San Francisco moves to let police cite illegal fireworks users

San Francisco is trying to turn its long-standing fireworks ban into something officers can actually enforce before the Fourth of July rush hits the city’s neighborhoods. Supervisor Alan Wong joined Police Chief Derrick Lew and Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson in backing legislation that would let police cite people who set off illegal fireworks, closing a gap that has frustrated residents and first responders for years.

Under the proposal, a first offense would be treated as an infraction carrying a fine of $125 to $250. A second offense within five years would rise to a misdemeanor. The change matters because, under current rules, fireworks are already illegal in San Francisco, but officers responding to complaints have often lacked a citation tool that sticks when they find someone in the act.

That gap has played out most sharply in places like the Mission District, where resident Richard Segovia said the explosions often begin around 7 p.m. and continue for hours. He said the noise leaves neighbors fearful that sparks could land on rooftops and trigger a fast-moving fire in a dense block of homes. In a city where apartment buildings sit close together and summer nights can be dry, that worry is more than a nuisance complaint.

Police Chief Derrick Lew said the department needs better tools if it is going to deter repeat offenders and track whether someone has already been cited. The numbers suggest the stakes are real. San Francisco Fire Department records show more than 3,800 fireworks-related calls around the 2025 Fourth of July period, and the department says fireworks caused more than $591,000 in property damage between 2018 and 2023.

The proposed crackdown builds on a broader push from city oversight and public-safety officials. A San Francisco Civil Grand Jury report published May 28, 2024, warned that illegal fireworks traumatize pets, children, autistic residents, dementia patients, veterans and others with PTSD, and wildlife. It also said fireworks can cause injuries ranging from permanent burn scars and hearing loss to death, and urged the city to create an Illegal Fireworks Working Group led by the Department of Emergency Management.

Mayor London Breed’s July 26, 2024 response rejected that new working group, saying city departments were already coordinating and that more reporting could be counterproductive. At the same time, the city has continued to tell residents to use 3-1-1 if they can provide an exact location, and 9-1-1 only for life-safety emergencies. San Francisco’s legal waterfront fireworks show is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. on July 4, while the city’s Emergency Operations Center is activated around the holiday to coordinate resources.