Do I have to comply with Martyn's Law now?

No. There is no duty to comply until the Act commences, which is expected in spring 2027. The period before that is preparation time.

Which tier applies to my premises?

Standard duty covers premises where 200 to 799 individuals may reasonably be expected to be present at the same time. Enhanced duty covers 800 or more.

Does the capacity figure include staff?

Yes. The test is the number of individuals who may reasonably be expected to be present at the same time, which includes staff as well as visitors.

Specialisms

Martyn's Law

Work out where you stand, then work out what to do.

Commencement is expected in spring 2027. The section 27 statutory guidance is published and the SIA's enforcement guidance is finalising. If your assessment turns up something needing a layout change or a contract renegotiation, the time to find that is now.

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Status

Royal Assent April 2025. Section 27 statutory guidance published April 2026. SIA section 12 consultation closed June 2026, final guidance due autumn 2026. Commencement expected spring 2027.

Scope

Two tiers, decided by how many people may reasonably be present.

Standard duty

200 to 799 individuals

Notify the regulator, appoint a responsible person, and put in place public protection procedures: evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication. Maximum penalty £10,000, with a daily penalty up to £500.

Enhanced duty

800 or more individuals

Everything above, plus reasonably practicable public protection measures to reduce vulnerability, documented and provided to the regulator. Maximum penalty £18 million or 5 per cent of qualifying worldwide revenue.

Schedule

From here to commencement.

Now – autumn 2026

Scope determination across every premises and event you control. Capacity calculated on the correct basis, responsible person identified, tier recorded.

Autum 2026

SIA final section 12 guidance published. Review your assessment approach against how the regulator says it will operate.

Autumn – winter 2026

Site-specific risk assessments. This is where anything requiring physical or contractual change has to surface.

Winter - spring 2027

Procedures written and trained. Exercised at least once. Documentation set assembled.

Spring 2027

Expected commencement. Notification to the regulator. From this point the duty is live.

Service

Six questions. Tier classification and a preparation timeline.

Built to the section 27 guidance. Gives you an indicative classification and the obligations that follow from it. Not a substitute for an assessment, and it will tell you so.

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Schedule

The duty lands differently depending on what you run.

Local authorities

Mixed estates, third-party hire, and who holds the responsible person duty when a hall is let out.

Venues and events

Qualifying events, variable capacity, and procedures a weekend team can actually run.

Education settings

Term-time and lettings, safeguarding overlap, and interaction with existing lockdown procedures.

Places of worship

Open access, volunteer staffing, and proportionality where resources are limited.

Retail and hospitality

Multi-site estates, franchise structures, and where the duty sits in a leasehold.

Crowded places

The duty is site-specific. So is the assessment.

Next step

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