Politics & Government

City Of Long Beach:Long Beach City Council Approves New Fireworks Ordinance

Long Beach, CA - In an effort to bolster fireworks-related enforcement efforts throughout the city, the Long Beach City Council has unan ...

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Press release from the City of Long Beach:

6/11/2021

Under the emergency ordinance, effective immediately, any “Host,” which includes property owners, tenants, landlords, property managers or any person who organizes, supervises, officiates, conducts, controls or is otherwise in charge of the activity on a property, can be held liable for any response costs associated with illegal fireworks activity taking place in and around the property. The ordinance allows Fire Department, law enforcement, and code enforcement personnel to cite hosts without having to observe the illegal activity if sufficient evidence is provided.

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Additionally, Hosts, or anyone found to be in violation of Long Beach Municipal Code Chapter 8.81, will be issued the applicable penalties below: 

  • Administrative Penalty - In the amount of $1,000.
  • Disposal Fees - In the event fireworks are confiscated and have to be disposed of by the Fire Marshal, anyone found to be in violation will be required to pay a disposal fee of $250, in addition to the administrative penalty.
  • City Response Costs - In addition to other applicable penalties charged for the violation, those found to be in violation will be held liable to pay for the City’s actual costs incurred for the fireworks-related response, which could exceed $20,000 for very large responses involving multiple City departments.

    • On June 15, the City Council will consider increasing the penalty to include recovery costs for illegal fireworks citations. Currently, anyone cited or arrested for fireworks violations may be faced with a $1,000 fine, sentenced to jail for six months, or both.

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    All personal fireworks are prohibited in the City of Long Beach. Ongoing citywide enforcement of this ordinance can be expected in the weeks and days leading up to and including the Fourth of July weekend. 

    The Long Beach Fire Department and Police Department have been educating the community about the fireworks for many years. Since 2019, the City’s Celebrate Safely campaign has provided information, resources, and ongoing safety messaging for the Fourth of July holiday, in addition to several other holidays where illegal fireworks are often used in Long Beach. The campaign has since served as an ongoing platform to educate community members about the importance of participating in safe, family friendly activities. This year, the Celebrate Safely campaign has expanded its outreach efforts to include an expansive social media campaign, educational billboard signs, advertisements in print and digital media, community toolkits, participation at community meetings, and more.

    To learn about the many ways to report illegal firework activity in Long Beach, people may visit longbeach.gov/fireworks. In addition to submitting information directly to the Long Beach City Prosecutor or a Police Department patrol division, this year, people will also be able to report on the Go Long Beach app, available later this month.

    longbeach.gov/fireworks Long Beach City Prosecutor Go Long Beach app

    For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit http://longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

    http://longbeach.gov/

    This press release was produced by the City of Long Beach. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

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