O 588
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ORDINANCE NO. 588
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARROYO
GRAN AMENDING CHAPTER 8.08 OF THE ARROYO GRANDE
MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO THE USE AND SALE OF
FIREWORKS
WHEREAS, Arroyo Grande Municipal Code Chapter 8.08 regulates the sale and use of
"safe and sane" fireworks and establishes a process for issuance of necessary permits;
and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that it is in the best interest of the City and its
residents to re-codify Chapter 8.08 and modify the firework stand permit issuance
process.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Arroyo
Grande, as follows:
SECTION 1. The above recitals and finds are true, correct, and incorporated herein.
SECTION 2. Arroyo Grande Municipal Code Chapter 8.08 is hereby repealed and
replaced in its entirety as follows:
Chapter 8.08 FIREWORKS
8.08.010. Title 19 of the California Code of Regulations.
Storage, use, retail sales and handling of fireworks shall be in accordance with Title 19
of the California Code of Regulations and this section.
8.08.020. Amendment to Fire Code.
Uniform Fire Code Article 78 is amended to add the following provisions regarding the
sale and use of Fireworks, Class C ("Safe and Sane").
8.08.030. Sale.
No person shall sell or offer for sale any fireworks within the city except in a temporary
stand or structure used specifically for the display and sale of fireworks operated and
maintained by a recognized charitable, civic or patriotic group or organization with the
permit of the Director of Building and Fire.
8.08.040. Permits: Applications.
All applicants for a permit to sell fireworks shall:
A. Submit a written eligibility application to sell fireworks on a form provided by the
City.
B. Applications for eligibility shall be accepted by the Department of Building and
Fire between March 1st and April 15th and shall state the name of the applicant, the
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PAGE 2
name of the organization, its address, the president or head of the organization, and a
complete account of the proposed disposition of all gross receipts of fireworks to be sold
at the proposed stand. Failure of such account to show that at least fifty percent of the
net profits from the sale of fireworks will be expended for the benefit of the City or its
residents shall cause such application to be denied.
C. No organization may receive more than one permit to sell fireworks sale during
anyone calendar year. One permit may be issued to two or more qualifying applicants
as a joint venture.
D. The maximum number of permits shall be based on one (1) permit per each
3,000 residents of the City or fraction thereof, based on the official City census. Should
the number of applications exceed the number of available permits, an initial drawing
shall be conducted by the City Clerk and all applicants shall be placed on an eligibility
list in the order drawn. Permits shall be issued to applicants in the order of the list and
the eligibility list shall be maintained by the Department of Building and Fire on an
ongoing basis and made available to the public. In any year succeeding the initial
drawing, permits shall be issued to applicants in order of the list beginning with the first
applicant after the last applicant issued a permit the prior year. Applicants filing an
application that are not on the existing list will be placed at the end of the list at the time
the application is filed.
E. On an annual basis, eligible applicants shall be those on the list equal to the
number of available permits beginning at the start of the list and working downward. If
an applicant withdraws their application, the next succeeding applicant on the list shall
be deemed eligible. Eligible applicants shall file a fireworks stand permit application
with the Department of Building and Fire between March 1stand April 151h of the year for
which the permit is requested and shall state the name of the applicant, the name of the
organization, its address, president or head of the organization, the location of the
proposed stand, the names of the persons who will actually staff the stand on behalf of
the applicant and a complete account of the proposed disposition of all gross receipts of
fireworks to be sold at the proposed stand for that year.
F. Each applicant must include a "Letter of Agreement" signed by the property
owner or their authorized agent permitting the organization to erect a fireworks stand on
the owner's property. Failure to do so shall cause such application to be denied.
G. Applicants that are issued a permit are required to file with the City a "Fireworks
Stand Financial Statement" form, which is due by October 3151 of the calendar year in
which the permit is issued. On this form each applicant must certify that at least fifty
percent of the prior year's net profits from the sale of fireworks were expended for the
benefit of the City and its residents. Failure to so certify prior to submitting a fireworks
stand permit application shall cause such renewal application to be denied.
H. If any applications from eligible applicants are either denied or not received by
April 15th, the next applicant(s) on the list shall be deemed eligible. The City shall
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PAGE 3
attempt to provide notice to the applicant; however, it shall be the absolute duty of the
applicant to stay apprised of its position on the list. Such eligible applicants shall file an
application for a permit with the Department of Building and Fire no later than May 15th.
I. Each applicant organization must have its principal general membership and/or
governing board meeting place within the corporate limits of the City of Arroyo Grande
and must have been established within the City for a minimum of two years
continuously preceding the filing of the application for permit and must have a bona fide
membership of at least fifteen (15) members.
J. Insurance: The City Council shall, by resolution, establish appropriate insurance
requirements and conditions related to the sale of fireworks.
K. No permit shall be issued unless the applicant organization represents to the City
that all aspects of the sale of fireworks, including the application for all necessary
permits, will be conducted by a member of the applicant organization. All application
fees shall be paid by the applicant organization. Such fees shall not be paid by any
other affiliated organization, including a seller, distributor, or vendor of fireworks.
Applicants will neither hire nor use independent contractors or other persons who are
not members of the organization in connection with any aspect of the sale of fireworks.
Only members of the applicant organization shall staff the fireworks stand, except
spouses, parents and children or members who are eighteen years of age or older, may
also staff such stand, subject to the provisions of this paragraph. All members of the
organization must have a valid identification, which verifies that such person is a valid
member of the organization, on their person or inside the fireworks stand.
Organizational membership records for fireworks stand workers should also be retained
in the stand for reference.
L. Permit Fees and Conditions. The City Council shall, by resolution, establish
appropriate fees and conditions related to the sale of fireworks.
8.08.050. Meeting.
There shall be a meeting the first Monday of June at 7:30 p.m. of every year. This
meeting is mandatory for the representatives of the permittee organizations. Safety
practices, legal issues and explanation of the laws, rules and regulations will be
discussed. At this meeting, the applications, certificates of insurance and letters of
permission will be submitted and the permits issued. Wholesale distributors, or their
bona fide agents, shall also be present at this meeting.
8.08.060. Fireworks Stands: Construction and Placement.
A. Retail sales of fireworks shall be made only from temporary fireworks stands.
Sale of fireworks from any other building or structure is prohibited. Temporary stands
will be subject to the following provisions:
B. No fireworks stands shall be located within 50 feet of any other building, within
100 feet of a gasoline or other type of flammable fuel pump or storage area, within 500
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PAGE 4
feet of another fireworks stand or less than 1/8 of a mile from the City's boundary with
another jurisdiction.
C. All fireworks stands shall be erected or constructed on commercial or industrial-
zoned property. No fireworks stands will be constructed or erected on residential
property.
D. Fireworks stands need not comply with the Building Code of the City. Stands
requiring electrical service shall be required to obtain an electrical permit from the
Building and Life Safety Division. Stands shall be constructed or erected in a manner
that will reasonably ensure the safety of attendants and patrons. The stands shall be
subject to inspection by representatives of the Department of Building and Fire at any
time.
E. Each stand shall have a minimum of two marked exits or as otherwise directed by
the Director of Building and Fire.
F. Each stand shall have a minimum of 2 fire extinguishers of a type designated by
the Director of Building and Fire.
8.08.070. Sales.
Fireworks stands shall comply with the following requirements related to sales:
A. Fireworks shall not be sold prior to 9 a.m. on the first day of July and such sales
shall cease at 9 p.m. on July 4th. Sales during this time period will be limited to 9 a.m. to
9 p.m. each day. Any permittee failing to observe these hours designated for sale may
have their permit revoked or be ineligible for a permit in subsequent years.
B. Sales to individuals under the age of 18 is prohibited. The permittee shall require
that each person who purchases fireworks produce identification proving that such
person is 18 years of age or older.
C. Each person who purchases fireworks must be provided with handouts that
contain information related to where "Safe and Sane Fireworks" can legally be
discharged and the associated hazards. The contents of this document will be reviewed
and approved by the Director of Building and Fire.
8.08.080. Fireworks Stands. General Requirements.
A. Each stand shall provide temporary sanitary facilities or obtain permission to use
either private or public facilities during the hours of operation. Proof of sanitation
facilities shall be documented in written form.
B. All weeds, trash, and debris shall be cleared for a distance of at least twenty-five
(25) feet surrounding the fireworks stand.
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PAGE 5
C. Doors of the stand shall not be locked on the outside of the door while anyone is
inside the stand. The door may be latched in such a manner that will not cause any
undue delay to anyone exiting in an emergency.
D. An aisle or passageway in the fireworks stand will be kept clear and unobstructed
so as not to impede anyone leaving the stand in an emergency.
E. The use of electrical or fuel operated heaters in the fireworks stand is prohibited.
F. The temporary fireworks stand will be dismantled and removed from its location
not later than the Sunday of the weekend following the 5th of July of each year. It shall
be the responsibility of the permittee to remove the stand. If the removal of the stand is
not accomplished by this deadline, the City of Arroyo Grande may remove and store it
at permittees' cost and expense until it is redeemed by the payment of appropriate fees
and interest thereon. In addition, the permittee failing to meet this deadline will be
ineligible for a permit the following year.
G. Each stand shall have adequate temporary parking acceptable to the Director of
the Department of Building and Fire.
8.08.090. Delivery.
A. The wholesale distributors will make all deliveries and end of sale season pick-
ups. Excess storage of fireworks will not be permitted.
B. All fireworks shall be removed from sales stand by 9 a.m. July 5th.
8.08.100. Public Discharge.
Discharge of "Safe and Sane Fireworks" shall be in legally permitted locations on the
4th of July from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. No person under eighteen (18) years of age may
possess or discharge "Safe and Sane Fireworks" except when under the direct
supervision of a person twenty-one (21) years of age or older.
8.08.110. Violations.
Persons violating any provIsions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a
misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not to exceed
one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by imprisonment in the County jail for a period not to
exceed six (6) months or by both such fine and imprisonment. Any violations of these
provisions shall constitute a separate offense for each and every day during which such
violation is committed or continued.
SECTION 3: If any section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, or clause of this
Ordinance or any part thereof is for any reason held to be unlawful, such decision shall not
affect the validity of the remaining portion of this Ordinance or any part thereof. The City
Council hereby declares that it would have passed each section, subsection, subdivision,
paragraph, sentence, or clause thereof, irrespective of the fact that anyone or more
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PAGE 6
section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, or clause be declared
unconstitutional.
SECTION 4: A summary of this Ordinance shall be published in a newspaper published
and circulated in the City of Arroyo Grande at least five (5) days prior to the City Council
meeting at which the proposed Ordinance is to be adopted. A certified copy of the full
text of the proposed Ordinance shall be posted in the office of the Director of
Administrative Services/City Clerk. Within fifteen (15) days after adoption of the
Ordinance, the summary with the names of those City Council Members voting for and
against the Ordinance shall be published again, and the Director of Administrative
Services/City Clerk shall post a certified copy of the full text of such adopted Ordinance.
SECTION 5: This Ordinance shall take effect thirty (30) days after its adoption.
On motion by Council Member Fellows, seconded by Council Member Costello, and by
the following roll call vote, to wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Council Members Fellows, Costello, Guthrie, Arnold and Mayor Ferrara
None
None
the foregoing Ordinance was adopted this 8th day of May, 2007.
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PAGE 7
TONY FER AYOR
ATTEST:
APPROVED AS TO CONTENT:
STEi:~s;criy MANAGER
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
TI
OFFICIAL CERTIFICATION
I, KELLY WETMORE, City Clerk of the City of Arroyo Grande, County of San
Luis Obispo, State of California, do hereby certify under penalty of perjury, that
the attached is a true, full, and correct copy of Ordinance No. 588 which was
introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council on April 24, 2007; was passed
and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council/Redevelopment Agency of
the City of Arroyo Grande on the 8th day of May 2007; and was duly published in
accordance with State law (G.C. 40806).
WITNESS my hand and the Seal of the City of Arroyo Grande affixed this 9th day
of May 2007.
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RE, CITY CLERK