Only State Fire Marshal-approved 'Safe and Sane' fireworks may be sold or used in unincorporated Kern County, and they are entirely prohibited within the Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Area (mountain communities like Lake Isabella, Kern River Valley, Frazier Park, and Tehachapi).
Kern County Ordinance Code § 17.32.094 adds California Fire Code Sections 5608.2 through 5608.6 to regulate 'Safe and Sane' fireworks as defined in California Code of Regulations, Title 19 and Health & Safety Code § 12529. Fireworks may be sold, possessed, and used in unincorporated Kern County only with a permit issued by the Kern County Fire Department Fire Prevention Office, and only by nonprofit, veterans, religious, charitable, or civic-betterment organizations that have been established in the county for at least one year. Retail sales are allowed only from a permitted fireworks stand; permit applications must be filed between 8:00 a.m. on March 1 and 5:00 p.m. on May 15 each year. Use of any fireworks—including 'Safe and Sane' products—is prohibited within the Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Area, which the Kern County Fire Department applies to Lake Isabella, the Kern River Valley, Frazier Park, and Tehachapi areas. Possession or discharge of any firework lacking the California State Fire Marshal 'Safe and Sane' seal is illegal under state law.
KCFD enforces a 'You Light It, We Write It' zero-tolerance policy. Illegal fireworks or modified Safe-and-Sane fireworks carry a $1,500 administrative fine for the first violation, $2,000 for a second, and $2,500 for a third within the same year. Using even legal Safe-and-Sane fireworks outside the permitted hours also draws a $1,500 citation. Property owners can be cited for fireworks discharged on their property even if they did not light them.
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