Fourth of July revelers, beware -- without a permit, it's illegal to have so much as a sparkler in San Diego County.

And to get a permit to sell, purchase, possess or light fireworks of any kind in the county, you have to be a pyrotechnic professional, such as those who put on displays for cities and amusement parks.

"We're in a high fire area," said Sgt. Ver Dayrit of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department bomb squad. "It'd be pretty irresponsible for people to be cranking out fireworks here."

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But not every place in California is as strict as San Diego County and its cities.

Each year, the state's fire code allows cities and counties to permit personal purchases of what it calls "safe and sane" fireworks from noon on June 28 until noon on July 6.

Typically, safe and sane fireworks are fireworks that don't explode, shoot into the air or move uncontrollably on the ground, state officials said. All safe and sane fireworks, which include sparklers, must have the seal of the state fire marshal on them.

In Riverside County, safe and sane fireworks are sold -- and can be set off -- in Coachella, Indio, Cathedral City and Blythe, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. About five cities in Orange County have allowed personal fireworks sales in recent years, and nearly 40 in Los Angeles County allowed fireworks in 2008.

In San Diego County, Matthew Robnett, 15, of San Marcos said he and his friends learned about the San Diego County fireworks bans from teachers at school. He said he has never set off any fireworks because he hasn't had the opportunity here.

"I would like to do it, though," he said.

Matthew and other fireworks enthusiasts need to know that buying fireworks where they are sold legally and then bringing them to a place where they are banned isn't an option, officials said.

About 75,000 pounds of fireworks were confiscated in California in 2008, said Dan Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

In serious cases, the penalty for illegal fireworks possession or sales can be thousands of dollars in fines or up to a year in jail, Berlant said.

Dayrit said many fireworks are confiscated from people crossing the border from Mexico into San Diego County.

The fact that fireworks aren't for sale anywhere in the county should be a clue that they aren't allowed, he said.

Sparklers and bottle rockets are banned fireworks that people don't tend to think of as irresponsible or dangerous, said Solana Beach Deputy Fire Chief Dismas Abelman.

"Sparklers -- those things burn at a couple of thousand degrees," he said. "Bottle rockets, depending on where they land, can start a small fire, and that's how a big fire starts."

Resident Lori Mason said she remembers being allowed to use fireworks as a young girl in Orange County.

"When I was only 9 or 10, I remember, I almost had one go off in my hand," she said. "At least I had brains enough to throw it."

Despite that brush with danger, Mason said she thinks fireworks should be allowed for personal use as long as adults are supervising the activity.

"It just isn't the Fourth of July without them," she said.

But fire officials maintain that professional shows are the safest -- and the only ones that won't get you into trouble with the law.

What happens when someone is caught with fireworks depends on the nature of the offense, Abelman said. Often, the fireworks will simply be confiscated, but people can be prosecuted, he said.

Abelman said he hasn't seen a huge problem with illegal fireworks. Most people take advantage of professional public displays, he said.

In his territory, Solana Circle has one of the best vantage points for the public fireworks at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, he said.

"It really is a pretty spectacular spot," Abelman said.

Call staff writer Colleen Mensching at 760-739-6675.