Free Martyn's Law Compliance Checklist

Everything a Standard Tier venue (200 to 799 capacity) needs to do before the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 commences, updated for the statutory guidance the Home Office published on 15 April 2026. Work through it on screen, or get the PDF version below to print or share. Each item is marked as either legally required or recommended best practice.

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Before You Start: Scope and Notification

Before working on procedures, confirm that your venue is actually in scope and understand who is legally responsible.

Assess your maximum capacity (everyone on site at the same time: customers, staff and volunteers, contractors) and confirm which tier that puts you in: 200 to 799 is standard tier, 800 or more is enhanced. Use our capacity calculator if you're not sure.RequiredConfirm your premises is used for one of the 17 Schedule 1 categories (pubs, restaurants, shops, entertainment, places of worship, etc.).RequiredIdentify the responsible person (the person with operational control of the premises, not necessarily the property owner).RequiredPlan to notify the SIA when its notification portal opens. This is free of charge. The portal is expected to open when the Act commences, likely Spring 2027.RequiredSkim the Home Office statutory guidance (published 15 April 2026). The main document is long, but Supplementary Document A is worth a look if your capacity is borderline: it sets out the approved assessment methods.Recommended

What You Need to Buy

Nothing. For Standard Tier premises, the Act asks for procedures and communication, not equipment. The government's own guidance says compliance needs ‘neither particular expertise nor the use of third-party products or services’. So if a supplier tells you Martyn's Law means new door hardware, CCTV, or a consultant's report, that's a sales pitch. The Act doesn't ask for any of it.

The Act does not require Standard Tier venues to have:

CCTV, barriers, bollards, or metal detectors
Physical alterations to the building
Bag searches or vehicle checks
A paid training course or qualification for staff and volunteers
A security consultant or risk assessor
A written document submitted to the SIA (that's an enhanced tier duty)

Everything on this checklist can be done with the building and the people you already have.

Evacuation Procedures

Getting people safely out of your premises and away from the threat. This is not the same as fire evacuation. In a terrorism scenario, you may need to avoid specific exits and assembly points that are near the danger.

Identify all exit routes (primary and secondary, including fire exits and back doors) and know where each one leads: car park, street, alley, another building.RequiredDesignate who initiates an evacuation (typically the duty or shift manager).RequiredPlan how staff and volunteers will guide people out, including directing them away from specific exits if the threat is nearby.RequiredPlan for people with disabilities or reduced mobility. How will they evacuate? Who assists them?RequiredIdentify assembly points, but accept they may need to change depending on the threat location.RecommendedWalk each exit route yourself. Check for obstructions, locked gates, or anything that would slow people down.Recommended

Invacuation Procedures

Bringing people inside, or to safer parts of the building, when the threat is outside. This is the procedure most venues haven't thought about, because fire safety never required it.

Identify safer internal areas: rooms without external windows, interior corridors, storage rooms with solid doors and strong locks. Where you have upper floors, they offer better protection from explosives at street level.RequiredPlan how staff and volunteers will direct people to these areas.RequiredThink about extended shelter. If people are inside for hours, do they have access to water, toilets, lighting, and a way to communicate with emergency services?RecommendedCheck that locks and doors in your safer areas actually work. Test them.Recommended

Lockdown Procedures

Securing every way into your premises so nobody can enter or leave. The key question: could your team lock the building down in under two minutes?

List every entry and exit point (front doors, back doors, fire exits, windows, loading bays, beer garden gates) and how each one can be secured: lock, bolt, shutter, barricade.RequiredNominate specific named individuals who are responsible for securing each point.RequiredConfirm that lockdown can be reversed quickly (a fire could start during an incident; locked doors must open from inside).RequiredPlan for lights off, blinds closed, and phones on silent during lockdown.RecommendedTime a practice lockdown. How long does it actually take?Recommended

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Communication Procedures

How you alert your team, inform the public, and contact emergency services. The most common gap here: relying on the fire alarm, which sends people straight to assembly points that might be where the threat is.

Designate who initiates a security alert, and choose an alert method for your team that is distinct from the fire alarm: radios, PA system, code words, WhatsApp group.RequiredPlan how customers and visitors will be given clear instructions during an incident.RequiredMake sure staff and volunteers know how to call 999 and what information to provide: location, nature of threat, number of people on site, building access points.RequiredPlan how you'll communicate with people who have hearing impairments, visual impairments, or don't speak English.RequiredKeep a list of emergency contacts (including the Anti-Terrorism Hotline: 0800 789 321) somewhere everyone on the team can find it.Recommended

Staff and Volunteer Awareness

The Act doesn't require specific training courses or qualifications. But procedures are useless if your staff and volunteers don't know them. The test: if an SIA inspector asked a random team member to explain your evacuation procedure, could they?

Communicate procedures to everyone who works at your venue: full-time and part-time staff, casual workers, volunteers, and contractors.RequiredBrief new starters on procedures during induction, before they start working.RequiredGive people with specific roles a deeper briefing: duty managers who'd coordinate a response, and anyone nominated to secure an entry point during lockdown.RecommendedPut up a one-page procedures summary somewhere the whole team will see it.RecommendedHave all staff and volunteers complete the free ACT Awareness e-Learning (45 minutes, covers threat recognition, suspicious items, and armed attack response).RecommendedRun a tabletop exercise at least once a year using ACT in a BOX (free, 90 minutes, no facilitator needed).Recommended

Documentation and Evidence

Standard tier doesn't legally require a written PPP submitted to the SIA. But when an inspector visits and asks to see your procedures, you'll want something to show them. Written documentation is the simplest proof that your procedures exist.

Write your procedures down in a single document covering all four areas (evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, communication). See our PPP guide for a section-by-section breakdown.RecommendedInclude premises details: address, Schedule 1 use, maximum capacity, responsible person, and a basic layout description.RecommendedKeep training records for staff and volunteers: who was briefed, when, and on what. A simple spreadsheet or sign-off sheet works.RecommendedStore a copy of your procedures somewhere the whole team can get at it (not locked in a drawer the duty manager can't find).RecommendedKeep everything an inspector would ask for in one place: your written procedures, training records, and the date of your last review. The SIA normally gives 72 hours notice before a visit, so you'll have time to gather it, but far less stress if it's already together.Recommended

Review and Maintenance

Procedures go stale. That exit you mapped six months ago might have a skip parked in front of it. The staff member you nominated for lockdown might have left. Review regularly.

Set an annual review date and stick to it.RecommendedReview procedures whenever something significant changes: new layout, refurbishment, change of use, a big turnover of staff or volunteers.RecommendedWalk the premises after any changes to check that exit routes, lockdown points, and safer areas still work as planned.RecommendedUpdate briefings for staff and volunteers when procedures change. Don't assume they'll notice.RecommendedRecord who conducted the review, what changed, and when the next review is due.Recommended

What Next? Notify the SIA

Standard Tier compliance comes down to two legal duties. This checklist mostly covers the first: procedures in place, and a team that knows them. The second is notifying the Security Industry Authority (SIA) about your premises, which you can't do yet because the portal isn't expected to open until the Act commences. Our guide to notifying the SIA explains what the portal will ask for and what to have ready.

Skip the Paperwork

This checklist gives you the full picture. But if you'd rather not build everything from scratch, Standard Tier sorts this out in one sitting. Answer the questions about your venue, get your procedures generated, set up a training portal for your staff and volunteers with QR code access, and have an audit trail ready for when the SIA comes knocking.

7-day free trial · No card required · From £18/month after that

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this checklist all I need to comply with Martyn's Law?

It covers every requirement and recommended action for Standard Tier compliance. But each venue is different. Your procedures need to be appropriate for your specific premises, layout, and circumstances. The checklist gives you the framework. You fill in the details.

Do I legally need to complete every item on this checklist?

Items marked 'required' reflect the two statutory duties: notifying the SIA and having public protection procedures in place. Items marked 'recommended' aren't legally mandated but will help you demonstrate compliance if an inspector visits.

When do I need to have this done by?

Enforcement is expected from Spring 2027 at the earliest. The rules are now settled: the Home Office published its final statutory guidance on 15 April 2026, so there's nothing left to wait for. Starting now gives you plenty of time to get it right without rushing.

Do I need CCTV or other security equipment?

No. Standard Tier compliance is about procedures, not products. The Home Office is explicit that no physical alterations or equipment purchases are required. Be wary of suppliers who bundle Martyn's Law compliance with door hardware, camera systems, or security installations: those may be worthwhile for other reasons, but the Act doesn't require them.

What will an SIA inspector actually check?

For Standard Tier premises, inspectors will check that procedures exist for all four areas, that they make sense for your specific building, and that your staff and volunteers can explain them. They won't be looking for purchased equipment, consultancy reports, or formal qualifications. The SIA has said its approach is support first, with formal enforcement reserved for serious or persistent non-compliance.

Can I use my existing fire safety plan?

Partly. Your fire safety plan already covers evacuation routes and assembly points. But Martyn's Law adds terrorism-specific procedures: invacuation, lockdown, and dynamic communication where you direct people away from the threat rather than to a fixed assembly point.

Do I need to hire a security consultant?

No. The government has been clear that standard tier compliance needs 'neither particular expertise nor the use of third-party products or services'. This is designed to be a straightforward self-assessment.

How do I get the PDF version?

Enter your email in the box near the top of the page and you'll get the checklist as a free PDF to print or share. You can also print the page itself with your browser's print function (Ctrl+P on Windows, Cmd+P on Mac).

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Citation

Standard Tier (2026). Free Martyn's Law Compliance Checklist for Standard Tier Venues. Available at: https://www.standardtier.co.uk/guide/martyns-law-compliance-checklist

Last reviewed: 2 July 2026. Based on the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, the Home Office statutory guidance published 15 April 2026, and the Home Office factsheets. Items marked ‘required’ reflect the statutory duties in Sections 5 and 9 of the Act. Items marked ‘recommended’ are best practice based on official guidance but are not legally mandated for standard tier venues.

This guide is general information about the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, not legal advice. Duties under the Act rest on the responsible person for each venue and cannot be transferred. If you're unsure how a specific requirement applies to your premises, take advice from a solicitor or qualified security adviser before acting on anything you read here.

Standard Tier is an independent platform and is not affiliated with the UK Home Office, the SIA, or any government body.