Manteca Opens Fireworks Booth Permit Applications
Non-profits can apply through Dec. 3 for one of 18 July 4 fireworks booth permits, now with a $35 application fee.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Philanthropy
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The City of Manteca is accepting applications from non-profits for 18 fireworks booth permits for the July 4 season, with awards made by lottery. For the first time, applicants must pay a $35 application fee, a change directed by the City Council in June.
Why it matters
The council says the fee is meant to recover costs the fire department incurs inspecting booths, and it has expressed concern that legal fireworks sales can provide cover for illegal fireworks use. Officials are weighing how booth operations relate to public safety in the city.
Booth permit charges rose from $150 to $250, and the city's fire department incurred over $85,000 in overtime responding to fireworks-related incidents. Non-profit booth revenue is currently split 50-50 with fireworks vendors, and the source does not detail how that split may change.
The players
Manteca City Council
The elected governing body of Manteca, California, which directed the application fee and has pressed concerns about vendor profits and fire costs.
Phantom Fireworks
A national fireworks retailer that operated stands in the area and generated roughly $1 million in gross sales during the week-long July 4 sales period.
TNT Fireworks
A fireworks retailer that operated alongside Phantom Fireworks and contributed to roughly $1 million in gross July 4 week sales.
The details
Non-profits applying for one of the 18 booth permits must pay the $35 fee, and permits are awarded by lottery with applications running through Dec. 3 and the drawing on Jan. 6. Non-profits staff the booths and pay for booth rental, ground rental, insurance and city permitting fees. The current ordinance caps non-profit booths at one per 5,000 residents.
Timeline
June: City Council directed the first-ever application fee.
Dec. 3: Booth application period closes.
Jan. 6: Lottery drawing for booth permits.
July 4: Fireworks booth sales period.
Market Landscape
Lodi takes a 7 percent fee on all fireworks sales, a model that would yield about $70,000 on Manteca's roughly $1 million in gross sales. Manteca's approach instead charges a flat application fee and raises booth permit charges, which shifts the cost burden toward non-profit booth operators.
Non-profits that want to run a July 4 fireworks booth must now pay a $35 application fee and enter a lottery for one of 18 permits. The higher booth permit charge and the 50-50 revenue split with vendors affect how much a non-profit can keep from its booth sales.
The takeaway
Non-profits planning a fireworks booth should factor the application fee, the lottery odds and the higher permit charge into any fundraising budget before applying by Dec. 3.
What happens next
Non-profit applications for the 18 booth permits close Dec. 3, and the lottery drawing will be held Jan. 6, ahead of the July 4 booth sales period.
Further reading
Explore more philanthropy news to see how non-profit fundraising efforts like fireworks booths are being shaped by local policy.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Manteca Bulletin.
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