The 200-person check

How many people does Martyn’s Law count?

Martyn’s Law counts the most people you reasonably expect at your premises at the same time, including staff and volunteers. Add up your busiest foreseeable occasion below to see where you stand.

Your busiest foreseeable occasion

Think of the moment the building is fullest: the Christmas concert, the summer fair, a wedding, the cup final. Count everyone there together.

Visitors, audience or congregationSeated and standing, at the busiest momentPerformers, players or participantsChoirs, bands, teams, speakers, exhibitorsStaff and volunteersEveryone helping run the occasionAnyone else on siteContractors, caterers, stallholders, a hirer’s helpersThe building is mainly a place of worship, a school, a childcare setting or a further education college

Total at the same time

Enter your numbers to see which threshold you reach.

How the count works

Count people present at the same time, not the total through the door over a day.
Include everyone: the public, staff, volunteers, contractors and performers.
Use the numbers you can reasonably expect, including foreseeable busy occasions, even if they only happen now and then.
Your fire safety capacity is a ceiling, not the test. Use ticket sales, headcounts or booking records as evidence.
Write down how you worked it out. You may need to explain your reasoning, and the SIA will ask for a number when you notify.

More detail: how to count people for Martyn’s Law, what the standard tier means and the Home Office statutory guidance.

Print a worksheet

Working it out with a committee or team? The printable worksheet takes you through the same count on paper: your occasions, everyone there at the busiest moment, expected numbers against capacity, and where you fall against 200 and 800. Free: enter your email to print.

Open the printable worksheet

More printable templates, including an attendance evidence log, are in the free venue preparation pack.

Questions

Is the 200 figure my fire safety capacity?

No. Your fire risk assessment’s maximum capacity is a safety ceiling. Martyn’s Law looks at the most people you reasonably expect to be there at the same time. A hall licensed for 300 that never has more than 150 together is counted at 150.

Do staff and volunteers count?

Yes. The Act counts everyone present together, including staff, volunteers, contractors and performers, not just the public.

We only reach 200 once a year. Does that count?

Usually yes. The test covers numbers reasonably expected from time to time, so a foreseeable busy occasion such as a yearly concert or fair counts. A genuinely unforeseeable, one-off crowd does not set your number.

What if we are part of a bigger site?

Count the premises you operate. If your hall is part of a larger site, or you run a group of buildings, the statutory guidance explains how to treat them. The full tier check walks through it.

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