Martyn’s Law for churches.

The premises must include a building, be wholly or mainly used for a qualifying activity, reasonably expect 200 or more people at the same time from time to time, and not be excluded. Access limited to members does not itself take a venue outside scope.

The special treatment depends on worship being the principal use. A religious gathering in a town hall does not automatically make that hall a place of worship. If your site includes a separately operated hall, café or visitor attraction, examine how each part is used and controlled.

Check your tierUnderstand qualifying premises

Look at people present together, rather than total attendance across a day. Consider Sunday services, Friday prayers, religious festivals and other predictable busy gatherings. Count employees, contractors and volunteers in the areas used for the qualifying activity, as well as worshippers and visitors.

Use attendance records, seating or another reasonable method. Add staff and volunteers if your starting figure excludes them. For a qualifying group of buildings, add the numbers together. Keep a short explanation of your method and the evidence behind it.

How to count people

The responsible person is whoever controls the premises in connection with their qualifying use. This will often be an organisation. Being the church warden, faith leader or person holding the keys does not, by itself, settle who has legal responsibility.

Record who controls the site and who handles day-to-day preparation. Legal responsibility cannot be delegated to a consultant or volunteer. Where more than one responsible person exists, they must co-ordinate. Share practical arrangements with people running groups and activities.

Understand the responsible person

Standard tier requires appropriate procedures, so far as reasonably practicable, for use when terrorism is suspected. They cover leaving the premises, moving people to a safer place inside, preventing entry or exit, and communicating information. Staff with roles must understand what to do.

Walk through an ordinary service with your volunteers. Consider who can speak to the congregation, which doors they can operate and how people needing assistance would receive information. Do not simply copy your fire assembly arrangements: evacuation procedures should account for a different situation.

• Agree how the duty team will communicate during a busy gathering.
• Consider different rooms, entrances and languages used by your congregation.
• Documenting, practising and reviewing the procedures is recommended; a written plan and formal risk assessment are not standard-tier legal requirements.

Explore the four procedures

Events at qualifying worship premises are excluded from the qualifying-event rules. A large concert there does not become a qualifying event simply because it has tickets and 800 or more people.

A church hall whose principal use is hiring space may need a separate assessment. For premises hired out, responsibility normally stays with the operator. Hire terms can specify what hirers must do, but cannot transfer that legal responsibility.

Read the village hall guideCheck the event criteria

The core duties are not yet enforceable. Commencement is expected in spring 2027, with the exact date still to be confirmed. Gather your attendance evidence and responsible person details now so you can prepare the SIA notification.

The law does not require buying software or specialist services. Wardcote’s standard-tier subscription helps you write procedures, brief staff and volunteers, keep records and prepare notification. You can start free if that support would be useful.

Prepare your SIA notificationWardcote’s standard-tier software