If 200 or more people could be in your hall at the same time, yes.
If fewer, no. Write the number down anyway, with how you got to it, because the question will come up again.
That is the whole test. Not how often you're that busy, not whether you sell tickets, not whether you're a charity. The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, known as Martyn's Law after Martyn Hett, who was killed in the Manchester Arena attack, applies to premises where 200 or more people may reasonably be expected to be present at once. Village halls, community centres and church halls are named in the guidance as the kind of place it covers.
How to count
Count the most people who could reasonably be inside at one time, including the people running the event. Three places to look:
- Your fire risk assessment. It usually states a maximum occupancy for the main hall. Start there.
- Your premises licence, if you have one. It may state a capacity for licensed events.
- Your busiest regular booking. The Christmas fair, the wedding, the panto. Count the room, the kitchen, the stage, the bar and the volunteers, together.
If you only have floor area, the capacity calculator estimates it room by room, using the same floor-space factors fire assessors use. It is a starting point, not a legal answer.
Two things that catch halls out: a big one-off event counts even if it happens once a year, and the figure is people, not seats.
What tier you're in
| Most people at once | Tier | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Under 200 | Not in scope | No duties under the Act. Keep a note of the figure and how you worked it out. |
| 200 to 799 | Standard tier | Four written procedures, the people who run the hall know them, and you tell the SIA who your responsible person is once the law is in force. No inspection, no fee, no equipment. |
| 800 or more | Enhanced tier | Everything in the standard tier plus protective measures, a written assessment sent to the regulator, and a named senior person. Rare for a hall. |
Churches, chapels and other places of worship stay at the standard tier however big they are. So do schools and nurseries.
What the standard tier actually asks of you
Less than most committees fear. There is no inspection to pass, no certificate to buy and no consultant you have to hire. The standard tier asks for four things, written down and known by your people:
- Getting everyone out. Which way out, and where people gather. Usually your fire evacuation plan with the assembly point checked.
- Bringing people inside. If the danger is outside, which room is safest and how people get there without passing big windows or outside doors.
- Keeping a threat out. Which doors can be locked or held, and what to do if none of them lock.
- Telling people what's happening. Who speaks, how (the PA, a loud voice from the stage), and what they say.
The guidance calls these "public protection procedures". They are meant to be short and practical, written for the person running the bingo on a Tuesday, not for a lawyer.
You also need to be able to show that the people who run events know them. A committee minute saying they were circulated is weak. A record of who read them, and when, is strong.
What to do first
- Write your capacity figure down, with the date and where it came from. If it's under 200, you're done; review it if the hall's use changes.
- Walk the building with a pen. Which doors lock? Which room has the fewest windows? Where's the assembly point? Most of the four procedures write themselves from that walk.
- Write the four procedures in plain words, one side of paper each. Name people by role, not by name, so they survive a change of committee.
- Get everyone who runs events to read them, and keep a record of who has.
- Review them once a year, and whenever the building changes.
Common questions
- We're a charity run by volunteers. Does it still apply?
- Yes. The Act is about the premises and the number of people, not who runs it or whether anyone is paid.
- We hire the hall out. Who is responsible, us or the hirer?
- The person responsible for the premises, which is usually the management committee or trustees. Your hire agreement should say that hirers follow your procedures.
- Is there a deadline?
- The Act was passed in April 2025. The Government expects it to come into force in spring 2027 and has said it will confirm the exact date ahead of time. The sensible position is to have the four procedures in place well before then; they are good practice regardless, and insurers increasingly ask.
- Do we need a risk assessment?
- Not at the standard tier. The enhanced tier (800 or more) does.
- Will someone inspect us?
- The Security Industry Authority is the regulator. It has said its approach to the standard tier will be advice first. There is no scheduled inspection regime for halls.
Where The Venue Record fits
It works out your tier from your capacity, drafts the four procedures from about a dozen questions about your building, and sends them to your volunteers to read on their phones, keeping a record of who has. It keeps the record that lets you show what you've done.
Get early accessOpening to the first venues soon. Leave your email and you'll be first in. Nothing is marked current until a named person at your hall confirms it.
This guide is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Check the current guidance from the Home Office and the Security Industry Authority, and ask your insurer what they expect.