Sooke fireworks rules
Are fireworks allowed in Sooke?
Short answer
In Sooke, consumer fireworks may be set off only on October 31, between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., and only with a permit. Selling fireworks is banned, and no one under 18 may hold or use them. Firecrackers and prohibited fireworks are banned outright.
Key facts
| Setting off fireworks | Consumer fireworks may be set off only on October 31 between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., and only with a permit. Anyone setting off consumer or display fireworks needs a permit. Under-18s may not hold or use any fireworks. Firecrackers and prohibited fireworks are banned. Fireworks may not be used in a way that increases the risk of injury or damage.Fireworks Regulation Bylaw No. 286, ss. 3.3-3.9, 4.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingNo person may discharge consumer fireworks except on October 31st of each year between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. No person may hold, possess, store, discharge, or otherwise use consumer fireworks or display fireworks without a permit. No person under the age of eighteen (18) years may hold, possess, store, No person may buy, sell, hold, possess, store, discharge, or otherwise use firecrackers. |
|---|---|
| Selling fireworks | No. No person may sell fireworks.Fireworks Regulation Bylaw No. 286, s. 3.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingNo person may sell fireworks. |
| What counts as fireworks | 'Fireworks' means consumer, display and pyrotechnic special effects fireworks. Consumer fireworks include fountains, Roman candles, pin wheels and volcanoes but not Christmas crackers, sparklers or caps for toy guns. Firecrackers (devices that explode with no display) and listed 'prohibited fireworks' (for example cherry bombs, M-80s, smoke bombs) are banned outright. Signalling flares for motorists, boaters, police and railways are exempt.Fireworks Regulation Bylaw No. 286, s. 2; Fireworks Regulation Bylaw No. 286, s. 8 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingincludes fireworks showers, fountains, golden rain, lawn lights, pin wheels, Roman candles, and volcanoes but does not include Christmas crackers, sparklers, and caps for toy guns; Firecracker means a pyrotechnic device that explodes when ignited and does not make any subsequent display or visible effect after the explosion This bylaw does not prohibit or regulate the use of torpedoes, flares, fuzzes or similar pyrotechnic devices by motorists, boat operator, railroads, police or other |
| Permit | Anyone 18 or older must apply for and receive a permit before discharging consumer or display fireworks, with a Certification Card (Fireworks Supervisor Level 1 or 2), and the application must be in by the stated deadlines (30 days before the event; the bylaw also says noon on October 31 for consumer events). Application is to the municipality (Fire Department (250) 642-5422). Fees: consumer fireworks permit $20; display fireworks permit $150. Pyrotechnic special effects events need a Fire Chief permit, fire safety plan review ($300) and fire protection at $600/hour.Fireworks Regulation Bylaw No. 286, s. 4; Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 752, Schedule 6 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingAny person eighteen (18) years of age or older before discharging consumer fireworks or display fireworks must apply for and receive a permit. as of November 1, 2006, evidence that the applicant is a Certification Card holder; The required consumer fireworks permit application must be submitted no later than thirty (30) days prior to the date upon which the consumer Consumer Fireworks Permit $20.00 Display Fireworks Permit $150.00 Fire Safety Plan Review $300.00 |
| Fine | Municipal ticket: selling fireworks $500; possessing prohibited fireworks $100; possessing firecrackers $100; possessing fireworks without a permit $200; discharge outside the permitted period $100; unsafe discharge $200; underage possession $100; allowing underage possession $100; pyrotechnics without a permit $200; contravening a pyrotechnics permit $500; obstructing a peace officer $250.Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 836, Schedule B8 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wording3.1 Sale of fireworks $500.00 3.4 Possess fireworks without $200.00 3.5 Discharge outside $100.00 3.7 Unsafe discharge $200.00 |
| Bylaw | Bylaw No. 286, Fireworks Regulation Bylaw, 2007Fireworks Regulation Bylaw No. 286, s. 1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingThis Bylaw is cited as Bylaw No. 286, Fireworks Regulation Bylaw, 2007 |
How it works
Under the Fireworks Regulation Bylaw No. 286, anyone setting off consumer or display fireworks needs a permit. Consumer fireworks (fountains, Roman candles, pin wheels, volcanoes) may be set off only on October 31 between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Christmas crackers, sparklers and caps for toy guns are not counted. Signalling flares for motorists, boaters, police and railways are exempt.
Steps
- Be 18 or older, and hold a Certification Card (Fireworks Supervisor Level 1 or 2).
- Apply to the District before the deadline. The bylaw says 30 days before the event, and also says noon on October 31 for consumer events. Phone Sooke Fire Rescue at 250-642-5422.
- Pay the fee: $20 for consumer fireworks, $150 for display fireworks.
Good to know
- No person may sell fireworks. "Sell" includes offering for sale or possessing for sale.
- People under 18 may not hold or use any fireworks. Firecrackers (devices that explode with no display) and listed prohibited fireworks (such as cherry bombs, M-80s and smoke bombs) are banned.
- Fireworks may not be used in a way that increases the risk of injury or damage. If the land is not yours, the permit needs the property owner's agreement.
- Pyrotechnic special effects events need a Fire Chief permit, a fire safety plan review ($300) and fire protection at $600/hour.
- Municipal tickets: selling fireworks $500; possessing without a permit $200; unsafe discharge $200; discharge outside the permitted period $100; possessing prohibited fireworks or firecrackers $100; underage possession $100.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Metchosin · Langford · Colwood · Highlands · View Royal · Esquimalt
Sources
- Fireworks Regulation Bylaw No. 286 (PDF), District of Sooke (read 2026-11-06)
- Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 752 (PDF), District of Sooke (read 2026-11-06)
- Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 836 (PDF), District of Sooke (read 2026-11-06)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.