Type-1 Storage Requirements
High explosives (including blasting caps, detonating cord, dynamite, shaped charges, boosters, etc.) must be stored in Type-1 permanent magazines. Blasting agents stored with high explosives must be stored in Type-1 or Type-2 magazine. Low explosives must be stored in Type-1, -2, or -4 magazines.
Type-1 permanent magazines must be:
- Bullet-resistant
- Fire-resistant
- Weather-resistant
- Theft-resistant
- Inspected at least once every 7 days
Type-1 Storage Specifications
- Locations of Outdoor Magazines
- No closer to inhabited buildings, passenger railways, public highways, or other magazines than minimum distances specified in Tables of Distances
(https://www.atf.gov/explosives/table-distances)
- Locations of Indoor Magazines
- May not be located in a residence or dwelling
- Vehicular Magazines (used only for low explosive storage)
- Immobilize by removing wheels or installing a kingpin locking device when unattended
Type-1 Housekeeping and Construction
- Hinges and hasps must be installed so that they cannot be removed when doors are closed and locked. They must be attached to doors by:
- Welding, Riveting, or Bolting (nuts inside door)
- Locks must be protected by ¼″ steel hoods to prevent theft. This doesn’t apply to doors secured on inside via bolt, lock, or bar that cannot be actuated from the outside. Each door must have:
- 2 mortise locks
○ 2 padlocks fastened in separate hasps & staples
■ Padlocks must have at least 5 tumblers and casehardened shackles (at least a 3/8″ diameter)
○ A combination of mortise lock and padlock
○ A mortise lock requiring 2 keys; or a 3-point lock
- Lighting must meet National Electrical Code and/or NFPA 70-81 standards
- Electrical switches and wiring must be located outside of the magazine
■ Battery-activated safety lights or lanterns are acceptable
- Ground must slope away for drainage or provide other acceptable means for drainage
- Magazines must be clean, dry, and free of grit, paper, empty packages/containers and trash
- Spark-producing utensils cannot be stored in magazine
- Explosive leakage stains must be cleaned
- Deteriorated explosives must be destroyed per manufacturer instructions
- The surrounding area must be kept clear of trash, brush, dry grass, or trees (less than 10′ tall), for no less than 25′ radius
- Volatile materials must be kept at least 50′ away from outdoor magazines ● Live foliage to stabilize an earthen covering is acceptable
Item | Requirements |
Foundation | Brick, concrete, cement block, stone, or wood posts. If piers or posts are used in lieu of continuous foundation, the space under buildings must be enclosed with metal. |
Floors
|
Strong enough to bear maximum storage weight and non-sparking (pallets constructed of, or covered with, non-sparking material is acceptable). |
Masonry Wall | Brick, concrete, tile, cement block, or cinder block no less than 6” thick. Hollow masonry spaces filled with well-tamped, coarse, dry sand or weak concrete (1 part cement to 8 parts sand with water to dampen while tamping). |
Metal Wall | Fabricated sectional sheet steel or aluminum (no less than 14-gauge) securely fastened to metal framework. Interior walls lined with brick, solid cement blocks, hardwood (no less than 4” thick) or at least 6” sand fill between interior and exterior walls. |
Interior Walls (Masonry and metal walls) | Constructed of, or covered with, non-sparking material. Ferrous metal nails in floor and walls must be blind nailed, countersunk, or covered with non-sparking material. |
Wood Wall | Exterior walls must be covered with iron or aluminum no less than 26-gauge. Inner walls must be covered with non-sparking material constructed to provide at least 6″ space between outer and inner walls. Space filled with coarse dry sand or weak concrete. |
Ventilation (no openings except for entrances and ventilation)
|
Ventilation must be provided to prevent dampness and heating of explosives. Vent openings must be screened. Openings in side walls and foundations must be offset or shielded for bullet-resistance. Magazines with foundation and roof ventilators with air circulating between side walls and floors, or |
side walls and ceiling must have a wooden lattice lining (or equivalent) to prevent stacking explosives against walls. | |
Roof (bullet-resistant ceiling /roof) | For buildings without fabricated metal roofs, outer roof must be covered with no less than 26-guage iron or aluminum, fastened to at least 7/8″ sheathing.
If a bullet could be fired directly through the roof into magazine at an angle to strike explosives, the roof must: ● Include a sand tray lined with a layer of nonporous material, filled with at least 4″ coarse, dry sand—located at tops of inner walls covering entire ceiling area (except ventilation); or ● Be a fabricated metal roof of 3/16″ plate steel lined with 4″ hardwood. (For each additional 1/6″ plate steel, hardwood lining may be decreased by 1″.) ● For roofs not of fabricated metal, outer roof must be covered with no less than 26-guage iron or aluminum, fastened to at least 7/8″ sheathing. |
Doors | Must be constructed of at least ¼″ plate steel and lined with at least 2″ hardwood |
Igloo, “Army-type structure”, tunnel, and dugout | Must be built of reinforced concrete, metal, masonry, or combination. If not bullet- resistant, must have earth mound covering of |
at least 24” on top, sides and rear. Interior walls and floors must be constructed of, or covered with, non-sparking material. |
Sources: ATF Publication 5400.17 (May 2016) and atf.gov.
© 2018 K.L. Security.