Illegal fireworks citations drop in SLO County beach city for Fourth of July
Fourth of July weekend came and went without major firework-related incidents in Grover Beach this year.
According to a post on X from the Grover Beach Police Department, officers issued 10 citations for illegal fireworks calls throughout Fourth of July evening.
“Overall, officers reported a decline in the use of illegal firework from prior years,” the post read. “We are also seeing similar reporting by Grover Beach residents on social media.”
Last year, the Grover Beach Police Department issued a dozen citations for fireworks violations under the city’s “social hosts” ordinance passed in May last year, facing stiff fines of $1,000 fine per illegal firework set off.
In 2025, those fees totaled north of $125,000, with some individual fees reaching $30,000 by the end of the year. Many of those citations went unpaid; three paid in full on time, another five made partial payments and another was dismissed by an appeal, leaving the city with $128,000 in unpaid fines as of the end of the year.
In response, the City Council voted to tweak the city’s fines by removing the provision that each violation incurred an extra $1,000 fine, opting for a tiered fine structure:
- $1,000 fine for one to 10 fireworks violations
- $3,000 for 11 to 20 fireworks violations
- $5,000 for more than 20 fireworks violations
It’s unclear exactly how much this year’s 10 fine recipients will end up paying.
