prohibit the sale, possession, use, storage, or discharge of any fireworks - 'Safe and Sane' or 'Dangerous' - in unincorporated Sonoma County. The Office of the State Fire Marshal classifies almost all consumer fireworks as 'Dangerous Fireworks' under Health & Safety Code Section 12505, and locally the County treats even sparklers, ground-spinners, and cone fountains as prohibited within its jurisdiction. Public fireworks displays may be permitted only when (1) the operator holds a current California State Fire Marshal pyrotechnic operator license, (2) a Sonoma County Fire Marshal display permit has been issued under Chapter 13, (3) site-specific safety plans, fall-out zones, and standby fire suppression are approved, and (4) no Red Flag warning is in effect. Most cities inside Sonoma County mirror or exceed the county ban: Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Petaluma, Healdsburg, Sebastopol, Cotati, Windsor, and Rohnert Park ban all consumer fireworks; Cloverdale historically allowed 'Safe and Sane' sales within city limits only. Possessing fireworks brought in from out of state is also a violation - California law makes possession unlawful regardless of where they were purchased.
Discharge or possession of fireworks in unincorporated Sonoma County is an infraction or misdemeanor under California Health & Safety Code Section 12700 and Sonoma County Code Chapter 13. The Sheriff and Fire Marshal may issue citations of $1,000 per violation under California Health & Safety Code Section 12557 for 'Dangerous Fireworks'; possession of 25 lbs or more is a felony. Hosts and property owners can be held responsible for fireworks discharged on their property even if they did not personally light them. If a fire results, the responsible party is liable for full suppression costs under Health & Safety Code Section 13009 - figures that ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for fires traced to fireworks during the 2017-2020 fire siege.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Sonoma County.
See how Petaluma's fireworks rules stack up against other locations.
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