Fireworks bylaw

This bylaw is a consolidated digital version of the official legal document. It is not an exact reproduction and is for information purposes only.

For any questions related to this bylaw contact 519-747-8785 or municipalenforcement@waterloo.ca

Bylaw number: 2025-030
Last passed by council: May 26, 2025

A bylaw to regulate the sale and use of fireworks 

1. Definitions 
2. Prohibition on firecrackers and prohibited fireworks
3. Transitional provisions - sale, possession and display of family fireworks on or before December 31, 2025
4. Sale and possession of family fireworks after December 31, 2025
5. Use of family fireworks
6. Display of fireworks
7. Pyrotechnics
8. Work order
9. Order to discontinue
10. Remedial action
11. Enforcement
12. Penalties
13. Schedule A

Whereas section 121 of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25 as amended, authorizes the prohibition and regulation of the sale and use of fireworks;

And whereas it is in the interest of the people of the City of Waterloo to standardize the regulations and prohibitions applicable to the sale and use of fireworks;

Therefore the municipal council of the corporation of the city of waterloo enacts as follows:

1.0 Definitions

(p) "Owner'' means any person who owns, leases, occupies, or has care and control of a property, including a tenant, property manager, mortgagee in possession, or other person acting on behalf of the owner or exercising control over the property;

(q) "Pyrotechnic(s)" means any explosive article containing a pyrotechnic composition that, upon ignition, produces visual or sound effects by means of combustion, deflagration, or detonation, as defined and regulated under the Explosives Regulations, 2013, SOR/2013-211, and further detailed in the Pyrotechnics Special Effects Manual issued and updated from time to time by the Explosives Regulatory Division of Natural Resources Canada;

(r) "Prohibited Fireworks" means firecrackers, and also those types of fireworks more particularly described in Schedule "A" attached hereto;

(s) "Property" means any public or private land, building, structure or other real property within the City;

(t) "Set Off" includes any method of detonating or igniting a firework;

(u) "Shop" means a building or part of a building, booth, stall or place where goods are exposed or offered for sale.

2.0 Prohibition on firecrackers and prohibited fireworks

2.1 No person within the City shall possess, Offer for Sale, cause or permit to be sold, or sell any Firecrackers or other Prohibited Fireworks.

2.2 No person within the City shall discharge, fire, Set Off or cause, or permit to be discharged or set off any Firecrackers or other Prohibited Fireworks.

2.3 The prohibition against the possession of Firecrackers under subsection 2.1 does not apply with respect to Firecrackers that are within the City solely as a result of their being in transit while being transported by a railway, airline, trucking company or other public carrier.

3.0 Transitional provisions: Sale, possession and display of family fireworks on or before December 31, 2025

3.1 All provisions found in section 3 of the bylaw shall only apply until December 31, 2025.

3.2 Fireworks displayed in any Shop window shall be mock samples only that contain no explosive compound.

3.3 No person who Offers for Sale any Family Fireworks shall, at any time, keep or permit the keeping of any Family Fireworks in any location in a Shop or trailer unless the location is designated and posted as a "no-smoking" area.

3.4 No person shall Offer for Sale, cause or permit to be sold, or sell Family Fireworks on or before December 31, 2025 except on the following days:

a) Victoria Day;

b) Canada Day;

c) such days that constitute the recognized duration of the holiday known as the Lunar New Year (otherwise known as Chinese New Year);

d) such days that constitute the recognized duration of the holiday known as Diwali (otherwise known as Deepavali); and 

(e) the seven (7) day period immediately preceding each of the days listed in (a) to (d).

3.5 No person shall Offer for Sale, cause or permit to be sold, or sell Family Fireworks to any person who is or who appears to be under the age of eighteen (18) years and can not produce evidence that he/she is eighteen (18) years of age or older.

3.6 No person storing Family Fireworks for sale shall store them except as permitted under the Explosives Act.

4.0 Sale and possession of family fireworks after December 31, 2025

4.1 All provisions found in section 4 of this bylaw will come into force and effect on January 1, 2026.

4.2 No person shall give, Offer for Sale, cause or permit to be sold, sell or otherwise distribute Family Fireworks after December 31, 2025.

4.3 No person storing Family Fireworks shall store them except as permitted under the Explosives Act.

5.0 Use of family fireworks

5.1 No person shall Set Off Family Fireworks except between 9:00 PM and 11:00 PM on the following days:

a) Victoria Day;

b) Canada Day;

5.2 No person shall Set Off Family Fireworks except between 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM on the following days:

a) one (1) day, as declared by the Director, during the holiday known as the Lunar New Year (otherwise known as Chinese New Year); and, 

b) two (2) days, as declared by the Director, during the holiday known as Diwali (otherwise known as Deepavali).

5.3 No Child shall Set Off any fireworks, other than a sparkler where the Child is under the supervision of an adult at all times.

5.4 No parent, guardian or person standing in the place of a parent with respect to a Child shall permit that Child to Set Off any fireworks, other than a sparkler where the Child is under the supervision of an adult at all times.

5.5 No person shall Set Off Family Fireworks on any land of which he or she is not the Owner, without obtaining the prior written permission of the Owner to do so.

5.6 No person shall Set Off Family Fireworks into, inside of, or on any building, accessory building, structure, or Motor Vehicle.

5.7 No person shall store, handle or Set Off Family Fireworks in an unsafe manner, or in a manner that creates a nuisance, taking into account the noise, danger from fire and explosion, and risk of death, injury and damage to property inherent in the storage, handling or use of fireworks.

5.8 A person who stores fireworks shall use reasonable care to ensure that those fireworks are not accessible to children.

5.9 Despite sections 5.1 and 5.2, if the Fire Chief makes a declaration that the City or any part thereof shall be considered a restricted fire zone, no person shall Set Off Family Fireworks within the City, or the part of the City to which the declaration applies, during the time that the declaration is in effect.

6.0 Display fireworks

6.1 No person shall sell or otherwise distribute, Offer for Sale, cause or permit to be sold, or possess for the purposes of sale or distribution, use or Set Off any Display Fireworks unless they do so in compliance with the Explosives Act, Explosives Regulations, 2013, SOR/2013-211, the Display Fireworks Manual, and the Ontario Fire Code, 0. Reg. 213/07, as amended.

7.0 Pyrotechnics

7.1 No person, other than a person who holds a Fireworks Operator Certificate (Display Supervisor) with the current and appropriate level of certificate for the type, size, number and location of the Pyrotechnic materials in question for the type of Pyrotechnic materials being used, shall:

a) have in their custody or control, any Pyrotechnic materials, unless that person is:

i. a manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer of such materials who holds all requisite license to act in that capacity, and the materials in question are in that person's custody solely in connection with that business; or

ii. lawfully carrying the Pyrotechnic materials in transit through the City, whether as a public carrier or as an employee of a person described in sub- clause (i); or

iii. perform or carry out any Pyrotechnic display, special effects, event, exhibition or operation.

7.2 Every Pyrotechnic display, special effects, event, exhibition or operation carried out in the City shall be performed or carried out safely, in accordance with:

a) prevailing best practice in the Pyrotechnic trade; and,

b) the specifications, recommendations, or requirements set out in the Special Effect Pyrotechnics Manual, as issued and amended from time to time by the Explosives Regulatory Division of Natural Resources Canada

7.3 For the purposes of this section, "certificate" means an endorsement to a Fireworks Operator Certificate (Display Supervisor) issued by or under the authority of Natural Resources Canada.

8.0 Work order

8.1 Where an Officer has reasonable grounds to believe that a contravention of this by­ law has occurred, the Officer may make an order requiring the person who contravened this bylaw or who caused or permitted the contravention or the Owner or occupier of the land on which the contravention occurred to do work to correct the contravention;

8.2 A work order shall set out:

b) the work to be done and the date by which the work must be done;

8.3 Any person who fails to comply with an order issued under this section is guilty of an offence.

9.0 Order to discontinue

9.1 Where an Officer has reasonable grounds to believe that a contravention of this by­ law has occurred, the Officer may make an order requiring the person who contravened the bylaw or who caused or permitted the contravention or the Owner or occupier of the land on which the contravention occurred to discontinue the contravening activity;

9.2 An order to discontinue shall set out:

a) reasonable particulars of the contravention adequate to identify the contravention and the location of the land on which the contravention occurred; and,

b) the date by which there must be compliance with the order.

9.3 Any person who fails to comply with an order issued under this section is guilty of an offence.

10.0 Remedial action

10.1 If a person fails to do a matter or thing, including comply with an order under this bylaw, as directed or required by this bylaw, the City may, in default of it being done by the person directed or required to do it, do the matter or thing at the person's expense. The City may recover the costs of doing the matter or thing from the person directed or required to do it by action or, where the order is directed to the Owner of the land, by adding the costs to the tax roll and collecting them in the same manner as municipal taxes.

10.2  The costs outlined in section 10.1 shall include interest calculated at a rate of fifteen (15) percent per annum, calculated for the period commencing on the day the City incurs the costs and ending on the day the costs, including the interest, are paid in full.

10.3  Where the order is directed to the Owner of the land, the amount of the costs, including interest, constitutes a lien on the land upon the registration in the proper land registry office of a notice of lien. The lien is in respect of all costs that are payable at the time the notice is registered plus interest accrued to the date the payment is made. Upon receiving payment of all costs payable plus interest accrued to the date of payment, the City shall register a discharge of the lien in the proper land registry office.

11.0 Enforcement

11.1 The Director shall administer and enforce this bylaw.

11.2 MLEOs employed by the City and police constables who are members of the Waterloo Regional Police Service are hereby authorized to enforce this bylaw.

11.3 University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University Special Constables are hereby authorized to enforce this bylaw on Property belonging to their respective University.

11.4 Every person shall, upon request by a MLEO, a fire prevention officer, a police officer or a special constable, for the purpose of commencing a proceeding pursuant to this bylaw, provide identification, including full name and address, to the Officer.

11.5 No person shall provide false, misleading, incomplete or inaccurate identification to a MLEO, fire prevention officer, police officer or special constable.

12.0 Penalties

12.1  Sections 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 6.1, 7.1, 8.3, 9.3, 11.4, 11.5 inclusive of all subsections thereunder, of this bylaw are hereby designated as parts of this bylaw to which the Administrative Penalty Bylaw applies.

12.2  Any person who contravenes any Designated Provision of this bylaw shall, upon issuance of a penalty notice in accordance with the Administrative Penalty Bylaw, be liable to pay an administrative penalty and any administrative fees.

This Bylaw shall come into force and effect on the 1st day of June 2025.

Schedule "A" 

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