WorkSafe Tasmania

WorkSafe Tasmania

Safe and well every day

Firework permits conditions

About fireworks permits

Cracker Night permits for the general public are now different to general fireworks permit conditions.

Once granted a permit, you must comply with the conditions listed on your permit. This includes strictly complying with the display time and date and any special conditions that may be included. Standards conditions for a cracker night fireworks permit are:

Supervision and control

Permit holders must be onsite throughout the display.

Notifications and publicity

Permit holders must ensure the following individuals/organisations are given at least 7 clear days notice of the display:

  • Tasmania Fire Service
  • Tasmania Police
  • the general manager of the local Council where the proposed display site is located
  • the owner or occupier of each property adjoining the display site
  • the owner or occupier of each property used for commercial livestock operations that is within a 1 kilometre radius of the display site
  • if the site is within 1 kilometre of conservation land (such as a national park, nature reserve or nature recreation area): Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania
  • if the site is within one kilometre of land set aside for timber production: Sustainable Timbers Tasmania
  • if the site is on the seashore and the display will involve any aerial display of fireworks: Marine and Safety Authority (MAST).

Fire fighting equipment

Fire fighting equipment must be available at the display site for the duration of the fireworks display to protect against fire risk.

As a minimum requirement, you must provide:

  • a shovel and/or rake; plus
  • a water supply; or a minimum of 2 x 8 litre buckets of water.

Fireworks precautions

Before being taken on site, fireworks must be securely held away from any ignition source or from other dangerous substances that they could explosively inter-react with.

Once any fireworks have been taken on site, they must be kept in closed containers, at least 25 metres away from the firing area, until they need to be positioned and made ready for firing. They cannot be left unattended at any time.

All fireworks must be checked for damage or defects before the display. Any found to be damaged or defective (or suspected of being so) must be put aside and not be used.

Fireworks that do not have the manufacturer’s instructions printed on their casing must not be fired.

Misfires must be destroyed, or safely removed from the site in an approved portable magazine, preferably by soaking with water for at least 10 hours and then burying, but under no circumstances may misfires be burned.

A display must not begin, or if it has begun must not continue:

  • in contravention of a total fire ban declaration
  • in high winds (greater than 39km/h)
  • in a lightning storm
  • in any other unsafe weather conditions.

Follow-up measures

Immediately after the display, all necessary follow-up measures must be taken:

  • checking the site for ignited or smouldering materials or misfires or overlooked fireworks
  • securing and removing unused fireworks
  • securing and removing mortars and other shot-firing equipment
  • extinguishing pyres, bonfires and braziers
  • generally cleaning the site of rubbish, debris and materials.

Spectator safety

Permit holders are responsible for crowd control and ensuring that spectators do not gain access to any fireworks or firing areas.

Aerial fireworks or shells must not be fired so they cross over or burst over any designated spectator area or parking area.

Any area set apart for the landing of aerial fireworks or associated debris (or any area where such fireworks or debris may be reasonably expected to land) must be free of flammable or combustible material and at least 100 metres from any designated spectator area.

Fireworks must not be fired within the prescribed distance of any designated spectator area, which for Type 2 fireworks is 10 metres.

Last updated: 1 June 2023
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