Apply for a license to store and sell fireworks or renew an existing license.
Explosives storage licenses
Under the Explosives Regulations (2014), residents who wish to store small quantities of explosives (including retailers selling fireworks) within their premises are required to hold a storage licence issued by the council.
There are only certain times at which fireworks can be sold:
- Bonfire Night: 15 October to 10 November 2026
- New Year's Eve: 26 December to 31 December 2026
- Chinese New Year: on the first day of the Chinese New Year and the three days preceding it
- Diwali: on the day of Diwali and the three days preceding it
Businesses that wish to store and sell fireworks all year round (outside the above dates) will have to apply for an additional licence called an 'annual supply' licence.
Length of explosive storage licences
Applicants for storage licences can apply for licences between 1 and 5 years in length. They have a standard start/expiry period of 1 October to 30 September.
Generally we will only issue one year duration storage licences to new retailers with no explosive storage inspection or enforcement history.
If you wish to apply for a two, three, four, or five year storage licence, please note that we will take a proportionate, risk-based approach to your application that recognises the nature of your business and the likely lifetime of the licensed site e.g. pop up shops, freehold retail.
Factors we will consider include:
- new retailers with no inspection or enforcement history: we may extend your licence period when you renew.
- new sites: we expect to grant a licence for the period you request, up to 5 years, if you can show strong safety management systems or a good record of following the rules at another licensed site.
- existing sites with a mixed or poor record of following the rules: we may grant a shorter licence, provided the site and the person responsible remain suitable.
- sites that regularly need advice, have minor breaches identified during inspections, or have frequent staff changes that could affect safety: we may grant a licence for less than 5 years.
Storage Licence Fees
Fees are set by statute and can be found in Schedule 7 of the health, safety and nuclear (fees) regulations 2022.
The current fees are listed in the schedule below for storage licences where no minimum separation distance is required, or the required distance is 0 metres, under regulation 27 and Schedule 5 of the 2014 Regulations.
Examples include licences to store up to:
- 250 kg of net explosive mass (NEM) of hazard type 4 (HT4)
- 25 kg of net explosive mass (NEM) of hazard type 3 (HT3).
The Health and Safety and Nuclear (Fees) Regulations 2022
“All year round” sales licences
If you have a valid storage licence and wish to expose for sale or sell fireworks outside the permitted seasonal periods, then you must obtain an annual supply licence. These last for one year and have a set fee of £500.
How to apply
Application forms for storage licences are issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) who also provide information and guidance on how to apply.
You can find a copy of Explosives forms - HSE or a storage ER1 form.
You can download a copy of our application form for an all year round sales licence.
You should email your application to the Licensing Team at Licensing@hounslow.gov.uk.
The fee can be paid by debit or credit card over the telephone by calling 020 8583 4711.
Once a completed application form has been received, we will examine the information provided and contact applicants to arrange an inspection where required.
If you are applying for the first time we will visit you before your licence is granted to assess the site and discuss how you plan to store the explosives both on and off the shop floor.
Applications are encouraged to be made in good time to allow them to be processed.
Applications received within 30 days of the standard Licence start/expiry period (1 October to 30 September) may not be processed in time to be issued prior to the start of the permitted seasonal periods.
As a result applicants may suffer financial losses as they will not be able to purchase stock (without a valid Licence).
Contact us
Licensing Team
Hounslow House
7 Bath Road
Hounslow
Middlesex
TW3 3EB
