Martyn's Law: The Statutory Guidance Is Out

The document the Martyn's Law regime was waiting for now exists. On 15 April 2026 the Home Office published its statutory guidance under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. This is the guidance section 27 obliged the Home Secretary to produce as of 10 April. The document followed within the week.

What the guidance covers

It names who's responsible for a qualifying premises, explains how to judge scope, lists the four procedures a standard-tier site will need once the duties commence (evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, communication), describes the heavier measures an enhanced-tier site will take on, and explains what complying will involve. If you've been guessing what "appropriate" means, you now have a reference. Our 200-person threshold briefing covers which tier, if any, you'd fall into.

Nothing is enforceable yet

Your premises has no Martyn's Law duties today. The procedures aren't legally required, nobody from the SIA will inspect under Martyn's Law, and there are no penalties to face. Operator duties won't commence before Spring 2027.

One clock is running, though. The SIA's draft enforcement guidance, proposing how they will use inspections, notices and penalties, is open for comment until 11:59pm on 12 June 2026. If you want a say in how this gets regulated, you've got a window to provide feedback.

Where to start

Read the scope chapters, establish your tier, and sketch out your four procedures before any compliance deadline exists. Keep a dated note of the assumptions behind your headcount, especially if your calculations come out near the 200 or 800 thresholds. And ignore anyone selling a "Martyn's Law certified" package: the SIA, Home Office and ProtectUK endorse no third-party product that claims to make you compliant, and the standard tier is built to be met without one.

Our Martyn's Law overview has the duties, tiers, and timeline in detail.