All fireworks — including sparklers and "safe and sane" varieties — remain illegal in Pasadena, and city officials are ramping up enforcement ahead of the Fourth of July weekend with the January 2025 Eaton fire still weighing on the community.

Interim City Manager Matthew E. Hawkesworth tied the ban directly to wildfire risk in the city's June 18 weekly newsletter, saying the danger "is ever present and in the forefront of residents' minds as they are still recovering from the Eaton Fire."

The Eaton fire ignited on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, in Eaton Canyon, killed at least 19 people, destroyed more than 9,400 structures, and caused an estimated $27.5 billion in damage across 14,021 acres before it was contained January 31, 2025. Much of the destruction hit Altadena and Pasadena's foothill neighborhoods.

Enforcement is already underway. On Monday, June 22, the City of Pasadena announced the seizure of approximately 10,000 pounds of illegal fireworks in Los Angeles County, a joint operation between the Pasadena Fire Department, Pasadena Police Department Street Crimes unit, and the LA County Sheriff's Department Bomb Squad.

Penalties are steep. Under Pasadena's municipal code, anyone who violates the fireworks ordinance faces arrest, vehicle impoundment, up to one year in county jail, and fines up to $50,000. Property owners and tenants can also be held responsible for fireworks activity on their property.

Pasadena police and firefighters will run special enforcement patrols before and during the holiday, and parking enforcement officers will impound vehicles illegally parked in hillside areas on Saturday, July 4.

The city is directing residents to the Rose Bowl drone show as a legal alternative to personal fireworks.

To report illegal fireworks, call the Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4241 or use the Pasadena CSC mobile app, available on Google Play and the App Store.