Business information

A Guide to Fireworks Legislation

The Fireworks Regulations 2004, made under the Fireworks Act 2003, have introduced a comprehensive package of measures to regulate the sale and possession of fireworks.

For Selling & Storing see seperate article.

Some of the provisions of the regulations include:

• Making it an offence to possess adult fireworks (all fireworks except party poppers and sparklers, etc.) in a public place by anyone under the age of 18.
• Making it an offence to possess category 4 fireworks (professional display fireworks) by anyone other than a fireworks professional.
• Requiring suppliers that sell fireworks all year round to be licensed (rather than registered) at a proposed additional cost of £500.
• The creation of a curfew on firework use – between 11 pm and 7 am (in line with the Noise Act 1996), with the exception of certain specified nights.
• The imposition of a maximum decibel limit - 120 decibels - on all category 3 fireworks.
• Requiring suppliers of fireworks to display a sign informing customers that only certain categories of persons may purchase fireworks.
• Giving licensing authorities the power to request information from suppliers about transactions of fireworks over 50 kg of explosive content.

The periods where sale without a 'licence' is permitted are:

• November 5 (3 weeks before and 5 days after).
• New Year’s Eve (December 26 to 1 January).
• Chinese New Year (4 days before, including the day of Chinese New Year).
• Diwali (4 days before, including Diwali).

The sign that suppliers of fireworks are required to display will inform customers that:

• It is illegal to supply adult fireworks to anyone under the age of 18.
• It is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to possess adult fireworks in a public place.

The times of the curfew on firework use(which regulation is set to come into force on 1 January 2005) is between 11 pm and 7 am (in line with the Noise Act 1996), with the exception of the following nights where the curfew will begin at different times:

• November 5th – 12 midnight.
• New Years Eve – 1 am.
• Chinese New Year – 1 am.
• Diwali night – 1 am.

For additional information on the sale & supply of Fireworks please follow the external link to "DTI fireworks".