--- title: "Martyn's law: fact sheet for churches" date: 2026-04-28T09:24:00+01:00 author: Danny Webster canonical_url: "https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/advocacy/martyns-law-fact-sheet-for-churches" section: Pages --- Martyn’s law, or formally the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, introduces new legal duties for certain publicly accessible premises and events to improve preparedness for terrorist attacks. For some larger venues this also includes providing protection from terrorist attacks. Many churches, those who never have more than 200 people in their premises, will be exempt from the regulations. For larger churches there will a responsibility to put proportionate measures in place as well as to notify the register of their venue. ### What is Martyn's law? - Official name: the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. - The purpose of this legislation is to improve how premises and events organisers prepare for and respond to terrorist incidents. - The law establishes four different categories: - Exempt premises and events - Standard tier premises - Enhanced tier premises - Standalone events (subject to enhanced tier requirements) ### When does it take effect? Parliament passed the law in April 2025, but it will not take effect until April 2027 at the earliest. Guidance was published in April 2026, enabling churches to prepare for the new regulations coming into effect. ### Does Martyn’s law apply to churches? Churches are publicly accessible buildings and therefore will be in scope if they meet the threshold based on the number of people in attendance. The principal criteria in determining if a church is in scope is if it is reasonable to expect 200 or more individuals (including staff and volunteers) to be present at the same time, from time to time. **Important church-specific point:** The legislation and guidance make special provision for certain types of premises including places of worship. In particular, this means that a church or other place of worship will always be considered as a **standard tier premises** **If your church premises never has more than 200 people in attendance then you are out of scope**. There is no legal obligation under the act, but the guidance can still help strengthen everyday safety and incident readiness. Other venues which can reasonably expect more than 800 people to be in attendance and some stand-alone events are classed as **enhanced tier premises**. If your church meets in a venue that is not yours then the principal responsibility is likely to be held by the primary user of the building. The classification of the building will also be determined by its primary use. Schools are subject to a similar classification as places of worship and will always be standard tier premises. Other premises where there may be more than 800 people present (whether or not this is during your usage) may be classed as enhanced tier premises depending on their usage. For churches renting premises for Sunday services, while you are not likely to directly hold the responsibility for compliance with the new law, it is important that you engage with the venue to understand any changes to how the building will be managed and any training that will be required. ### How to decide whether you meet the 200+ threshold The act uses a test based on the **reasonable expectation** of how many people may be present **at the same time**, **from time to time** (not just your average attendance). When assessing this, consider your busiest typical activities, for example: - Regular services where attendance can occasionally be high (eg baptisms, confirmations). - Seasonal services (eg Christmas, Easter) and remembrance events. - Large one-off gatherings hosted in the church building (concerts, talks, community meetings). - Weddings/funerals where numbers may spike. - Multiple activities happening at once (eg service plus café, children’s groups, food bank sessions). It is important to note that even if the church’s usage of a premises never exceeds 200, but a group hiring the premises would have more than 200 people attending, that will bring the building into scope. ### What will churches in scope need to do? ### Standard tier duties (for premises with 200+ people) If your church is a qualifying (200+) place of worship, the focus is on **simple, low-cost preparedness** measures. You will need to: - **Notify the regulator – Security Industry Authority (SIA)** that you are the responsible person for the premises. (The exact process for this is not yet confirmed.) - Ensure, **so far as reasonably practicable**, that appropriate **public protection procedures** are in place and understood by relevant people (typically staff and key volunteers). The responsibility for compliance with the law for standard tier premises lies with the ​‘responsible person’ who has control of the premises. For a church this is likely to be the trustees or the PCC, it is unlikely to be an individual. ### Public protection procedures you must consider - **Evacuation:** how you will get people safely out (including accessible routes for disabled people, and how to manage children’s groups). - **Invacuation:** how you will move people *away from danger* to a safer place within the premises (for example, away from doors/​windows if the risk is outside). - **Lockdown:** how you will secure the premises to restrict entry/​exit if needed (for example, who locks which doors and how you communicate ​‘do not open’ instructions). - **Communication:** how you will alert people quickly and give clear instructions (for example, who uses the PA system, what scripted phrases to use, and how you contact emergency services). Standard tier requirements are intended to be proportionate and largely time-based (planning, briefing, practising). Government guidance also stresses that premises **do not need to pay for consultants** to comply. ### What about large events or separate premises? If your church **organises a large event (800 or more attending)** and access is controlled by tickets, registration or payment then it is likely to come under the event category, and the enhanced tier of responsibilities, of the new law. Note that this does not apply to non-ticketed or open access events, for example public evangelistic events in a park; these are out of scope of the new law. If your church operates **separate premises** that are not part of the place of worship, for example a distinct conference venue, and 800 or more people are present from time to time, then it is likely to be categorised as an enhanced tier premises. For those running large, ticketed events or separate premises, it is vital to check the Home Office statutory guidance to confirm what you will need to implement. ### Regulator, notification and enforcement The **Security Industry Authority (SIA)** is the regulator for Martyn’s law. Responsible persons for premises in scope will need to **notify** the SIA (the Home Office has indicated that further information on how and when to notify will be provided before the law comes into force). The SIA is expected to take a **supportive and proportionate** approach, but it will have powers to assess compliance and apply sanctions in cases of serious non-compliance. ### Practical checklist for churches - **Confirm whether you are likely in scope:** Identify services/​activities where 200+ people could be present at the same time (including special services and simultaneous activities). - **Agree who is in charge:** Identify the **responsible person** (who has control of the premises in connection with its use) and who will lead day-to-day planning. - **Write simple procedures** for evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication that fit your building and your worship style (eg where people gather, how you use the PA, how you manage children’s groups). - **Brief and train** key staff/​volunteers (welcomers, children’s leaders, wardens, office staff). - **Practise** what you have written (short table-top exercises can be enough to start). - **Review basic access and safety controls** that support your procedures (eg door keys, who can lock/​unlock, signage, keeping entrances observable during services). - **Record what you’ve done** so it is easy to evidence later if requested by the regulator. ### Key official resources - [**Home Office statutory guidance:** *The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025*](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-factsheets) (published April 2026). - [**Home Office factsheets:** *Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025: factsheets*](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-factsheets) (including scope, standard duty, enhanced duty, responsible person, regulator/​enforcement). - [**ProtectUK:** Martyn’s law overview pages](https://www.protectuk.police.uk/martyns-law), including the Standard tier page (includes specific notes for places of worship) and free e-learning (eg ACT Awareness). **Note:** This fact sheet is general information to help churches understand likely impacts and prepare. For definitive requirements for your premises and activities, use the latest Home Office and ProtectUK guidance and take appropriate advice where needed.