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Buying, selling and storing low-hazard special purpose explosives

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Low-hazard special purpose explosives include highway flares, personal distress signals, bird scaring devices and fire extinguisher cartridges. (Low-hazard special purpose explosives are classified under the Explosives Regulations as Type S.1.)

The following guidance is for anyone involved with low-hazard special purpose explosives. For situations not covered here, including exemptions and conditions, consult the Explosives Regulations. For high-hazard explosives, consult Buying, selling and storing high-hazard special purpose explosives.

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Buying low-hazard special purpose explosives

You are permitted to buy and store low-hazard special purpose explosives that you plan to use if you are 18 or older, unless exempted by the Explosives Regulations. For buying or storing a quantity over 1000 kilograms of low-hazard special purpose explosives (excluding packaging or container), you must have an explosives license.

Storing low-hazard special purpose explosives

Storage requirements for users

Dwelling

If you plan to use low-hazard special purpose explosives, you are permitted to store up to 40 kilograms (excluding packaging or container) in a dwelling (such as a house or apartment).

You must store the explosives away from flammable substances and sources of ignition and protect them from theft. You must ensure that they can only be accessed by people you have authorized.

Storage unit

You are permitted to store up to 1000 kilograms of low-hazard special purpose explosives in a storage unit without an explosives licence. If you also store low-hazard special purpose explosives in a dwelling, the combined amount of the explosives in the dwelling and in the storage unit must not exceed 1000 kilograms. The following requirements must be met:

  • the storage unit must be located away from flammable substances and sources of ignition;
  • the interior of the storage unit must be kept clean and dry;
  • the storage unit must be constructed and maintained to prevent unauthorized access and to protect the contents from weather;
  • the storage unit must be attended when it is unlocked;
  • if the storage unit is a container, it must not impede exit in case of fire;
  • if the storage unit is not a container, all exits must be kept unobstructed;
  • any shelving in the storage unit must be made from a non-sparking material (for example, wood or painted metal);
  • if small arms cartridges, blank cartridges for tools, unmixed reactive targets or black powder cartouches are stored with propellant powder or percussion caps in the storage unit, they must be stored separately from one another (for example, on different shelves or separated by a wooden barrier);
  • precautions that minimize the likelihood of an ignition or fire in or near the storage unit must be taken; and
  • a sign that displays the words “Danger — Fire Hazard/Risque d’incendie” in letters at least 10 cm high and that prohibits smoking using letters, or a symbol, at least 10 cm high must be posted on the storage unit in a clearly visible location.

Storage requirements for sellers

If you are a distributor, you must hold an explosives licence to store and sell low-hazard special purpose explosives. If you are a seller, you are permitted to store more than 1000 kilograms of low-hazard special purpose explosives intended for sale if you hold an explosives licence.

You can apply for an explosives licence through the electronic Licence Management System (eLMS).

You must store these large quantities in a licensed magazine. Low-hazard special purpose explosives intended for sale must not be stored in a dwelling.

If the sales establishment is in a building that contains a dwelling, you are permitted to store up to 100 kilograms of low-hazard special purpose explosives intended for sale in a storage unit in the sales establishment.

If the sales establishment is in a building that does not contain a dwelling, you are permitted to store up to 1000 kilograms of low-hazard special purpose explosives intended for sale in a storage unit in the sales establishment without an explosives licence (unless you are a distributor). The following requirements must be met:

  • the storage unit must be located away from flammable substances and sources of ignition;
  • the interior of the storage unit must be kept clean and dry;
  • the storage unit must be constructed and maintained to prevent unauthorized access and to protect the contents from weather;
  • the storage unit must be attended when it is unlocked;
  • if the storage unit is a container, it must not impede exit in case of fire;
  • if the storage unit is not a container, all exits must be kept unobstructed;
  • any shelving in the storage unit must be made from a non-sparking material (for example, wood or painted metal);
  • if small arms cartridges, blank cartridges for tools, unmixed reactive targets or black powder cartouches are stored with propellant powder or percussion caps in the storage unit, they must be stored separately from one another (for example, on different shelves or separated by a wooden barrier);
  • precautions that minimize the likelihood of an ignition or fire in or near the storage unit must be taken; and
  • a sign that displays the words “Danger — Fire Hazard/Risque d’incendie” in letters at least 10 cm high and that prohibits smoking using letters, or a symbol, at least 10 cm high must be posted on the storage unit in a clearly visible location.

Consult the following guidelines for more information on safely storing low-hazard special purpose explosives:

Selling low-hazard special purpose explosives

Displaying for sale

  • Only highway flares, marine flares and personal distress flares are permitted to be displayed for sale.
  • Up to 1000 kilograms of flares are permitted to be displayed for sale at any one time.
  • Flares that are displayed for sale must be kept behind a sales counter or locked up (for example, in a cabinet) unless the flares are in consumer packs.
  • Only people you have authorized may have access to the area behind the sale counter.
  • Flares that are displayed for sale must be separated into lots of 25 kilograms or less. Each lot must be separated from the other lots by a fire break. The lots must be kept away from flammable substances and sources of ignition.

Consumer packs must:

  • be strong enough to withstand normal handling
  • prevent a person from being able to ignite the flares it contains
  • prevent any shifting of the flares during handling or transportation

Record of sale

You must keep a record of every sale of more than 100 kilograms of low-hazard special purpose explosives. The record must be kept for 2 years after the sale. The record must include:

  •  the buyer’s name and address
  •  in the case of a licensed buyer, the licence number and expiry date
  •  the product name of each explosive sold and the name of the person who obtained its authorization
  • the quantity of explosives sold under each product name
  • the date of the sale

Maximum quantity

You are not permitted to sell more than 1000 kilograms of low-hazard special purpose explosives to an individual unless they hold an explosives licence. You are not permitted to sell an individual more than the quantity listed on their explosives licence.

Consult the following guidelines for more information on safely storing and selling low-hazard special purpose explosives:

Disposal of flares

Marine, road, and wilderness flares are hazardous material and are classified as low-hazard special purpose explosives (Type S.1) under the Explosives Regulations, 2013. Unwanted flares cannot simply be thrown in your regular household trash. You should not throw expired marine flares overboard, and you are not allowed to set off marine flares to dispose of them as this can lead to false distress reports.

In accordance with the Explosives Regulations, 2013, distributors of marine flares must accept the return of any marine flares sold by them that have expired. Distributors of marine flares will typically accept their brand of flares at no cost for disposal but may charge for the cost of shipping the product to their warehouse. Distributors will also likely charge a fee for the acceptance of flares that are not their brand. Retailers will generally accept expired flares and charge a fee for disposal. Check with your local retailer / distributor for their return policy. Below are examples of distributors and other companies that might accept your marine flares for disposal:

Police, fire halls, and hazardous disposal locations operated by municipalities will generally no longer accept flares for disposal, but there might be some that continue to offer disposal service.

Contact us

Explosives Regulatory Division
National Headquarters
588 Booth Street, 4th Floor
Ottawa ON  K1A 0Y7
Tel.: 1-855-912-0012
Email: ERDmms@nrcan.gc.ca

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