Residents drop off illegal fireworks, consequence-free, at Elk Grove amnesty event
The city of Elk Grove gave its residents and nearby neighbors a chance to safely dispose of illegal fireworks this weekend without consequence.
Pounds of fireworks were dropped off at Cosumnes Fire Station 71 on Saturday morning through early afternoon during the city’s Fireworks Amnesty Event.
The illegal fireworks came by the dozens, whether in bags or boxes, including aerial fireworks on sticks, cylinder-shaped explosives by Liberty Artillery and a 90-shot explosion called “The Great War.”
The event, hosted by the Cosumnes Fire Department, Elk Grove code enforcement personnel and the Elk Grove Police Department, is to help reduce the fire risk and allow people to remove illegal fireworks from neighborhoods ahead of July 4.
“We’re trying to get ahead of the Fourth of July and weeks leading up to the Fourth of July,” Cosumnes Fire Department fire inspector Reuben Burton said. “We have a lot of fires, a lot of structure fires, a lot of grass fires and a lot of medical emergencies due to illegal fireworks.”
Burton warned that illegal fireworks can cause fires and bodily injuries, and lead to fines and even jail time.
“Illegal fireworks come from out of state most times, and, or they’re homemade and so they’re unstable,” Burton said. “So we’re trying to get ahead of that, ahead of the Fourth of July days leading up to and days afterwards, by giving people a place to drop off their fireworks. No questions asked.”
Which fireworks are illegal? Which are legal?
Aerial fireworks are considered illegal, the fire inspector said.
Burton warned residents to “stay away from anything that leaves the ground”.
“Those are the issues that we have,” he said. “So anything that is in a tube, that shoots fireworks in the air, that’s our biggest problem. … all the stuff that leaves the ground and goes into the air, and we have no idea where it goes, but it lands somewhere, usually in somebody’s yard, which again, can cause fire or injury.”
Fireworks that are purchased at legal stands are permitted.
“We have no problem with safe and sane fireworks, sparklers, anything like that,” Burton said.
How can I turn in my illegal fireworks without consequence?
Burton said that fire officials are only hosting a singular event that ends at 3 p.m. However, residents can continue to drop off their illegal fireworks at Station 71, 8760 Elk Grove Blvd. in Elk Grove, or any Cosumnes Fire station.
The fire stations will only accept illegal fireworks in commercial packaging.
Items they will not accept include: gunpowder, fire flares, grenades, shotgun shells, or anything homemade or in brown wrapping.
What happens if I’m caught with illegal fireworks?
Burton said there will be authorities from Elk Grove code enforcement and police out all-day on July 4 looking for illegal fireworks.
The city adopted an ordinance last year that would allow the city to issue $1,000 citations, per firework, to residents.
Elk Grove code enforcement manager Jose Mendez said last year the city issued over $250,000 in citations, including one person who was issued a $100,000 citation.
Mendez said the police will continue their use of drones to patrol neighborhoods potentially using illegal fireworks. This year, they plan to increase to three drones, up from one drone last year, he said.
“We’re going to be out there in full force,” Mendez said. “The other thing to note is that there’s a host liability component. That means, if you’re hosting an event and someone in your party sets up the fireworks, and we can tie that person to your property, you’re going to get the citation, not that person that set off the fireworks.”
Mendez said the firework amnesty event is an opportunity for “voluntary compliance.”
“Ultimately, we do this because we know we’re going to be pretty aggressive with our enforcement,” he said. “We don’t want to cite people. We don’t. That’s not our intent to issue citations. It’s voluntary compliance so that we can help have a peaceful Fourth of July. This is an opportunity for them to come and bring things to us in lieu of getting citations.”
This story was originally published June 21, 2025 at 1:18 PM.
