Who issues a temporary cracker shop licence?

The district magistrate or local authority grants it, after a police NOC and a fire department NOC. In some cities the municipal body also requires a trade licence before the stall opens.

What is Form 4 for a cracker licence?

Form 4 is the application form for a licence to possess and sell fireworks under the Explosives Rules. It is submitted to the district licensing authority along with ID proof, a site plan by a registered architect, a notarised affidavit and photographs of the site.

What documents are needed for a temporary Diwali stall licence?

Identity and address proof with photos, a site plan drawn by a registered architect, a notarised affidavit, proof of ownership or an owner’s NOC for the site, and photographs of the premises from four directions showing the open space around the stall.

Can a person under 18 get a cracker stall licence?

No. The applicant must be at least 18 years old, and licences are not issued to minors. The licence holder should be the person actually running the stall.

Does a temporary cracker licence carry over to next year?

No. It is issued for one season and you must apply fresh every year. Districts can change conditions, venues and stall counts from year to year, so check the current year’s notification before applying.

When should I apply for a Diwali stall licence?

The day your district opens applications, usually well before the season. Processing runs through police and fire inspections and can take weeks, and licences often reach applicants only days before Diwali.

How to get a temporary cracker shop licence for Diwali

Licences & Compliance · 15 August 2026

Every October the same scene repeats outside district offices across the country: stall owners standing in queue with a folder of photocopies, hoping the licence comes through before Diwali. Some years it is issued with days to spare. Some years the papers arrive after the best selling days are gone.

The process itself is not complicated. It is a fixed list of documents, a fixed application form, and a fixed chain of approvals. What kills people is starting late. This is the whole process, start to finish, so you can begin the moment your district opens applications.

Who actually grants the licence

A temporary stall licence is granted by the district magistrate or the local authority, not directly by PESO. Before the licence is signed, the application is routed for a police NOC and a fire department NOC, and in many cities the municipal body adds its own trade permission on top; GHMC in Hyderabad, for example, requires a trade licence plus police and fire approval before a stall can open. So there are three or four desks between your application and your licence, and each one takes its own time. Processing runs anywhere from a week to a month depending on the local authority, and that routing is the reason early applications matter.

The Form 4 application

The application for a licence to possess and sell fireworks goes in on Form 4. Many states now take it through an online single-window portal, others still on paper at the collectorate. The applicant must be 18 years or older; no licence is issued to a minor, and putting the stall in a son’s or nephew’s name does not work if he is under 18.

Documents to keep ready

Proof of identity and proof of address, with passport-size photos
A site plan of the stall location drawn by a registered architect, showing distances to surrounding structures
A notarised affidavit in the format your district prescribes
Proof of ownership of the site, or the owner’s NOC if the ground is rented or allotted
Photographs of the premises from all four directions, showing the open space around the stall

The site plan and the affidavit are the two that delay people, because both need a third party: an architect for one, a notary for the other. Get these made in September, before the rush, and the rest of the file is photocopies you can assemble in an afternoon.

Districts differ on the small details. Some take everything through an online portal like Assam’s Sewa Setu, some want physical files at the collectorate, some allot stall positions in a common ground by lottery and only then accept applications for those positions. The list above is the common core; the exact checklist for your district is on this year’s notification, so read it rather than reusing last year’s file blindly.

Step by step

Find out where your district takes applications: the collectorate, the tahsildar’s office, or an online portal. Ask last year’s licence holders; they know the exact counter.
Get the site plan drawn by a registered architect and the affidavit notarised.
Assemble the file: Form 4, ID and address proof, photos, site photos from four directions, ownership proof or owner NOC.
Submit the application the day the window opens, and keep the acknowledgement.
Cooperate with the police and fire inspections; the officers visit the site before their NOCs are issued.
Collect the licence, read the conditions printed on it, and keep it displayed at the stall through the season.

The conditions that come with it

The licence is not a blank permission; it comes with safety conditions, and the fire department checks them. The usual set: minimum spacing between stalls (3 m is common, with a cap of around 10 stalls in a group), fire extinguishers and water drums at the stall, certified electrical wiring, and no naked flames, no lamps, no smoking anywhere near the counter. Violating a printed condition is the fastest way to lose the licence mid-season, with your full stock sitting in the stall.

Expect at least one surprise visit during the season. The officers who signed the NOCs come back to see whether the extinguishers are actually at the stall and the wiring is what the electrician certified. Keep the licence, the NOCs and your purchase bills in one folder at the counter; a check that ends in five minutes is a check that went well.

It expires with the season

A temporary licence is exactly that: it dies with the season, and you apply fresh every year. Nothing carries over automatically, and a district can change its conditions, its venue allotments or its stall count from one year to the next. Treat the application as a fixed item on your season calendar, the same as booking stock from Sivakasi, and start the paperwork when you place the booking, not when the pandal goes up.

Since the licence often lands only days before Diwali, everything else should be ready before it arrives: stock booked, rates fixed, and your billing set up so you can start selling the hour the stall opens. An app like Crackers Billing Software lets you load your price list and print your licence number on bills before the season starts, so the paperwork is not competing with your best sales days.

Apply the day the window opens. Licences routinely arrive days before Diwali even for early applicants; a late application can mean a licence that arrives after the season is over.

Frequently asked questions

Who issues a temporary cracker shop licence?: The district magistrate or local authority grants it, after a police NOC and a fire department NOC. In some cities the municipal body also requires a trade licence before the stall opens.
What is Form 4 for a cracker licence?: Form 4 is the application form for a licence to possess and sell fireworks under the Explosives Rules. It is submitted to the district licensing authority along with ID proof, a site plan by a registered architect, a notarised affidavit and photographs of the site.
What documents are needed for a temporary Diwali stall licence?: Identity and address proof with photos, a site plan drawn by a registered architect, a notarised affidavit, proof of ownership or an owner’s NOC for the site, and photographs of the premises from four directions showing the open space around the stall.
Can a person under 18 get a cracker stall licence?: No. The applicant must be at least 18 years old, and licences are not issued to minors. The licence holder should be the person actually running the stall.
Does a temporary cracker licence carry over to next year?: No. It is issued for one season and you must apply fresh every year. Districts can change conditions, venues and stall counts from year to year, so check the current year’s notification before applying.
When should I apply for a Diwali stall licence?: The day your district opens applications, usually well before the season. Processing runs through police and fire inspections and can take weeks, and licences often reach applicants only days before Diwali.

Sources

This guide is general information for the crackers trade, not legal, tax or safety advice. Rules change by state and by year; confirm the current position with your licensing authority or accountant.