Published by ChinaMNC · Suichang

Fireworks Rules in Lishui: What Foreign Founders Need to Know

A practical guide for foreign founders on Lishui's fireworks regulations, covering prohibited zones, licensing, penalties, and compliance obligations for businesses.

Lishui Fireworks Regulations: Compliance Guide for Foreign Founders

If you are registering or operating a company in Lishui, Zhejiang Province, understanding local fireworks rules is essential—especially if your business involves events, retail, or services that might intersect with fireworks use. The Lishui Fireworks Business and Discharge Management Regulations, originally adopted in 2020 and amended in 2025 and 2026, set out clear requirements. Below is a summary of the key provisions foreign founders should note.

Where Fireworks Are Banned

The regulations designate specific areas where both selling and setting off fireworks are prohibited. These include:

• Street areas, built-up town areas, and contiguous village built-up areas where township governments are located within Liandu District;
• Built-up urban areas, built-up town areas, and contiguous village built-up areas where county (city) governments are located;
• Urbanized areas of provincial-level or higher development zones (parks);
• Other areas designated and announced by city, county (city, district) governments.

During the Spring Festival, if fireworks business or discharge is truly necessary in these prohibited areas, local governments may determine and announce the time, location, types, and specifications allowed, based on safety, environmental protection, and legality.

Additional No-Discharge Locations

Even outside the prohibited business and discharge zones, fireworks are banned at specific locations, including:

• Government office buildings;
• Cultural relic protection units, historic districts, traditional villages, and traditional buildings;
• Transport hubs such as stations, ports, and airports, and railway safety protection zones;
• Reservoirs, ponds, and their floodplains below the highest water line, and drinking water source protection areas;
• Medical institutions, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, nursing homes, social welfare institutions, and religious venues;
• Museums, commodity trading markets, entertainment venues, parking lots, and other crowded places;
• Units producing, operating, or storing flammable and explosive materials, and key fire safety units;
• Power transmission and transformation facility protection zones;
• Military facility locations;
• Forest and other key fire prevention areas;
• Other locations prohibited by laws, regulations, rules, or county-level or higher government announcements.

Business Licensing and Retail Network Requirements

Outside prohibited business areas, retail outlets for fireworks are set up by emergency management departments, following principles of total quantity control, safety, and rational layout, after consulting township governments and sub-district offices, and are announced publicly.

Wholesale enterprises and retail operators must obtain a fireworks business license from the emergency management department and operate according to the types and term specified in the license.

Wholesale enterprises must establish business records, truthfully recording product names, specifications, quantities, shelf life, sales time, purchasing units, and other details, retain relevant vouchers, and keep them for three years for inspection.

Storage Limits and Service Provider Obligations

Except for wholesale enterprises, retail operators, and fireworks manufacturers, any unit or individual may not store more than 30 kilograms of fireworks in total.

Units and individuals providing wedding, funeral, and related services must inform clients about fireworks prohibition at no-discharge locations and must not provide fireworks discharge services there.

Penalties for Violations

Penalties are enforced by public security and emergency management departments:

• Licensed wholesalers or retailers operating in prohibited areas: ordered to stop, illegal fireworks and gains confiscated, fines of 20,000–50,000 RMB for wholesalers and 2,000–20,000 RMB for retailers.
• Operating beyond licensed types or term: ordered to stop, illegal fireworks and gains confiscated, fines of 20,000–100,000 RMB.
• Wholesalers failing to establish or retain business records: ordered to correct within a time limit; if not corrected, fines of 1,000–10,000 RMB.
• Discharging fireworks in prohibited areas or violating discharge rules: ordered to stop, fines of 100–500 RMB; wedding/funeral service providers offering discharge services: fines of 1,000–5,000 RMB.
• Defacing or damaging no-discharge warning signs: ordered to correct, may be fined 100–500 RMB.
• Storing more than 30 kg: fireworks confiscated, may be fined 100–500 RMB.

Administrative penalties that qualify as bad information under the Zhejiang Public Credit Information Management Regulations will be recorded in credit files.

What This Means for Foreign Founders

If your company operates in Lishui, ensure you are aware of these rules, especially if your business involves event planning, hospitality, retail, or services for weddings and funerals. Compliance with licensing, storage limits, and discharge restrictions is mandatory. Local authorities publish specific prohibited zones and any seasonal allowances, so check official announcements regularly.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.

For assistance with company registration and operations in China, foreign founders can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp / WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535.