What is the standard tier, and what's the difference from enhanced?
In short
Martyn's Law splits premises into two tiers by size: standard tier, broadly 200 to 799 people expected at once, and enhanced tier, 800 or more. Standard tier means telling the Security Industry Authority you exist and having workable plans for four kinds of incident response. Enhanced tier adds a written public protection procedures document and a named senior person, and this product is built for the standard tier only.
Key points
Standard tier: 200–799 people reasonably expected at the same time, including staff.
Enhanced tier: 800 or more — except places of worship, childcare, and primary, secondary and further education, which stay standard tier whatever their size.
Standard tier has two duties: notify the SIA, and have procedures, so far as reasonably practicable, for evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication.
Enhanced tier adds a written public protection procedures document and a named senior individual responsible for it.
Neither tier requires buying security equipment or hiring guards, though modest changes — like how a door is locked — may sometimes be reasonably practicable.
The size line, and who's exempt from it
The basic rule is simple: 200 to 799 people reasonably expected at the same time, from time to time, is standard tier; 800 or more is enhanced tier. Four kinds of premises are carved out of that numerical split altogether — places of worship, childcare settings, and primary, secondary and further education — which the Act keeps at the standard tier "regardless of how they would otherwise be treated", however large they are. Higher education institutions don't get that protection, and a university that reaches 800 moves to the enhanced tier like anywhere else.
What standard tier actually asks of you
Two things, and nothing more. First, notify the SIA that your premises exists and give it some basic details, including how many people you expect and how you worked that out. Second, have procedures — not necessarily written down, though it helps to record them — covering four distinct situations the Act names: evacuating people from the premises; moving them to a safer place inside the building; preventing people entering or leaving (lockdown); and giving people information about what's happening. The legal standard is "so far as is reasonably practicable" — proportionate to your premises, not a fixed checklist, and there's no statutory requirement to buy equipment, hire security staff or search anyone. The guidance does note that small, cheap changes — such as how a door is locked, or where a shutter control sits — may sometimes be reasonably practicable to put a procedure into effect, but that's a long way from a duty to spend money on security.
What enhanced tier adds
Enhanced tier keeps the same four procedures but raises the bar considerably: a written public protection procedures document, a named senior individual with specific responsibility for it, and separate rules about physical measures to reduce the risk of harm. It's a materially bigger undertaking, and it's the reason this product is built specifically for the standard tier — if your premises reaches 800, or is likely to, you need advice and tools built for the enhanced duty, not this one.
Needs a closer look
Where a premises has more than one use — a church that's also a concert venue, a school that lets its hall out — which tier applies can turn on which of those uses counts as the building's "principal use" in law, not simply on the headcount. Working that out isn't always straightforward, and getting it wrong in either direction has real consequences: understating your tier leaves duties unmet, overstating it sends you looking for enhanced-tier help you don't need. Where it isn't clear, this needs a closer look — use the scope checker.
Common questions
- Can a premises move between tiers during the year?
Yes, in principle — the test is applied to what's reasonably expected "from time to time", so a premises that reliably reaches 800 at a recurring event can be enhanced tier even if its everyday numbers are much lower, unless it's one of the carved-out uses.
- If we're standard tier, do we have to write our procedures down?
No — there's no statutory requirement to produce a document at standard tier. It's sensible practice to record what you've agreed and why, so it can be explained later, but it isn't a legal requirement in the way it is at the enhanced tier.
- Does finishing those two things mean we've covered everything the law could ask of us?
No product can tell you that, and neither can we — only a court or the regulator could ever reach that conclusion, and the duties aren't even in force yet. What this app does is help you prepare sensibly, using the Act and official guidance rather than guesswork. Check your scope to see where you stand.
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).