Sunnyvale, CA Fire Regulations: Fireworks (2026)
Key Facts
- Rule
- All fireworks banned citywide
- Includes
- Possession, manufacture, storage, sale, handling, use
- Safe and Sane fireworks
- Not exempted, also prohibited
- Governing section
- SMC § 16.52.5601 (adopts IFC § 5601.1.3)
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor: up to $1,000 fine, 6 months jail
- Last amended
- Ordinance 3247-25, October 21, 2025
Summary
Sunnyvale outlaws fireworks entirely. Municipal Code Section 16.52.5601 declines to adopt Chapter 56 of the International Fire Code except for one clause it keeps specifically to ban fireworks: possessing, manufacturing, storing, selling, handling or using any firework, including Safe and Sane fireworks the State Fire Marshal authorizes elsewhere in California, is prohibited citywide. The rule was last reaffirmed by Ordinance 3247-25 on October 21, 2025.
Chapter 56 of the 2024 International Fire Code is not adopted with the exception of the following section: 5601.1.3 Fireworks. The possession, manufacture, storage, sale, handling, and use of fireworks, including those fireworks classified as Safe and Sane by the California State Fire Marshal, are prohibited.
Full Breakdown
52, the city's local Fire Code, which otherwise adopts the 2024 International Fire Code by reference. 3, rewritten to prohibit the possession, manufacture, storage, sale, handling, and use of fireworks. The ban names Safe and Sane fireworks, the state-approved category the California State Fire Marshal lets many other California cities sell around the Fourth of July, and prohibits those too, so there is no seasonal safe-and-sane retail window anywhere in Sunnyvale. 52; the only lawful fireworks activity is a professional public display licensed directly by the State Fire Marshal under state law outside city code.
The section has been amended repeatedly, most recently by Ordinance 3247-25 on October 21, 2025, and before that by Ordinance 3201-22, tracking each update to the underlying IFC edition the city adopts. Enforcement runs through the city's fire prevention division within the Department of Public Safety, which enforces the fire code citywide. 010.
Violations & Fines
Under Section 1.04.010(b)(7), Chapter 16.52 is expressly excluded from the code's infraction list, so a fireworks violation is a misdemeanor under Section 1.04.020(a): a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both, with each day a violation continues charged as a separate offense. Non-sworn public safety employees designated by the director of public safety may issue citations for these misdemeanors under Penal Code Section 836.5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy Safe and Sane fireworks in Sunnyvale?
What happens if I'm caught with fireworks in Sunnyvale?
Are professional fireworks displays allowed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sunnyvale
How Sunnyvale compares: Cities Where Fireworks Are Banned or Heavily Restricted·California rules heatmap·Compare Sunnyvale to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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Fireworks in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle fireworks.