All fireworks - including 'safe and sane' - are prohibited in the unincorporated areas of Yolo County. The countywide ban dates from a 2001 ordinance and was amended in June 2025 to raise the fine for a first violation from $100 to $1,000 per firework and to clarify that the ban applies in unincorporated Yolo. The county also bans safe-and-sane fireworks in Cal Fire High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Safe-and-sane sale is limited to the noon-June-28 to midnight-July-4 window in cities that permit it; Davis bans them entirely.
Yolo County's fireworks ordinance is one of the strictest in the Sacramento Valley. The Board of Supervisors first enacted a fireworks prohibition in 2001 banning fireworks businesses anywhere in the county, and in June 2025 unanimously adopted the first major amendment in nearly 25 years. The 2025 amendment (1) clarified that the ordinance applies in the unincorporated areas of the county, (2) raised the penalty for a first violation from $100 to $1,000 per firework, and (3) banned even state-approved 'safe and sane' fireworks in fire-risk zones designated High and Very High by Cal Fire. Within incorporated Yolo County cities, safe-and-sane sale and use is allowed only in jurisdictions that have elected to permit it, and only between noon on June 28 and midnight on July 4. The City of Davis bans all fireworks (including safe and sane) within city limits. The 2025 amendments followed a deadly July 2025 fireworks-warehouse explosion in Esparto that drew sharp criticism in a 2026 Grand Jury report. Illegal fireworks remain prohibited statewide under California Health and Safety Code Section 12500 et seq.
Use, possession, sale, or transport of fireworks in the unincorporated areas is subject to a $1,000 per-firework administrative fine under the 2025 amendments. Illegal fireworks (anything not bearing the State Fire Marshal's 'Safe and Sane' seal) can additionally trigger misdemeanor charges under California Health & Safety Code Sec. 12500 et seq., with separate criminal penalties of up to one year in county jail and significant fines. Civil liability for any resulting fire damage is also available to the county under Health & Safety Code Sec. 13009.
Yolo County, CA
Barking and animal-noise complaints in Yolo County are handled by Yolo County Animal Services (operated through the Yolo County Sheriff's Office), which serv...
Yolo County, CA
Yolo County regulates construction by decibel level rather than a strict time-of-day ban. Under the Zoning Code noise standard, construction noise may not ex...
Yolo County, CA
Yolo County does not impose a single countywide curfew on all noise. Instead, the Yolo County Zoning Code uses a noise standard (Sec. 10-8.416, formerly Sec....
Yolo County, CA
Yolo County enforces abandoned-vehicle rules through California Vehicle Code Sections 22523 (prohibition on abandoning), 22651 (impound authority), and 22658...
Yolo County, CA
Yolo County regulates the parking and storage of recreational vehicles, boats, and trailers on residential property under the Zoning Code, principally Sec. 8...
Yolo County, CA
Yolo County is in the heart of California's almond, sunflower, and seed-crop belt and is a major beekeeping county. State law (California Food & Agricultural...
See how Yolo County's fireworks rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.