(b) The Director may authorize alternate construction for explosives storage magazines when it is shown that the alternate magazine construction is substantially equivalent to the standards of safety and security contained in this subpart. Any alternate explosive magazine construction approved by the Director prior to August 9, 1982, will continue as approved unless notified in writing by the Director. Any person intending to use alternate magazine construction shall submit a letter application ..
Yes. All persons who store explosive materials must notify the fire department having jurisdiction over the site where explosive materials are manufactured or stored. Notification must be made orally by the end of the day on which storage begins and in writing within 48 hours from the time storage began. The notification must include the type of explosive materials, magazine capacity, and the location of each storage site. [27 CFR 555.11: Definition of “authority having jurisdiction for fire safety”, 27 CFR 555.201(f)]
In taking the inventory required by §§ 555.122, 555.123, 555.124, and 555.125, a licensee or permittee shall enter the inventory in a record of daily summary transactions to be kept at each magazine of an approved storage facility; however, these records may be kept at one central location on the business premises if separate records of daily transactions are kept for each magazine. Not later than the close of the next business day, each licensee and permittee shall record by manufacturer's name..
The regulations at 27 CFR 555.127 allow for display fireworks quantity entries to be expressed in the DSMT, in part, as the number of packaged display segments or packaged displays. However, industry members must provide to ATF upon request, information as to the number and size of display fireworks contained in any one packaged display segment or packaged display. This allowance for quantity entry of display fireworks is separate from the requirement to record the manufacturer’s name or brand name. Therefore, the manufacturer’s name or brand name must be recorded either within the DSMT or within the document containing information as to the number and size of display fireworks inside any one packaged display segment or packaged display.ATF recommends that fireworks industry members maintain the required information—the number, size, and manufacturer’s name or brand name of the display fireworks (inside packaged displays)—on a separate document that can be provided to ATF on a timely basis. This will assist ATF in the event of an explosives theft or loss and help facilitate the ATF explosives inspection.
Not later than the close of the next business day, each licensee and permittee shall record in the DSMT by manufacturer’s name or brand name the total quantity received in and removed from each magazine during the day and the total remaining on hand at the end of the day. No entries are required on days when there is no explosives movement to or from the magazine.DSMT records must either be kept at each magazine or at one central location on the business premises, provided a separate record of daily transactions is maintained for each magazine.[27 CFR 555.127]
Barricaded. The effective screening of a magazine containing explosive materials from another magazine, a building, a railway, or a highway, either by a natural barricade or by an artificial barricade. To be properly barricaded, a straight line from the top of any sidewall of the magazine containing explosive materials to the eave line of any other magazine or building, or to a point 12 feet above the center of a railway or highway, will pass through the natural or artificial barricade.
Yes. Fireworks display cakes and fireworks display roman candles that contain only salutes, and exceed the limits of explosive materials for classification as “consumer fireworks” as defined in 27 CFR § 555.11, are classified as bulk salutes. Bulk salutes are high explosives and must be stored in Type-1 or Type-2 magazines.
No. A building such as an office building or repair shop which is part of the premises of an explosives business and is used by the business in connection with the manufacture, transportation, storage, or use of explosive materials is not considered to be an “inhabited building”. [27 CFR 555.11: definition of “inhabited building”, 555.218]
Display fireworks, with the exception of bulk salutes, are considered low explosives and, at a minimum, must be stored in type 4 storage magazines. They may also be stored in type 1 or type 2 magazines. Bulk salutes, which are defined as either salute components prior to final assembly into aerial shells, (or) finished salute shells held separately prior to being packed with other types of display fireworks, are classified as high explosives. As such, bulk salutes may only be stored in type 1 or type 2 magazines specifically constructed for the storage of high explosives.[27 CFR 555.11, 555.202(b), 555.203(d), 555.207, 555.208, 555.210]
(2) When two or more storage magazines are located on the same property, each magazine must comply with the minimum distances specified from inhabited buildings, railways, and highways, and, in addition, they should be separated from each other by not less than the distances shown for “Separation of Magazines,” except that the quantity of explosives contained in cap magazines shall govern in regard to the spacing of said cap magazines from magazines containing other explosives. If any two or mor..
When storing high explosives (HE) near blasting agents (BA)Calculate distance using table 555.220, with HE as the donor.Calculate the distance using 555.218, with BA as the donor.The more restrictive of the two distances is the minimum required distance between magazines of HE and BA.Use table at 555.218 to determine required distance to inhabited buildings, highways and passenger railways.When determining minimum required distance from detonator storage to BA storage, the detonator magazine is always the donor. (Only the table at 555.220 may be used for this calculation.)When storing blasting agents (BA) near other BAUse only the table at 555.220.The weight (row) to be used is based upon the donor material (the greater amount).The column to be used (BA) is based upon the acceptor material.Multiply the distance by 6 when unbarricaded.When storing high explosives (HE) or blasting agents (BA) near ammonium nitrate (AN)HE or BA to AN storage: use 555.220 with AN as the receptor—AN alone is never the donor.Combine ½ the weight of the AN (with the donor) if the distance from the HE or BA to AN does not meet minimum separation distance.Multiply minimum distances in table 220 by 6 when the AN or BA are not barricaded.ATF has issued an open letter to addresses issues such as BA storage near HE, BA or AN and how to determine which storage magazine is the “donor” and which is the “acceptor” when applying the tables of distances at 27 CFR 555.218 and 27 CFR 555.220. Industry members who store blasting agents or ammonium nitrate should read the complete open letter at https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/explosives-open-letters.
The more restrictive distance, generally the table of distances for high explosives at 27 CFR 555.218 would be applied using the total weight of explosive materials in the magazine.[27 CFR 555.218]
A type 1 magazine is a permanent structure: a building, an igloo or “Army-type structure”, a tunnel, or a dugout. It is to be bullet-resistant, fire-resistant, weather-resistant, theft-resistant, and ventilated.
Making changes in construction to an approved explosives magazine or adding a magazine requires that ATF be notified. However, mobile or portable type 5 magazines and magazines used for the temporary (under 24 hours) storage of explosive materials are exempt from this requirement. See 27 CFR 555.63 for details.
Magazines are to be kept clean, dry, and free of grit, paper, empty packages and containers, and rubbish. Floors are to be regularly swept. Brooms and other utensils used in the cleaning and maintenance of magazines must have no spark-producing metal parts, and may be kept in magazines. Floors stained by leakage from explosive materials are to be cleaned according to instructions of the explosives manufacturer. When any explosive material has deteriorated it is to be destroyed in accordance with..
A type 3 magazine is a “day-box” or other portable magazine. It must be fire-resistant, weather-resistant, and theft-resistant. A type 3 magazine is to be constructed of not less than number 12-gauge (.1046 inches) steel, lined with at least either 1/2-inch plywood or 1/2-inch Masonite-type hardboard. Doors must overlap sides by at least one inch. Hinges and hasps are to be attached by welding, riveting or bolting (nuts on inside). One steel padlock (which need not be protected by a steel hood) ..
(a) Explosive materials within a magazine are not to be placed directly against interior walls and must be stored so as not to interfere with ventilation. To prevent contact of stored explosive materials with walls, a nonsparking lattice work or other nonsparking material may be used.
(b) Electric lighting used in any explosives storage magazine must meet the standards prescribed by the “National Electrical Code,” (National Fire Protection Association, NFPA 70-81), for the conditions present in the magazine at any time. All electrical switches are to be located outside of the magazine and also meet the standards prescribed by the National Electrical Code.
|Net weight of firework [^1](Net weight is the weight of all pyrotechnic compositions, and explosive materials and fuse only.) (pounds)|Distance between magazine and inhabited building, passenger railway, or public highway [^3](For fireworks storage magazines in use prior to March 7, 1990, the distances in this table may be halved if properly barricaded between the magazine and potential receptor sites \(55 FR 3717\).)[^4](This table does not apply to the storage of bulk salutes. Use table at § ..
Large capacity ammunition feeding device.
A magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device for a firearm manufactured after September 13, 1994, that has a capacity of, or that can be readily restored or converted to accept, more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The term does not include an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire ammunition, or a fixed device for a manually operated firearm, or a fixed device for a..
(a) Explosive materials in excess of 300,000 pounds or detonators in excess of 20 million are not to be stored in one magazine unless approved by the Director.
|Net weight of fireworks [^1](Net weight is the weight of all pyrotechnic compositions, and explosive materials and fuse only.) (pounds)|Display fireworks [^2](The distances in this column apply only with natural or artificial barricades. If such barricades are not used, the distances must be doubled.) (feet)|Consumer fireworks [^3](While consumer fireworks or articles pyrotechnic in a finished state are not subject to regulation, explosive materials used to manufacture or assemble such firework..