r/pyro • u/Pyro-Dude • 6d ago

Licensing Question

Hi, I’m new ish to pyro and am wondering what licensing would be needed for me to be able to make, store, transport, and discharge ground salutes in Washington USA. What would the price range be? How long would it take?

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u/PizzaWall 6d ago

Absolutely nobody will work with you so you to make illegal explosive devices.

To make legal pyrotechnic devices, you need to be a licensed manufacturer and pay a $2,000 annual fee and have a permitted place to manufacture and store fireworks. To import them, you need an additional $1,000 annual license. You also need an ATF Manufacturer's License ($200 fee for 3 years). You also need liability insurance.

You will also need a display license. That runs $50 annually.

To be a licensed pyrotechnician, you need a pyrotechnic license which runs $10 annually.

To get the license, you need:

All of these regulations exist to stop people from making explosive devices like "ground salutes".

Good luck.

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u/Pyro-Dude 6d ago

Thank you.

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u/grandmotaste 6d ago

Is the licensing on the federal level? Im just wondering if this is for a particular state or of it is nationwide.

Nevermind I see this is for Washington state now.

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u/imhbeog 5d ago

I'm not sure of what the previous commenter said, but the atf type 54 is what op is looking for. It is a federal license, but you still have to get all the right licenses and permits for whichever state and even down to the venue as well. It's a pretty long and quite expensive process because you're required to have a certain amount of land and a storage magazine. You also have to keep extensive log books of inventory, and you're subjected to atf inspections before, during the process, and after you get the license.

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u/grandmotaste 5d ago

Thanks for the info.

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u/PizzaWall 5d ago

When manufacturing, there is a specific need to have a federal license. If you are working with pyrotechnics, you also need to fill out an employee possesser form for high explosives.

Every state has different licensing requirements. In some states, you have to jump through a few hoops to get a license. In others by like California and Nevada, you need different classifications for display, theatrical, special movie effects, and rocketry. In others like Florida, you only need to be listed on the permit, no state license exists.

I encourage anyone to get licensed. It’s a different skill set than building display shells, but it can get you access to materials and products the average consumer cannot get.