Martyn's Law: The Countdown Every UK Venue Should Be Watching

Martyn’s Law received Royal Assent in April 2025 and is expected to come into force in spring 2027. In between sits a window that many organisations could use to get ahead.

Martyn's Law, officially the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, was introduced following the 2017 Manchester Arena incident. It puts legal duties on those responsible for qualifying premises and events to prepare for attacks and reduce the risk of physical harm. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) will oversee the new regulatory regime when the requirements come into force.

For a more detailed breakdown of who Martyn's Law applies to, the requirements for each tier and how organisations can prepare, read our complete guide to Martyn's Law.

So, with the legislation expected to come into force in spring 2027, will your organisation be ready?

Which tier are you in?

For most qualifying premises, your obligations are determined by the number of people you can reasonably expect to be present at the same time. Your tier then determines what you need to do. All of your compliance obligations flow from one number: how many people your premises can hold at once. Your tier decides what actions you must take in order to be ready for compliance in April 2027.

There are exceptions to these thresholds, including special provisions for certain education premises and places of worship, so verify which requirements apply to your premises using official guidance. See exceptions in our comprehensive guide. 

The “we have plenty of time” trap

While it's tempting to treat the 2027 date as breathing room, it's better treated as a build phase. Statutory guidance is already available, while the SIA is continuing to develop regulatory guidance and the systems needed for implementation.

Organisations that start working towards readiness now have the chance to adjust their processes before the requirements come into force. Organisations that wait will have less time to understand what applies and put the right procedures in place.

3 questions worth asking today:

• If a dangerous incident or emergency happened right now, could you say exactly who's on your premises?
• Could your team account for every visitor mid-emergency?
• If a regulator asked for proof of your procedures, would you have it in under five minutes?

If you answered “no” to any of those questions, it’s worth reviewing where your current processes could be stronger.

Paper doesn't hold up under scrutiny

A sign-in sheet tells you who arrived, but it doesn't tell you who's still there, who left, or what events happened in between. That matters when teams need reliable information quickly. With Martyn’s Law, it's not just about having a process, it's about being able to prove the process works.

Time-stamped, searchable, and always-on records are the difference between a plan on paper and a plan that can easily handle an incident or an auditor in practice.

Security that doesn't slow anyone down

The instinct when new compliance requirements take effect can be to create more steps in an existing process. But more steps can mean more confusion and unnecessary work. The teams managing your front door already have full plates; the goal is a system that absorbs the compliance burden quietly in the background rather than turning every arrival into friction.

When compliance works in the background, with automatic logging, real-time visibility, and records that generate themselves instead of being created after the fact, your premises can reduce manual work while giving teams a clearer picture of what's happening on site.

When it actually matters: the emergency itself

A good plan on paper works well in theory, but should always be tested in real time. The question is what happens the moment an evacuation triggers. Can you produce an accurate headcount immediately? Do you know who checked in but never checked out?

Martyn's Law requires qualifying premises to consider procedures for evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication. Having accurate, accessible information about the people on your premises can support teams as they put those procedures into action.

Room for judgment in practice

The Standard Tier's “reasonably practicable” language allows organisations to take their particular circumstances into account.

What's appropriate for one premises may look different for another. The nature of the site, available resources and the potential impact of different procedures all matter.

The important part is understanding the requirements and putting appropriate procedures in place that work for your premises.

The math on waiting

Delay creates a risk of penalties down the line and compresses your implementation timeline into a rush toward compliance when enforcement begins, with staff undertrained and processes untested. Organisations moving now get to pilot, adjust, and train at a reasonable and manageable pace. Organisations moving later will not have the same luxury.

Preparation does not need to happen overnight. That's exactly why starting earlier helps.

Where to start

Avoid leaving your preparation to the last minute. Start with the basics first:

• Reliable, real-time tracking of who's on premises
• Evacuation procedures that have actually been rehearsed
• Records that are complete, accessible, and easily produced

Everything more sophisticated - tier-specific risk assessments, detailed security plans - layers on top of that foundation once it's solid. See checklists for further preparedness in our comprehensive guide.

Readiness starts before the deadline

Martyn's Law compliance shouldn’t be put off until the distant future. April 2027 is the finish line, not the starting point. The organisations that treat the space in between now and the deadline as prep time will walk into enforcement ready. The ones that procrastinate or put it on the back burner will be dealing with intense pressure that could have been avoided.