If you run pyrotechnic displays in New South Wales, the neighbour notice is usually the last job on the list and the most tedious. This is the part that takes ten seconds instead of an afternoon.
The SafeWork NSW fireworks display notification form requires you to notify three parties, and it is worth being precise about them because people often assume residents are on the list.
| Who | Notice period |
|---|---|
| NSW Police | At least 2 working days |
| Fire and Rescue NSW, or the RFS | At least 2 working days |
| The local council | At least 7 working days |
Residents are not on that list. Notifying neighbours is not a statewide legal requirement for a fireworks display.
Three reasons, and all of them matter more than the legislation.
Councils add it as a condition. Plenty of NSW councils require resident notification as a condition of using their land, or as part of the event approval. The radius and the notice period vary by council, so check the conditions on your approval rather than assuming.
Complaints cost you the next booking. A street that knew about the display rings the venue afterwards to say it was great. A street that did not know rings the council.
Animals. This is the one residents actually care about. People with horses, dogs and livestock need warning so they can bring animals in or medicate them. A notice a week out is the difference between a non event and a very angry phone call.
There is no standard, because it depends on the shells and the terrain. As a rough guide from what operators tend to use:
If the council has specified a distance, use theirs.
If your display is not in the register yet, or the address did not match, search for it manually or drop the pin on the firing point.
Keep it to one side of A5 and cover the things people want to know.
Deliver it at least a week out where you can. Two days is enough for the agencies, and nowhere near enough for someone with a nervous horse.
Every approved NSW display, matched to its address, with the notification list one tap away.
