Elk Grove hands out $300K in fines for illegal July 4 fireworks in crackdown
Elk Grove has handed down $330,000 in fines during its crackdown on illegal Fourth of July fireworks during the holiday, city and police officials announced.
Elk Grove authorities rolled out the figures in an enforcement recap posted to the city’s Facebook page.
The Police Department cited 41 properties for illegal fireworks violations on July 4 and sent three of its drones into the skies above the city on 37 flights to spot sites where people were launching illegal pyrotechnics, city officials said.
On the streets, Elk Grove code enforcement officers patrolled neighborhoods to identify illegal activity, officials said.
Elk Grove’s Real-Time Information Network, which operates Elk Grove Police Department’s city-wide camera network, along with the department’s fleet of unmanned drones, worked with patrol officers assigned to illegal fireworks calls.
The city of Elk Grove adopted a firework ordinance in 2024, granting it authority to issue citations of $1,000 per illegal firework to residents.
Elk Grove officials in June said the city issued more than $250,000 in citations during the Independence Day holiday in 2024, including a single $100,000 citation for illegal fireworks, The Bee reported.
The city of Elk Grove held a fireworks amnesty event in late June ahead of the Fourth of July. Residents dropped off illegal fireworks without penalty to mitigate fire risk and safely dispose of the materials.
Elk Grove began its campaign to go after people possessing and setting off illegal fireworks in 2021. The city that year launched an app for residents to report suspected activity as part of the joint effort between Elk Grove Police Department, city code enforcement officers and the Cosumnes Community Service District Fire Department, which provides fire services for the city.
.JPG)