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Hanford advances tougher illegal‑fireworks ordinance to second reading
Summary
Council waived first reading and moved ordinance 25‑11 to second reading after fire and legal staff proposed language to permit stacked administrative citations (one citation per dangerous device) and use drone evidence; adoption will follow a constitutional review and a vote at a subsequent meeting.
Hanford — The City Council on Dec. 2 voted to advance an ordinance that would make possession, storage, sale and use of illegal fireworks subject to separate administrative citations for each illegal device.
Fire Chief Perkins told council the city’s "It's Not Worth It" campaign aims to reduce illegal fireworks by making violations financially punitive: the proposed municipal‑code change treats each dangerous device or separate violation as an individual offense that can carry its own fine. The amendment also contemplates using drone video as evidence for hearing officers and consolidating enforcement under a hearing‑officer system rather than bringing each citation to council.
“Without this wording, the campaign doesn’t change behavior,” Chief Perkins said, urging the council to adopt the code change that underpins the enforcement approach.
Council members praised the two‑year interdepartmental process behind the language and emphasized public‑safety concerns — littering emergency resources, risks to animals and people with PTSD — that motivated a more aggressive approach. The council voted to waive the first reading and pass ordinance 25‑11 to a second reading; staff will return with an administrative‑fine schedule and the legal analysis needed to ensure the fines are constitutionally sound.
City staff said final adoption would take effect 30 days after the ordinance is adopted, and that the administrative fine schedule will follow a legal review to ensure defensibility.
