Fireworks licence

Anyone wishing to sell and store fireworks in Barking and Dagenham must apply for a licence from the council. You need to apply before 30th September each year.

Fees

All licensing fees may be paid online.

Pay for an explosives license

Storage of explosives

Premises  Fee
Premises where separation distances are not prescribed (250 kg or less)  
Renewal of registration up to 250kg (1 Year) £59
Renewal of registration up to 250kg (2 Years) £94
Renewal of registration up to 250kg (3 Years) £132
Renewal of registration up to 250kg (4 Years) £166
Renewal of registration up to 250kg (5 Years) £202
New licence (1 year) £119
New licence (2 years) £154
New licence (3 years) £190
New licence (4 years) £226
New licence (5 years) £260
Premises where separation distances are prescribed (250 kg to 2000 kg)  
New licence (1 year) £1202
New licence (2 years) £266
New licence (3 years) £333
All premises  
Variation of licence (legal name of licensee or address of premises) £38
Variation of licence (other) £38
Transfer of licence £38
Copy/replacement licence £38

Sale of fireworks

Application to sell outside of permitted periods £500

Apply for an explosives licence

Applications received after 30 September will not be accepted.

Registration or a licence to store explosives also permits the retail sale of adult fireworks during the following periods each year:

  • 15 October to 10 November
  • 26 to 31 December
  • the first day of Chinese New Year and the three days immediately before it
  • the day of Diwali and the three days immediately before it

Selling outside of these dates without a licence is a criminal offence.

Explosives Licence application form (PDF, 191KB)

Before applying for a licence, you should read and take account of the following guidance:

Storing and selling fireworks safely 

Fireworks in shops - retailer’s risk assessment checklist

In addition to payment of the fee, you will need to supply the following documents with your application

  • a plan of your premises to a scale sufficient to show the location of the site in relation to its surroundings
  • a floor plan of the sales area (if you intend to store or display more than 12.5kg of fireworks on a shop floor)

Sale of fireworks outside of permitted periods

Anyone wishing to supply fireworks at any time of year other than during the four permitted periods must hold a separate annual sales licence, in addition to a licence to store explosives. All annual sales licences are granted for a maximum period of 1 year and expire on 30th September, regardless of when granted. 

Annual sales licence application form (PDF, 307 KB)

Enforcement

Fireworks have the potential to kill or injure if stored or used inappropriately. Consequently, the storage and sale of fireworks are subject to strict legal requirements in respect of safe storage and restricted age sales.

Failure to store fireworks safely is a criminal offence which may result in revocation of your licence and/or prosecution. Our officers may carry out spot checks of your storage arrangements.

It is illegal to sell adult fireworks to anyone under the age of 18 or to sell them outside of the permitted periods without an annual sales licence. Our Trading Standards Officers will carry out checks, including the use of underage volunteers to attempt purchases. Failure to comply with sale restrictions may result in the seizure of your stock and/or prosecution.