Display handling and traffic with explosive substances
If you wish to handle or trade in explosive substances, for example black or nitrocellulose powder or pyrotechnic articles, for the first time in your commercial activity, you must notify us before starting work.
The safety and health protection of employees and third parties have top priority when handling explosive substances. Compliance with the prescribed protective measures in the commercial sector is a basic prerequisite for this.
Commercial handling and transport must be reported to the competent authority before commencing the activity. This also applies to the sale of pyrotechnic articles (fireworks) of categories F1 and F2.
If you wish to sell fireworks on an annual basis, a one-off notification is sufficient.
A new notification is required if there have been changes since the initial notification (e.g. change of address, changes in the persons responsible).
If you permanently discontinue the sale of fireworks or permanently close the sales facility, you must notify the competent authority.
You can use the linked online process to make the following notifications:
- Sale of pyrotechnic articles (commencement and cessation, change of dates)
- Commencement of operations (commencement and cessation of an activity, opening and closing of a branch, change of data)
You can display the handling of airbag and belt tensioner units here:
Show handling of airbag or belt tensioner units - Serviceportal Baden-Württemberg
Responsible authority
The district police authority responsible for your place of residence
- in urban districts, large district towns and in administrative communities declared to be lower administrative authorities: the municipal administration,
- otherwise the district administration.
Contact
Details
Prerequisite
If a licence is required in accordance with the Explosives Act, this must be obtained prior to commencing operations. As part of this notification, a person authorised to manage the business or each branch must be named.
Procedure
After you have reported the handling and transport of explosive substances, the competent authority will check your report and request additional documents if necessary. If all documents are complete, you have fulfilled your obligation to notify. You may only commence your activities once you have fulfilled the obligation to notify. Depending on the services offered by the competent authority, you may be provided with a form or an online process.
Deadlines
The notification must be submitted at least 2 weeks before commencing work.
Required documents
The following information is required for the notification of the handling and transport of explosive substances:
- Details of the person making the notification,
- Details of the persons responsible,
- Address(es) of the point(s) of sale,
- Copy of the identity card of the person making the notification.
Costs
The fee rates stipulated by the relevant competent authority in the statutes on fees under the Explosives Act apply.
Processing time
None, because advert.
Miscellaneous
The pyrotechnic articles of category F2 listed in § 20 paragraph 4 of the First Ordinance to the Explosives Act may only be distributed and supplied to or used by licence holders in accordance with § 7 paragraph 1 or § 27 paragraph 1 or holders of a certificate of competence in accordance with § 20 paragraph 1 sentence 1 of the Explosives Act. This includes
- Firecrackers and firecracker batteries,
- Rockets with a net explosive mass of more than 20 grams
- Swarmers and
- pyrotechnic articles with a whistle as a single item.
Small quantities of explosive substances may be stored without a licence. The Second Ordinance to the Explosives Act must be complied with. If you wish to store quantities in excess of this, you require a licence in accordance with Section 17 of the Explosives Act.
Legal basis
Gesetz über explosionsgefährliche Stoffe - Sprengstoffgesetz (SprengG)
- § 7 Erlaubnis
- § 14 Anzeigepflicht
- § 17 Lagergenehmigung
Zweite Verordnung zum Sprengstoffgesetz (2. SprengV)
- Anhang zu § 2
- Anlage 6 zum Anhang Aufbewahrung kleiner Mengen im gewerblichen Bereich nach Nummer 4 des Anhangs Maximal zulässige Nettoexplosivstoffmassen/Nettomassen in kg
Sprengstofflager-Richtlinie 410 „Aufbewahrung kleiner Mengen“
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Umweltministerium Baden-Württemberg, 10.07.2025