UK Fireworks Law: Curfew Hours, Age Rules and Licences by Nation

Fireworks law in the United Kingdom is not one law. England and Wales run a curfew-and-sale-window system with no licence needed to buy an ordinary firework, Scotland runs a different set of hours plus no-go Firework Control Zones, and Northern Ireland requires a licence from the Department of Justice before you can even buy one. Getting the wrong nation's rule can turn an ordinary Bonfire Night into an offence.

England and Wales: When You Can Use Fireworks

The core rule sits in regulation 7 of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/1836). It is an offence to use an "adult firework" during night hours, defined as 11pm to 7am. Three dates get extended exceptions:

• 5 November (Bonfire Night): the curfew is pushed back to midnight, not 1am. This is the one date people most often get wrong in the other direction.
• New Year's Eve: the curfew is pushed back to 1am.
• Chinese New Year and Diwali: also pushed back to 1am.

Outside those extended windows, using a firework after 11pm anywhere in England or Wales is a criminal offence, regardless of how much noise your neighbours are used to at that time of year.

The Two Age Offences: Do Not Mix Them Up

Fireworks law creates two distinct age-related offences in England and Wales, and they come from different regulations with different targets.

The first is a possession offence for under-18s. Under regulation 4 of the Fireworks Regulations 2004, it is an offence for a person under 18 to have an adult firework in their possession in a public place. This offence targets the young person carrying the firework.

The second is a supply offence for businesses. Under regulation 31 of the Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/1553), an economic operator (a business that makes fireworks available on the market, such as a retailer) must not make a category F2 or F3 firework available to anyone under 18, or a category F1 firework (other than a Christmas cracker, where the limit is 12) to anyone under 16. This offence targets the business selling or supplying the firework, not the young person holding it.

These sit in two different statutory instruments made eleven years apart, and a page or a person that attributes the sale-age rule to the 2004 Regulations, or the possession rule to the 2015 Regulations, has the law wrong.

Firework Categories and Professional-Only Fireworks

UK fireworks are classified by category, broadly reflecting how much noise and hazard they present:

• F1: very low hazard, for indoor or confined-space use.
• F2: low hazard, for use in a garden or similarly confined outdoor space.
• F3: medium hazard, for use in large open spaces.
• F4 (Category 4): professional display fireworks. Under regulation 5 of the Fireworks Regulations 2004, these can lawfully be used only by people with the training and competence to handle them, effectively restricting them to licensed professional displays. A consumer buying "professional-grade" fireworks online from an unofficial seller should treat that as a red flag, not a selling point.

Separately, gov.uk states plainly that you must not set off or throw fireworks, including sparklers, in the street or other public places, regardless of the time of day or the firework's category.

The offence behind this is section 80 of the Explosives Act 1875, which applies across the UK: throwing, casting or firing a firework in or into a highway, street, road or other public place is punishable by a fine of up to level 5 on the standard scale, which is unlimited in England and Wales and up to £5,000 in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Fireworks Act 2003 contains a repeal of section 80, but that repeal has never been brought into force, so section 80 still applies.

When Retailers Can Sell Fireworks

Under regulation 9 of the Fireworks Regulations 2004, a retailer does not need a special local-authority licence to sell adult fireworks during set windows:

• 15 October to 10 November (the Bonfire Night season).
• 26 to 31 December (the New Year period).
• The three days before, and the day of, Chinese New Year and Diwali.

Selling fireworks to the public outside those windows requires a licence from the local authority. This is why fireworks largely disappear from supermarket shelves for most of the year: it is not that the product is banned, but that unlicensed retail sale outside the set windows is not permitted.

Scotland: No Individual Licence Today, But Tighter Rules Elsewhere

This is the point where England and Wales guidance most often gets wrongly copied onto Scotland, so it is worth being precise.

The Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 does contain a scheme, in section 4, for an individual licence to buy, acquire, possess and use certain fireworks. That section has not been brought into force. It remains prospective, with no commencement order made to switch it on. In practice, this means a private individual in Scotland does not currently need a personal fireworks licence to buy or use fireworks, whatever a headline about the 2022 Act might suggest. Anyone telling a Scottish reader they must obtain a licence before buying fireworks today is describing a provision of the Act that is not yet law.

What is already in force from the same Act:

• Section 21 (in force since 10 October 2022): it is an offence to sell, or attempt to sell, or otherwise make a firework or pyrotechnic article available, to a person under 18.
• Section 27, Firework Control Zones (in force since 22 June 2023): local authorities can designate areas where using a firework is an offence, unless the use is part of an organised public display. Several Scottish local authorities have used this power in areas with a history of firework-related antisocial behaviour.

Scotland's permitted hours for using fireworks in a private place also differ from England and Wales, and they come from a separate instrument that is already fully in force: regulation 3 of the Fireworks (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (SSI 2004/393), as substituted with effect from 30 June 2021. Instead of an 11pm to 7am curfew, the general window in Scotland is 6pm to 11pm, extended to midnight on 5 November and 1am on New Year's Eve, Chinese New Year and Diwali. Retail sale of fireworks in Scotland on permitted dates runs 7am to 6pm, according to Scottish Government guidance.

It is worth separating the two sources here, because they are easily conflated. The 6pm to 11pm hours above are settled law under the 2004 Regulations and have nothing to do with the 2022 Act's commencement timetable. Separately, the provisions of the 2022 Act dealing with supply and use day-restrictions, beyond the Firework Control Zones power, have not been commenced. So the practical, currently-enforceable rules for an ordinary Scottish household are: no under-18 supply, respect any local Firework Control Zone, and keep to the permitted hours set by the 2004 Regulations.

Northern Ireland: A Licence Is Required

Northern Ireland runs the strictest regime of the three nations. You must hold a licence issued by the Department of Justice before you can buy, possess or use most fireworks. Indoor fireworks and sparklers are the main exceptions and do not require a licence.

Age limits for buying fireworks in Northern Ireland are:

• Category F1 fireworks: must not be sold to anyone under 16.
• Category F2 and F3 fireworks: must not be sold to anyone under 18.
• Sparklers: packets must carry a warning that they are not to be given to children under five.

Fireworks must be bought from a retailer registered by the Department of Justice. Breaching the licensing requirements in Northern Ireland can carry a fine of up to £5,000 and/or up to 3 months' imprisonment. Guidance on the licence application process and the current registered-retailer list is published by nidirect.

This guide sets out the general rules for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is not legal advice, local Firework Control Zones and licensing details can change, and anyone unsure about a specific situation should check with their local authority or, in Northern Ireland, the Department of Justice before buying or using fireworks. For a related everyday-law topic, see our guide to neighbour harassment and antisocial behaviour tools, or browse the wider UK Everyday Law hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set off fireworks after 11pm in England?

Only on the extended-hours dates. The general curfew under regulation 7 of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 is 11pm to 7am, but it is pushed back to midnight on 5 November and to 1am on New Year's Eve, Chinese New Year and Diwali.

Do I need a licence to buy fireworks in Scotland?

No, not currently. The individual fireworks licence created by section 4 of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 has not been brought into force. What does already apply in Scotland is the under-18 supply ban and any local Firework Control Zone.

What is a Firework Control Zone?

It is an area designated by a Scottish local authority, under section 27 of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022, within which using a firework is an offence unless it is part of an organised public display. Zones have been in force since 22 June 2023.

Do I need a licence for fireworks in Northern Ireland?

Yes. Unlike England, Wales and Scotland, Northern Ireland requires a licence from the Department of Justice before you can buy, possess or use most fireworks. Indoor fireworks and sparklers are the main exceptions.

Is it illegal to sell fireworks to a 16-year-old in England?

Yes. Under regulation 31 of the Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015, a business must not sell or otherwise make a category F2 or F3 firework available to anyone under 18. This is a separate offence from an under-18 possessing a firework in public.

Can shops sell fireworks all year round?

No. Under regulation 9 of the Fireworks Regulations 2004, retailers can sell adult fireworks without a special licence only during set windows: 15 October to 10 November, 26 to 31 December, and the days around Chinese New Year and Diwali. Selling outside those windows needs a local-authority licence.

Is it illegal to let off fireworks in the street?

You must not. Gov.uk states plainly that fireworks, including sparklers, must not be set off or thrown in the street or other public places. Throwing or firing a firework in a street or public place is an offence under section 80 of the Explosives Act 1875, which still applies because a repeal in the Fireworks Act 2003 has never been brought into force. The maximum fine is unlimited in England and Wales and £5,000 in Scotland and Northern Ireland.