Explore May’s By-law of the Month

May 20, 2022 1:00 p.m.

Learn everything you need to know about Vaughan’s Fireworks and Pyrotechnics By-law 

By-laws are put in place to ensure a safe and orderly community for all who live, work and play in Vaughan. Each month, the City of Vaughan will explore a different by-law and what it means for you. This month, let’s take a look at the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics By-law 089-2022 (PDF).

Here are the basics

The City is committed to ensuring everyone using fireworks is aware of the rules surrounding firework use, so they can be enjoyed, safely, by all. If you are setting off fireworks, you are responsible for what happens to it before and after it is lit.

Fireworks can only be set off on Victoria Day or Canada Day, and until 11 p.m. To use fireworks on any day other than Victoria Day or Canada Day, you must apply for a Fireworks Display Permit (PDF) from the City. With a permit, fireworks may be set off until 10 p.m. A firework permit may take up to 10 business days to process once received. 

Fireworks are only allowed on your property. It is illegal to set off fireworks in a park, roadway, sidewalk or any other public property. They must not be set off where the discharge, smoke or fallout of the fireworks can land on another person or their property, or where it creates a threat of injury or fire.

Updates to the by-law

Recently, the City updated the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics By-law 089-2022 (PDF) to further enhance the safety of Vaughan citizens. The following amendments were added to the by-law:

  • Fireworks must not be set off from any window, doorway, balcony, terrace or deck in a multi-residential property, or from any common area of the property.
  • The safety brochure that fireworks vendors are required to give to all purchasers of consumer fireworks must include regulatory requirements
  • The terms and conditions of the Fireworks Display Permit (PDF), as authorized by the Fire Chief, can be more restrictive than the requirements of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics By-law 089-2022 (PDF).
  • Any person violating the by-law may be fined $200 for each offence.

Using fireworks in Vaughan

With the long weekend around the corner, Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service is providing tips for using fireworks to ensure everyone has a safe Victoria Day.

Remember the following firework safety guidelines:

  • Only adults who are aware of the hazards and essential safety precautions should handle and discharge fireworks.
  • Onlookers should be a safe distance away and upwind from where fireworks are discharged.
  • Fireworks should not be lit close to combustible materials like homes, buildings, fences, wires, forested areas and dry grass, or if there are strong winds.
  • Always keep a water hose or pail of water close by when discharging fireworks.
  • Light only one firework at a time and only when they are on the ground in a bucket of sand. Never light a firework in your hand. 
  • Never reignite a firework that did not go off properly the first time. Place non-operating fireworks in a bucket of water.
  • Dispose of all fireworks responsibly by soaking them in water before transferring them to the garbage.

To report firework misuse, call Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281. To learn more about the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics By-law 089-2022 (PDF) and fireworks safety, visit vaughan.ca/fireworks.

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