Applying for a Explosives Storage Licence

Storage licences can be granted for a period up to 5 years, however, new applicants with no previous inspection history will generally only be granted a storage licence for a maximum period of 1 year. The renewal of existing licences may be granted for up to five years depending on your compliance history. You must have a separate licence for each premises where you wish to store explosives or display fireworks for sale.

Please ensure that you: 

  • Read all supporting documentation
  • Ensure you have applied for the correct hazard type and quantity for your store
  • Submit site and floor plans showing storage/sales areas, if necessary
  • Submit a firework risk assessment

If you are still unsure about any aspect of the online application, please email us at fireworks@manchesterfire.gov.uk or telephone 0161 608 4040.

Explosive/hazard type and quantity/amounts

When filling in the application form you are required to state the hazard type and the amount you wish to store. The flowchart below can assist you when assessing your options for storage.

Please note that all weights are in kilogrammes and are the Net Explosive Content (NEC) of the article, which is the weight of the explosive powder in the article and does not include any packaging or casing.

Retailers Firework Storage Suitability Flowchart

View full size image of Retailers Firework Storage Suitability Flowchart

If you plan to use an ISO container to store fireworks and it faces away from the building then you could potentially store up to 2,000kgs NEC HT3/HT4 depending on the distance of the container from other places such as roads, footpaths, and surrounding buildings.

If you have a storeroom that will only store fireworks the maximum quantity you could store would be up to 250Kgs HT4 or 25kgs HT3

If you don’t have a room solely for fireworks storage but you can segregate the fireworks from flammable items, this could be either separation by distance or a metal/wood cabinet or in mesh cages, you still may be able to store up to 250Kgs HT4 or 25kgs HT3

If you have nowhere to securely store fireworks but have a display cabinet in your sales area. Dependant on the size of your store you could potentially store up to 75kgs HT4, each display cabinet must not hold more than 12.5kgs.

If you can not provide any of the above than your premises would not be suitable to store fireworks at this time.

Explosive/hazard type

  • Hazard Type 4 (HT4) - you may store from 5kg up to 250kg NEC before separation distances are applied. If your storage is adjoining or in the same building as domestic/sleeping accommodation, then you may be restricted to up to 75kg NEC.

  • Hazard Type 3 (HT3) - you can only store up to 25kg NEC before separation distance are applied.

  • Mix of HT3 and HT4 - when storing both hazard types all the explosives will be classed as HT3, therefore you may only store up to 25kg NEC before separation distances apply.

Quantity/amounts

  • 5kg to 25kg NEC of explosives - this option only applies if you wish to store any HT3 fireworks and are unable to maintain any separation distances.

  • 5kg to 250kgs NEC of explosives - your risk assessment and the explosives inspecting officer’s assessment will dictate the amount you can store. This is for sites, which cannot maintain any separation distance.

  • 251kg to 2000kg NEC of explosives - this option allows for bulk storage of fireworks and separation distances will apply. This is the distance between your premises and things such as footpaths, roads and other buildings. The amount you can store will be dictated by your risk assessment and the approval of the explosives inspecting officer.

Supporting Documents 

The following documents must be submitted with your application form:

  • A plan to a scale sufficient to show the location of the site in relation to its surroundings (i.e. named or numbered roads, hamlets, villages or geographical features).  Where the site does not have a postal address this should normally be a minimum scale of 1:25000.

  • If you intend to store, process or manufacture explosives within a building you should include a floor plan showing the places within the building where you intend storing, processing or manufacturing the explosives. 

  • If you intend to store or display fireworks on a shop floor, you will be required to submit a floor plan of the sales area.

  • If the store is subject to separation distances you will also need to provide an Ordinance Survey Site plan (or similar) map showing the location of the store and distances to any neighbouring buildings. The scale will depend on the separation distance; up to 200m a 1:1250 would be required while a greater distance would require a 1:25000.

If you are renewing a licence and there are no changes to the storage arrangements, which were agreed at the time of issuing the licence, then there are no requirements to resubmit plans.

You will need to complete a site specific risk assessment for the storage of explosives and submit it with your application. You will be required to produce your risk assessment whenever an inspecting officer visits your premises.

An example of an appropriate risk assessment (PDF, 195KB) can be found on the HSE’s website. 

Proof of lease and insurance

You are required to have in place a current lease agreement for the premises that you will be using for the storage of fireworks and, if applicable, be able to provide proof of that lease to an inspecting officer during a site visit.

You should only apply for a storage licence if you have suitable storage facilities already in place and should have insurance to cover the storage of explosives.

Apply for a licence via the online application form.

Licence fees and refund policy

Licence fees are detailed on the Firework licence fees page.

Payments will not be refunded once your application has been accepted. It is your responsibility to ensure you have read the supporting documentation and that you have completed the application form accurately.

Payment is not a guarantee that your licence will be approved. Should the decision is made to refuse you an explosive licence then the payment will not be refunded.

However if you have made a payment in error please email fireworks@manchesterfire.gov.uk quoting your reference number (this will have been emailed to you when you successfully made a payment), full name, contact number and reason for requesting a refund. The team will deal with your query at the earliest possible opportunity.

Inspection and enforcement

Your storage facilities will be inspected prior to an Explosives Storage Licence being granted and during the licensing period. The inspections will check for compliance with the storage regulations and your specific licence conditions. You must not store any explosives before you receive your storage licence.  

The storage licence is granted for your specific site and to you as a fit and proper person to store explosives safely. If during the licence period it is found that the storage facilities are no longer deemed safe or adequate, or if information comes to the GMCA that the licensee is no longer deemed a fit and proper person, then your licence may be revoked. You will be informed of any concerns and will have the opportunity to make representations against the revocation.

Data protection

The information submitted for your licence application will be used and retained in line with the processing of this application and the maintenance of any required registers. This information will only be disclosed in line with the Explosives Regulations 2014. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) is part of the GMCA. Please read our privacy notice for more details about how we use the information provided.

If you want access to your information or wish to exercise any of your information rights please contact OfficeofDPO@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk.