After cracking down on illegal fireworks last Fourth of July, with some residents being fined up to $300,000, Stanton has reduced those penalties for this year’s holiday but will keep drones in the sky to help with enforcement.
For decades, Stanton city leaders struggled to curb illegal fireworks, leading to the city implementing a Fourth of July drone program in 2025 that resulted in almost $1 million in citations – $1,000 per alleged violation.
This year, the city will continue with that drone program and issue illegal firework citations based on a tiered system. One to 10 illegal firework violations will result in a $2,500 fine, 11-20 violations at $5,000, and the highest fine for more than 20 violations will be capped at $10,000, all for violations within a one-year period.
Last April, the city approved a social host ordinance that made property owners legally responsible for any illegal firework activity that happens on their property.
Changes with the citation fees came after City Attorney HongDao Nguyen proposed an amendment to the social host ordinance during a March city council meeting.
“There were lessons learned from last year’s enforcement, and this proposed ordinance before the city council is meant to address those items,” Nguyen said during a March 24 city council meeting.
The amended ordinance passed through final approval during an April 14 meeting and will go into effect 30 days later.
“The city considered this very thoughtfully and the policy behind these fines for particularly dangerous fireworks but all fireworks violations, it’s not meant to be punitive, it’s meant to be a deterrent so that those individuals who would think or consider violating the city’s code would think twice about it,” Nguyen said.
Last year, city officials said that news of the original social host ordinance was disseminated through social media postings, flyers, and through the city’s newsletter. But several Stanton residents who received illegal fireworks citations in 2025 who spoke to the Orange County Register said they were not aware of the new ordinance.
The city will continue notifying residents of the amended ordinance using the methods it used last year and is also considering mailing notifications of the amended social host ordinance to each Stanton resident and each Stanton property owner – even those who don’t live in the city.