Sacramento fined landlord $38,000 after tenant set off fireworks. Now he’s suing
A Sacramento landlord who got hit with a $38,000 fine for illegal fireworks is suing the city to try to stop its new firework fines.
Quincy Williams since 2023 has owned a house on Sandcastle Way in the city’s River Gardens neighborhood, near South Natomas.
For most of 2025, Williams lived in Oakland and rented it out to a tenant.
In September, Williams got a notice from the city fining him $38,607 for illegal firework use that occurred on July 4 — a date when Williams was in Oakland and the tenant was living there, the suit filed this month in Sacramento Superior Court alleged.
The city originally sent to notice to the Sandcastle Way house in July, and Williams did not receive it until September, after the 20-day appeal window had passed, the suit alleged.
Williams appealed the fine anyway, and the city denied the appeal because it was sent after the deadline, according to a document attached to the lawsuit.
The fine follows a June City Council vote to crack down on enforcement against illegal fireworks.
The city now charges $1,000 for a first device, $2,500 for a second device, and up to $5,000 for a third device and all others after, said Capt. Justin Sylvia, a Sacramento Fire Department spokesperson. It also charges $10,000 per device for setting them off at a park, parkway, school or critical infrastructure.
The lawsuit did not specify whether Williams’ fines included any of the $10,000 violations.
“I think there’s major problems not only with the rules, but also the extremely impossible administrative review process,” Williams’ attorney Christopher Fry said in an email. “I do believe there should be rules and penalties, but this law was hastily approved just a week before the holiday and needs serious rework if they are going to assess penalties in the tens of thousands! Pretty obscene.”
“Illegal fireworks have caused significant damage and distress in our city,” Fire Marshal Jason Lee said in a city blog post after the council approved the new fines. “The changes are aimed at reducing fires and improving public safety. With stronger penalties and expanded enforcement, we can better protect residents and hold violators accountable.”
The city declined comment on the suit because it has not yet been served with it, said Jennifer Singer, a city spokeswoman.
“What the statute is completely silent on is how it is even proven or confirmed that 1) the fireworks were set off at any specific property; 2) who set them off; and 3) how many alleged violations there were,” the suit alleges.
The suit alleges the ordinances violate the California Constitution, specifically the “due process and takings clauses.”
The suit asks for an injunction to prohibit the city from enforcing its new fireworks citation ordinance.
This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 2:01 PM.
