The Grover Beach City Council unanimously voted to adopt a new ordinance regulating illegal fireworks and will now hold property owners and tenants liable for any illegal firework activity on their property.
Grover Beach Police Commander Bryan Millard says the new “Social Host Ordinance” brings greater accountability to Grover Beach neighborhoods around the Fourth of July.
“Our policy intent, our enforcement intent is to make sure these administrative citations go to the person that is responsible for the property at the time of the violation, whether that be a renter, a lessor, or the property owner,” said Millard.
Millard says property owners who are renting out property are not likely to be held responsible for the illegal fireworks but the renter, at the time, would.
If the person responsible for the property violates the ordinance, they would be given a fine of $1,000 for each illegal firework violation.
65% of fines collected would be forwarded to the State Fire Marshal according to state law… the remainder would offset costs incurred by Grover Beach to enforce the ordinance.
The new law will go into effect June 27.
