Martyn's Law Standard Tier Procedures for 200 to 799 Capacity

If your premises can hold between 200 and 799 people at the same time, including staff, you fall into the standard duty tier under Martyn's Law. The duty is to put in place appropriate, reasonably practicable public protection procedures across four areas.

The law is the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. It is expected to come into force in Spring 2027, after an implementation period of at least 24 months, so there is no legal duty to comply until commencement.

The regulator is the Security Industry Authority (SIA). The maximum penalty for a standard duty breach is £10,000, with a daily penalty of up to £500.

The good news for smaller venues is that standard duty procedures are expected to be simple and low cost, with no requirement to buy equipment. The work is mostly about planning, writing things down and briefing your team.

The duties for standard duty premises are set out in section 5 of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, and explained in the section 27 statutory guidance published on 15 April 2026.

Are you in the standard tier?

The tiers are measured by the number of individuals, including staff, who may reasonably be expected to be present at the same time. Standard duty premises are those where 200 to 799 people may be present. Premises where 800 or more may be present fall into the enhanced duty tier.

Capacity is assessed against peak use, not a quiet weekday afternoon. Occasional higher-attendance events can bring premises into scope, so count everyone including staff at your busiest realistic point. If you are unsure where you sit, our Martyn's Law capacity assessment guide walks through how to count.

Education settings are a special case. They remain in the standard tier regardless of capacity, where they are above the 200 threshold, which is covered in the government's guidance for education settings.

The four section 5 procedures explained

Standard duty is about procedures, not physical measures. You are planning how staff would act if there were an act of terrorism at or near your premises. The four areas are evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication.

1. Evacuation

This is the procedure for getting people out of the premises safely. For a shop, bar or restaurant it covers which exits to use, who directs customers, and where people gather once they are outside. It overlaps with what you already do for fire, so much of it can build on your existing emergency evacuation policies.

2. Invacuation

Invacuation means moving people to safety inside the premises rather than out into a threat. There are situations where staying put behind a locked door, or moving to a more protected part of the building, is safer than leaving. The procedure should set out where those safer areas are and who decides to use them.

3. Lockdown

Lockdown is the procedure for securing the premises to restrict the movement of an attacker. In practice this means knowing how to lock or block doors, shut shutters, and stop people entering. No new equipment is required, you are documenting how to use what the building already has.

4. Communication

Communication covers how you alert staff and customers, and how you contact the emergency services. It should name who raises the alarm, what words or signals staff use, and how a message reaches everyone present quickly. Keep it simple enough that a part-time member of staff could follow it.

Standard duty compared with enhanced duty

The table below summarises the difference between the two tiers, so you can confirm which set of obligations applies to your premises.

Feature	Standard duty (200 to 799)	Enhanced duty (800 or more)
Legal basis	Section 5 procedures	Section 6 measures, in addition to section 5
What is required	Evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, communication	The four procedures plus measures on monitoring, movement of individuals, physical safety and security, and security of information
Equipment	None required, low cost	May involve physical measures and investment
Senior responsible individual	Not required	Must designate a senior individual responsible for compliance
Document to the SIA	Not required	Must prepare and provide a compliance document to the SIA
Maximum penalty	£10,000 (daily penalty up to £500)	£18 million or 5% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater (daily penalty up to £50,000)

What Standard Tier Premises Must Do

• Confirm your peak capacity, counting everyone including staff, to be sure you sit in the 200 to 799 band.
• Document your evacuation procedure, building on existing fire and exit arrangements.
• Identify safer internal areas for invacuation and record who decides to use them.
• Write a lockdown procedure using the doors, shutters and locks you already have.
• Set a clear communication method for alerting staff, customers and the emergency services.
• Brief your team so every shift knows the four procedures.
• Review the procedures when your layout, capacity or events change.

Common Errors to Avoid

• Assuming you are out of scope because you are usually quiet, when an occasional busy event tips you over 200.
• Counting customers only and forgetting that staff are included in the headcount.
• Treating evacuation as the whole duty and overlooking invacuation, lockdown and communication.
• Spending money on equipment that the standard tier does not require.
• Keeping the plan in someone's head rather than writing it down where staff can find it.
• Writing procedures once and never reviewing them when the premises or its use changes.

Enforcement and penalties

The SIA enforces Martyn's Law using compliance notices, restriction notices and monetary penalties. For standard duty premises the maximum monetary penalty is £10,000, with a daily penalty of up to £500.

The SIA's draft section 12 statutory enforcement guidance is out for consultation, which closes at 11:59pm on Friday 12 June 2026. You can follow the regulator's approach through the SIA section 12 consultation.

How Policy Pros Can Help

We write the four standard duty procedures for your premises in plain, usable language, so your staff can follow them and you have the documentation ready before Spring 2027 commencement. See our Martyn's Law compliance documentation service for how we put your procedures together.

For wider context, read the Martyn's Law 2027 compliance guide and our detailed standard tier procedures guide. If your headcount may reach 800 or more, see the enhanced tier compliance document guide, and if you are unsure which tier applies, start with the capacity assessment guide.