KEY POINTS
- The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025, with an implementation period of at least 24 months.
- The Home Office statutory guidance was published on 15 April 2026. Regulations on notification and on principal use followed in July and September 2026.
- The duties are expected to come into force in spring 2027. The exact date will be set by regulations and has not yet been announced.
- Once the duties start, premises already in scope have three months to notify the SIA. Events must notify within 14 days.
- A practical preparation plan runs from now to commencement: scope, responsible person, procedures, training, then records and notification.
When does Martyn's Law start?
Martyn's Law is not in force yet. The Act became law on 3 April 2025, but its duties only take effect when the government commences them through regulations. The government committed to an implementation period of at least 24 months from Royal Assent, which takes us to April 2027 at the earliest. The SIA and the Home Office both say the Act is expected to come into force in spring 2027, and the SIA has said it will confirm the exact date ahead of time.
If you are not yet sure whether the law will apply to you, run the free tier checker first. The rest of this page assumes you are in scope.
From the Manchester Arena attack to Royal Assent
The road to the Act took almost eight years. These are the milestones that shaped it, drawn from the Home Office statutory guidance and GOV.UK consultation records.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 22 May 2017 | Manchester Arena attack. 22 people are killed, including Martyn Hett. His mother, Figen Murray, begins campaigning for a legal duty on venues. |
| 2019 | The Prevention of Future Deaths report on the 2017 London Bridge and Borough Market attack calls for action to mitigate the risk of terrorism. |
| 2021 | The government consults on a "Protect Duty". The Manchester Arena Inquiry Volume One report recommends legislation to improve the safety and security of public venues. |
| 2 May 2023 | The draft Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill is published, followed by pre-legislative scrutiny by the Home Affairs Select Committee from June 2023. |
| 5 February to 18 March 2024 | Home Office consultation on the standard tier, which at that stage was proposed to start at 100 people. |
| 7 to 22 May 2024 | Figen Murray walks around 200 miles from the Manchester Arena to Downing Street, arriving on the seventh anniversary of the attack. |
| 12 September 2024 | A revised Bill is introduced to Parliament. |
| 3 April 2025 | Royal Assent. The Bill becomes the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, with the standard tier starting at 200 people and the SIA named as regulator. |
Since Royal Assent: guidance, regulations and the regulator
Most of the practical detail has arrived in 2026. The SIA has been recruiting inspectors and assessors, building regional inspection teams across all four nations, running pilot inspections and building an online notification portal.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Early 2026 | The SIA's Executive Director for Martyn's Law takes up post to lead the new regulatory function. |
| 15 April 2026 | Home Office statutory guidance under section 27 is published and laid before Parliament, with three non-statutory supplementary documents. The SIA opens consultation on its draft section 12 guidance on how it will regulate. |
| 12 June 2026 | The SIA consultation closes. The SIA reports nearly 200 detailed responses. |
| 9 and 14 July 2026 | The Notification Requirements Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/793) are made and laid, and the Home Office publishes notification guidance. |
| 6 August 2026 | A correction slip is added to the statutory guidance, including a corrected example on pubs leased to tenants. |
| 10 September 2026 | The Principal Use of Premises Regulations 2026 are laid with Home Office guidance. They came into force on 15 October 2026. |
| Autumn 2026 (planned) | The SIA plans to publish its final section 12 guidance and a consultation report. |
| Early 2027 (planned) | The SIA plans to invite volunteers to test the notification portal before launch. |
| April 2027 | The minimum 24 month implementation period from Royal Assent ends. |
| Spring 2027 (expected) | Commencement of the duties, on a date to be set by regulations. |
The SIA has also said it will share templates to help enhanced tier premises and qualifying events prepare their compliance documents before the law comes into effect, and the Home Office guidance says optional templates will be developed for documenting procedures.
What happens on and after commencement
Commencement is when the duties bite. From that day, the responsible person for qualifying premises or a qualifying event must have appropriate procedures in place and must notify the SIA within the deadlines in the Notification Requirements Regulations 2026.
| Situation | Deadline to notify the SIA |
|---|---|
| Premises you are already responsible for on commencement day | Within three months of commencement |
| Premises you become responsible for during those first three months | By the end of the three months, or 28 days after becoming responsible if later |
| Premises you become, or stop being, responsible for after that | Within 28 days |
| Event first publicised on or before commencement day | Within 14 days of commencement |
| Event first publicised after commencement | Within 14 days of it first being publicised |
| Information you gave becomes inaccurate | Within 28 days (premises) or 14 days (events) |
Enhanced tier premises and qualifying events must also send their compliance document to the SIA as soon as reasonably practicable after preparing it, and within 30 days of any revision. The SIA has said it plans to take a supportive, proportionate and risk-based approach. That is not a reason to wait: the SIA has also been clear it will enforce where needed. See notifying the SIA for exactly what the notification will ask for.
A month-by-month preparation plan
This is a suggested plan for a typical standard tier venue, counting back from an expected spring 2027 start. It is illustrative, not official. Adjust it to your size and season, and start earlier if you are in the enhanced tier.
| When | Focus | What to get done |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | Scope | Work out the number of people reasonably expected at your busiest times, including staff. Record the method and evidence. Confirm your tier. |
| November 2026 | Responsibility | Confirm who the responsible person is, especially if you lease, share or hire out the building. Note anyone you must co-ordinate with. |
| December 2026 | Gather | Collect your fire risk assessment, emergency plan, floor plans, licence, staff rotas and contact lists. Walk the site and note doors, locks, shutters, safe rooms and alarms. |
| January 2027 | Draft procedures | Write simple evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication procedures. Decide who can trigger each one and how you will call 999. |
| February 2027 | Brief and train | Brief all staff, including part timers, contractors and volunteers. Issue a one page action card. Encourage free ACT Awareness e-learning. |
| March 2027 | Test | Run a tabletop exercise or short drill. Fix what did not work. Record what you did and when. |
| April 2027 | Records | Put procedures, training records, drill notes and your capacity assessment in one place. Prepare your notification details. |
| On commencement | Notify | Notify the SIA through its portal within three months. Diary a review of your procedures, for example annually or after any significant change. |
Enhanced tier premises have more to do: assessing and planning public protection measures (some of which may need budget, landlord consent or works), preparing the compliance document and designating a senior individual. Many will want to start six to twelve months ahead. Our enhanced tier introduction explains the options.
Common timing mistakes
- Waiting for a fixed date. The date will be confirmed by regulations, and the notification window for existing premises is only three months.
- Assuming you can notify now. The SIA has said you cannot notify until the law goes live, and the Home Office notification guidance says the SIA should not be notified about events held before commencement.
- Buying a product to be "compliant" early. No provider is endorsed by the SIA or the Home Office, third party services are optional, and no product can guarantee compliance.
- Leaving training to the end. Procedures only count if staff can carry them out, and briefing a full team across shifts takes longer than most managers expect.
- Forgetting seasonal peaks. If your Christmas, summer or big match crowd pushes you over 200 or 800, plan for that peak, not your average week.
Staying up to date
Three things are still to come: the confirmed commencement date, the SIA's final section 12 guidance and the notification portal itself. The SIA runs an email update list for Martyn's Law and has asked for volunteers to test the portal. We update this page when official dates are announced.
If you want a structured route through the preparation plan above, our packs open on 15 January 2027 and cover tailored procedures, staff briefing and training, an SIA notification checklist and a drill log for standard tier venues. You can also read how it works or start with the Martyn's Law checklist.
Frequently asked questions
What is the exact start date for Martyn's Law?
There is no confirmed date yet. The duties are expected to come into force in spring 2027, after the minimum 24 month implementation period that began with Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. The date will be set by regulations.
How long will I have to notify the SIA?
If you are already responsible for qualifying premises on commencement day, you will have three months. After that initial period, the deadline is 28 days for premises and 14 days for qualifying events.
Has the statutory guidance been published?
Yes. The Home Office published its statutory guidance under section 27 of the Act on 15 April 2026, with supplementary documents on calculating numbers, scope examples and further resources. A correction slip was added on 6 August 2026.
Will the SIA penalise venues on day one?
The SIA has said it will take a supportive, proportionate and risk-based approach. It has also said it will use its enforcement powers where necessary, so preparing now is the safer course.
Sources
- Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025: Statutory guidance (Home Office)
- Terrorism (Protection of Premises) (Notification Requirements) Regulations 2026
- Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act: principal use of premises (Home Office)
- Understanding Martyn's Law and the SIA's role as regulator (SIA)
- Martyn's Law: what comes next and how to get involved (SIA)
- Martyn's Law: standard tier consultation (Home Office)
General information based on the Act and published guidance, not legal advice. Check the official statutory guidance on GOV.UK for your situation.