Does Martyn's Law apply to village halls?
In short
A village hall is in scope of Martyn's Law once it's reasonable to expect 200 or more people there at the same time, from time to time — counting staff and volunteers as well as visitors. Below 200, the hall is out of scope. Between 200 and 799 it's standard tier; at 800 or more it's enhanced tier, which this product doesn't cover. There's no exemption just for being a village hall, a charity, or run by volunteers.
Key points
The test is about numbers actually expected at once, not the building's name or who runs it (section 2(2)(c) of the Act).
Staff, volunteers, committee members and contractors all count towards the number, not just the audience.
200–799 expected is standard tier; 800 or more is enhanced tier (section 2(3)).
A hall that's usually well under 200 but holds a big event every year can still be caught — see our guide on occasional big events.
If your hall is run jointly with a church, school or nursery, a different rule about the building's main use may apply instead of the plain numbers.
How the test works
Martyn's Law doesn't ask what a building is called. It asks whether it's reasonable to expect 200 or more people on the premises at the same time, "from time to time" — a phrase the statutory guidance treats as meaning occasionally, not an average over a day or a week. A hall that's quiet most weeks but regularly fills for a Friday bingo night, a harvest supper or a panto season meets that test if 200 is reasonably expected on those occasions.
Counting "from time to time" rather than averaging matters: a hall that holds 40 people on an ordinary Tuesday and 220 at its Christmas fair is assessed on the 220, provided that's a predictable, recurring event rather than a one-off nobody expected to happen again.
Who counts towards the number
It isn't only the audience. The figure must include everyone present in connection with the hall's use — performers, stallholders, the bar team, and crucially, your own committee, volunteers and contractors on duty. A hall that sells 195 tickets but has five volunteers running the door and the kitchen is expecting 200, not 195, and is in scope. Our guide on counting your numbers goes through this in detail.
What a village hall actually has to do, once in scope
Standard tier (200–799) means two things: tell the Security Industry Authority you exist, and have simple, workable plans for the four things the Act names — getting people out, moving them somewhere safer inside, keeping people out or in, and telling people what's happening. There's no requirement to buy equipment, hire security or submit a written document for approval. Our standard tier guide sets out the difference between that and the enhanced tier in full.
Needs a closer look
Two situations the rules can't settle from a village hall's own answers: a hall built as, or attached to, a place of worship or a school, where the law looks at the building's principal use rather than a simple headcount; and a hall that is part of a larger site run by someone else, such as a parish centre or a school campus, where the Act may treat the two as one premises. Where either applies, this needs a closer look — use the scope checker to work through it properly rather than guessing.
Common questions
- We're usually well under 200 — do we need to do anything?
Not under this part of the Act, provided your ordinary attendance genuinely stays below 200 from time to time. Keep in mind that a recurring big event changes the answer even if your everyday numbers don't — see our guide on occasional big events.
- Does our committee count towards the 200?
Yes. Everyone present in connection with the hall's use counts, including committee members, volunteers and contractors on duty, not just paying visitors or audience members.
- We share a building with the parish church — does that change anything?
It might. Where a hall's principal use turns out to be worship, childcare or education, a different rule keeps it standard tier even above 800. Working out the principal use isn't always straightforward, and where it isn't, this needs a closer look — check your scope.
Check your building, free
Answer a few questions about who uses your building and how many people could be there at once. We’ll tell you plainly whether Martyn’s Law applies, and why.
Sources
Last reviewed 2 November 2026, against the statutory guidance of 15 April 2026 (corrected 6 August 2026).