Licensing

[PyroJoe]

I havn't been on these forums for a while now! I havn't done pyro since the 4th of July either, but sadly I won't be able to do any pyro for a full two years from October 18th, Im going to Illinois.

 

Anyways I was wondering if anyone here has an ATF license to make fireworks and if you have any advice on getting one. Once I get back I will be old enough to put in for a license and I may even start a career in explosives (although my mom has put up with me making fireworks all these years she is freaking out about me starting a career in explosives). I have looked on the ATF site but the guidlines I found were extremely vague and just seemed like an outline of the real "rules". Does anybody have a link to all the requirments to be licensed, and what type of license I would need?

 

It would be nice to be able to do everything I want legally, but I understand there are some pretty tight rules on storage and what not. Any help would be great on this subject.

[ewest]

For high explosive manufacturing (making flash) you'll need a BATFE Type 20 Manufacturer of High Explosives license. To get that, you'll need $200, finger prints, photo like a passport photo, and a Type 1 or 2 Explosives Magazine.

 

The magazine is really the tough part because it has to be a set distance from other bldgs, blah-blah-blah. If you don't have acreage you can probably forget about getting a license. An alternative would be finding someone with a magazine already and gaining their approval for you to store in it. But that seems to be awfully tough.

 

It's all spelled out in 18 U.S.C. Chapter 40, 27 CFR Part 55:

Title 27 Code of Federal Regulations Part 55

 

And this is the actual form you need to fill out:

Application for Explosives License or Permit

 

And yes, it's all a bit much to absorb at first but keep re-reading it and it'll all start to make sense.

[Mumbles]

The biggest thing to remember is to talk to the local and state authorities first. They are the hardest part. The local and state laws override the national branch interestingly enough. Send a letter to the local and county sherriff asking if there are any laws on the books reguarding explosive manufacture.

[cplmac]

To the best of my knowledge, there is no manufacturing license in Illinois. I recently had my sit down interview with the ATF for my display fireworks license, and the agent told me you are required to have a type 1 magazine as a pre-requisite to the type 20 manufacturing license. In Illinois you may be able to rent one down in Amboy. It is an old WWII ordinance depot and they have more than 100 Type 1 concrete quansit hut bunkers very cheap, but securing one is difficult at best from what I understand. One big problem you are going to run into in Illinois is legally testing your product. You need an Illinois pyrotechnic operators license to shoot anything, and you need an Illinois pyrotechnic distributor license in order to get an operator license. You can thank Mad Bomber, Melrose, Central States and J+M for that. They got the law passed to push out all the small operators in Illinois. My brother and I are planning a type 1 magazine out back, and hopefully my type 20 license soon after. Like Mumbles said though, the real headache is gonna be on the state and local level. The Illinois law specifically states whatever law is the most strict takes precedence.

[ewest]

I found this slide show from a crackerjack seminar and found it had some good information in it so I thought I'd pass it on for anyone going through the licensing process right now.

 

getting-legal.ppt from crackerjacks seminar