California Legislature passes fireworks reforms after deadly Esparto explosion

California lawmakers voted unanimously Sunday to pass a bill seeking to shore up fireworks licensing and oversight after the deadly July 1, 2025, fireworks explosion in Esparto.

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The explosion, which involved more than a million pounds of fireworks, killed seven people and ignited a 78-acre wildfire.

Senate Bill 828 was introduced by state Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, D-West Sacramento, in response to loopholes and inconsistencies in fireworks regulations that the explosion uncovered.

“This bill exists because we owe it to the families of Esparto, and to every community across California living with the same risk, to make sure this never happens again,” Cabaldon said in a statement Monday. “Illegal and improperly stored fireworks have been showing up across our state at levels we’ve never seen before. SB 828 gives local fire officials the authority to find these operations early, before they turn into a tragedy.”

SB 828 would increase communication and information sharing among fireworks companies, local public safety agencies and the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the division of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection that oversees fireworks regulations.

The California Fire Chiefs Association and the Fire Districts Association of California said the bill “will better equip local fire agencies to identify potential hazards before they become emergencies,” according to a legislative staff analysis.

The bill requires applicants to provide local permits to Cal Fire. Current law does not require Cal Fire to verify companies have local permits, which led the state to issue fireworks licenses indicating the Esparto facility warehoused fireworks for years, even though the site did not have the appropriate local permits.

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Local authorities would then have the opportunity to validate the permits before a license is issued.

Cabaldon’s bill would also require Cal Fire to notify the local authorities when it approves a fireworks license in its jurisdiction. Fireworks companies also would have to notify Cal Fire and local authorities when they brought in shipments of fireworks, while local authorities would have to tell the state when a local permit was revoked or suspended.

The bill brings state fireworks licensing requirements in line with federal ones by expanding the list of criminal convictions that make applicants ineligible for fireworks licenses. Kenneth Chee, the CEO of the company at the center of the Esparto explosion, Devastating Pyrotechnics, has a criminal record that makes him ineligible for a federal explosives permit. Chee was eligible for state licenses because California law only bars people convicted of explosives, fireworks or arson-related felonies. An associate of Chee’s, Gary Chan, held Devastating Pyrotechnics’ federal permit. Both men now face numerous felony charges.

Local authorities would have to perform annual inspections of every fireworks facility in their jurisdiction if the bill passes. Cities and counties would be authorized to charge fees for the inspections under the bill.

The bill also increases the maximum penalties for violating local fireworks ordinances to $1,000 for a first offense, $2,000 for a second offense and $5,000 for each additional offense within five years of the first. Local authorities would be allowed to keep a larger share of those fines — the bill repeals the requirement that 65% of fireworks-related penalties be given to the Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Fireworks Enforcement and Disposal Fund.

According to a legislative analysis, the California Fire Chiefs Association and the Fire Districts Association of California said the bill “provides local agencies with additional enforcement tools and the authority to recover reasonable costs associated with administering and enforcing fireworks permits, helping ensure communities have the resources necessary to carry out these important public safety responsibilities.”

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The bill now awaits a signature from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

This story was originally published August 31, 2026 at 11:29 AM.