Martyn's Law standard tier: a requirements checklist

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 — Martyn's Law — received Royal Assent in April 2025. The standard tier covers qualifying premises with capacity from 200 to 799. Here's what it actually asks of you, without the scaremongering.

First: does the standard tier apply to you?

In outline, standard-tier duties attach to qualifying premises: places used for purposes set out in the Act (entertainment, leisure, retail, food and drink, and others) where it is reasonable to expect that 200 to 799 individuals may be present at once. From 800, enhanced-tier duties apply instead.

Village halls, community centres, churches, theatres, and venues hosting events are the classic standard-tier cases. Open land with no boundary or access control is generally a different analysis — our events guide covers how outdoor events fit. The Act was given a lengthy implementation period before duties bite, so the immediate job is preparation, not panic — check gov.uk for the current commencement position and official guidance.

What the standard tier requires

The standard tier is deliberately lighter than the enhanced tier. In plain terms, the responsible person must:

• Notify the regulator — the Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the regulator for these duties — that they are responsible for qualifying premises.
• Have public protection procedures in place, so far as reasonably practicable: procedures to be followed if an attack occurs at or near the premises, to reduce the risk of physical harm to people there.

The procedures cover four kinds of response: evacuation (getting people out), invacuation (moving people to safety inside), lockdown (securing the premises against an attacker), and communication (alerting people on site about what to do). There is no standard-tier requirement to buy equipment, hire security staff, or make physical alterations — the duty is about sensible, documented procedures your people can actually follow.

The checklist

• Confirm whether your premises or event qualifies, and at which tier (capacity, use, access control).
• Identify the responsible person (for premises, usually the person in control of the premises' use).
• Draft the four procedures — evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, communication — specific to your building or site: real exits, real refuge spaces, real lock points, a real way to make announcements.
• Name who leads on the day and who deputises; events change staff constantly, so tie roles to positions, not personalities.
• Brief staff and volunteers — a procedure nobody has heard of protects nobody.
• Notify the SIA when the notification duty is in force (check gov.uk for commencement and the process).
• Diarise a review — after any significant change to layout, capacity or use, and periodically regardless.

Doing this well without overdoing it

The legislation was explicitly designed so a village hall doesn't need a counter-terrorism consultant. Good standard-tier procedures fit on a few pages, use the plans you already have (your fire evacuation routes are the starting point for the evacuation procedure — they aren't identical, because sometimes the safest response is to stay in), and get talked through with the people who'd carry them out.

For event organisers, the sensible move is to fold these procedures into your event management plan so the SAG sees one coherent document. ProtectUK publishes free official guidance and training materials worth reading before you write anything.

Common questions

When do I actually have to comply?

The Act received Royal Assent in April 2025, and the government committed to an implementation period of at least two years before duties commence, so premises could prepare. Check gov.uk or ProtectUK for the current commencement dates rather than relying on any third-party summary — including this one.

How is the 200 capacity figure worked out?

It's based on the number of individuals it is reasonable to expect may be present at the same time, considering how the premises are actually used — not the fire capacity plaque or an optimistic guess. Official guidance sets out acceptable methods; document whichever you use.

We hire our village hall out — whose procedures apply during a hirer's event?

The responsible person for qualifying premises is generally whoever controls the premises' use — for a village hall, the management committee. Hirers should be given the procedures (where the exits are, where people assemble, how to make an announcement) as part of the booking pack, the same way fire arrangements are shared now.

Does the standard tier require me to hire security or buy equipment?

No. The standard tier requires notification to the regulator and reasonably practicable public protection procedures — documented, briefed and reviewable. Physical measures and detailed security planning belong to the enhanced tier (800+), and even there the duties are about what is appropriate and proportionate.