Martyn's Law, translated
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Martyn's Law comes with its own vocabulary, some of it plain English, some of it doing precise legal work, and it's easy to mix terms up. Here's every term used across our guides, defined plainly, with a usage example and a link to the page that covers it in full.
Procedures vs measures, briefly
Two terms are worth distinguishing before the rest: public protection procedures are about response, what people do once something happens, evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, communication, and apply at both tiers. Public protection measures are enhanced-tier-only additions that reduce a premises' underlying vulnerability beforehand, physical, policy or people-based. Procedures are reactive; measures are preventative. Most standard-tier venues only ever need to think about procedures.
The Act
Short for the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, the formal legislation that created the duties described on this site. Also known informally as Martyn's Law.
Example: "The Act applies to premises across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland." See What is Martyn's Law?.
Commencement
The point at which the Act's duties actually become legally enforceable. Royal Assent (the Act becoming law) and commencement (the duties taking effect) are separate events; there's a gap between them.
Example: "The duties are not enforceable until commencement, even though the Act has already received Royal Assent." See When does Martyn's Law come into force?.
Compliance notice
A formal notice the regulator can issue requiring a responsible person to take specified steps to meet their duties. It's a step in the enforcement ladder, not a penalty in itself, and non-compliance with a standard-tier compliance notice is not a criminal offence.
Example: "The SIA issued a compliance notice giving the venue 28 days to put its procedures in place." See Martyn's Law penalties and fines.
Enhanced tier
The higher of the Act's two tiers, applying to premises and qualifying events reasonably expecting 800 or more people at once. Enhanced tier adds public protection measures and a compliance document on top of the standard tier's duties.
Example: "A nightclub with a licensed capacity of 975 falls into the enhanced tier." See The enhanced tier, explained.
Evacuation
One of the four public protection procedures: getting people out of a premises, or away from a specific area, to a place of safety.
Example: "The evacuation procedure covers which exits to use and where to gather outside." See The four procedures explained.
"From time to time"
The phrase the guidance uses to describe recurring or predictable peaks in numbers. A premises that regularly, even just occasionally each year, reaches a threshold is treated as reasonably expecting that number, not just judged on its average day.
Example: "The shop is usually quiet, but Black Friday crowds happen from time to time, so its peak counts." See The "from time to time" rule.
Invacuation
Moving people into a building, or into a more secure part of one, rather than out of it. It's the opposite instinct to evacuation, useful when the safer option is getting people inside and away from an external threat rather than out into open space.
Example: "During the invacuation procedure, people in the beer garden are brought inside and away from the windows." See The four procedures explained.
Lockdown
One of the four public protection procedures: securing access points to prevent or delay entry to a premises or an area of it.
Example: "The lockdown procedure covers which doors to secure first and who holds the keys." See The four procedures explained.
Monetary penalty notice
A financial penalty the regulator can issue for non-compliance, following earlier steps in the enforcement ladder such as advice or a compliance notice. The maximum amount differs sharply by tier: £10,000 at the standard tier versus a much larger figure at the enhanced tier.
Example: "A monetary penalty notice is a civil penalty, not a criminal conviction, at the standard tier." See Martyn's Law penalties and fines.
Notification
The one-time duty to tell the regulator that a premises is in scope, once it becomes qualifying, so the SIA knows the venue exists and holds it.
Example: "Notification is a one-off registration step, not an ongoing reporting duty." See The SIA notification.
Principal use
Where premises have more than one use, the main, dominant one, used to decide which Schedule 1 category applies and who the responsible person is.
Example: "A hotel with an attached restaurant and conference centre has hotel operation as its principal use." See The principal-use test explained.
Public protection measures
Enhanced-tier-only additions to the standard-tier procedures: steps that reduce a premises' underlying vulnerability, physical, policy or people-based, not just how it responds once something happens. See the procedures-vs-measures distinction below.
Example: "Public protection measures at the enhanced tier might include improved sightlines or additional trained stewards." See The enhanced tier, explained.
Public protection procedures
The four standard-tier actions every in-scope premises must plan for: evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication, in place so far as reasonably practicable. Procedures are about response, what to do when something happens, distinct from measures, which reduce vulnerability beforehand.
Example: "Public protection procedures are the core standard-tier duty alongside notification." See The four procedures explained.
Qualifying event
An event, rather than a standing premises, that separately triggers enhanced-style duties: 800 or more reasonably expected at once, accessible to the public, with a well-defined and secure checked perimeter.
Example: "A ticketed 1,200-person festival with gated entry is a qualifying event even if the field it's held on has no standing duties the rest of the year." See Martyn's Law for events and festivals.
Qualifying premises
A premises that meets the Act's four-condition test, a building, used for a Schedule 1 purpose, open to the public, reasonably expecting 200 or more at once, and so falls within scope at either tier.
Example: "Once a venue becomes qualifying premises, the notification duty applies." See Who Martyn's Law applies to.
Reasonably practicable
The standard the Act sets for the standard tier's procedures duty: proportionate to the size and nature of the premises, not an absolute or maximal requirement regardless of cost or difficulty.
Example: "A small venue's reasonably practicable communication procedure might just be a clear verbal announcement, not a PA system." See The standard tier explained.
Responsible person
The person or organisation in control of a premises in connection with its Schedule 1 use, who holds the Act's duties. Defined by control, physical possession plus the right to decide how the premises is used, not necessarily ownership.
Example: "A tenant leasing a shop unit is the responsible person, not the landlord who owns the building." See Who is the responsible person?.
Restriction notice
A notice the regulator can issue restricting how a premises or event may be used, a further step in the enforcement ladder beyond a compliance notice, generally reserved for more serious or continued non-compliance.
Example: "A restriction notice can limit an event's capacity or opening hours until compliance is demonstrated." See Martyn's Law penalties and fines.
Schedule 1
The part of the Act listing the 17 categories of use that bring a premises into scope, shops, food and drink, entertainment and leisure, places of worship and more. A premises must fall under one of these to be covered at all.
Example: "Restaurants and cafés fall under Schedule 1's food and drink category." See Who Martyn's Law applies to.
Schedule 2
The part of the Act listing specific exclusions, short list of premises types, such as those belonging to a devolved legislature, that are taken out of scope even if they'd otherwise meet the Schedule 1 and numbers tests.
Example: "Schedule 2's exclusions are narrow; churches, schools and charities are not on the list." See What's exempt from Martyn's Law?.
SIA
The Security Industry Authority, the regulator responsible for Martyn's Law across all four UK nations, handling notification, inspection and enforcement.
Example: "The SIA is the same regulator whether your premises is in Cardiff, Glasgow or Leeds." See The SIA notification.
Standard tier
The lower of the Act's two tiers, applying to premises reasonably expecting 200 to 799 people at once. Standard tier requires notification and public protection procedures, but not measures or a formal compliance document.
Example: "Most independent pubs, shops and village halls that are in scope sit in the standard tier." See The standard tier explained.
Statutory guidance
The official Home Office document explaining how to interpret and apply the Act, with numbered paragraphs. It's the source this site cites throughout; where the Act sets the duty, the statutory guidance explains what meeting it looks like in practice.
Example: "Paragraph 7.32 of the statutory guidance is the basis for our written-plan recommendation." See What is Martyn's Law?.
Want to work out where your own venue stands? Start with the free tier checker, no email required.
About this guide. Written by the Martyn's Law Plan team, based on the statutory guidance published under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. Last reviewed: . Read the official guidance on GOV.UK.
Sources: Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025; Home Office statutory guidance (April 2026, updated May 2026) and supplementary documents. Paragraph references are to the statutory guidance. General information, not legal advice. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.