--- title: What Happens During a Martyn's Law SIA Inspection? description: How the SIA proposes to inspect Martyn's Law premises, what it can examine, and why standard-tier operators may still need records to show compliance. source: Duty Room source_url: https://dutyroom.com published_on: '2026-11-05' updated_on: '2026-11-05' market: uk sectors: - all canonical_url: https://dutyroom.com/uk/briefings/martyns-law-sia-inspection --- # What Happens During a Martyn's Law SIA Inspection? How the SIA proposes to inspect Martyn's Law premises, what it can examine, and why standard-tier operators may still need records to show compliance. The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (Martyn's Law) creates an unusual gap for standard-tier premises. They will not have to submit a compliance document. Yet the Home Office's [statutory guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-statutory-guidance) says it may be difficult to demonstrate compliance during an SIA inspection if the public protection procedures are not documented in some form. That makes the inspection question bigger than a paperwork question. An inspector may compare the procedure on file with the way the premises works and with what staff say they would do. **TK before publication:** Replace every reference to the draft section 12 guidance below with the final guidance and consultation report. Confirm the commencement position, publication dates and inspection wording. Martyn's Law is expected to come into force from spring 2027, but no operator duty is in force at the time of this draft. ## The paperwork gap at standard tier Standard-tier premises, those within scope with 200 to 799 people reasonably expected at the same time, will need appropriate evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication procedures once the duties commence. Our [capacity-threshold briefing](https://dutyroom.com/uk/briefings/martyns-law-capacity-threshold) covers how the 200 and 800 thresholds work. The Act reserves the formal compliance document for enhanced-tier premises and qualifying events. For standard tier, paragraph 7.32 of the Home Office guidance says a document is not a legal requirement, then recommends one so procedures can be understood and communicated. It also gives the inspection reason: undocumented procedures may be hard to prove. Standard tier removes the compliance-document duty, not the section 9 notification. And it does not remove the need for procedures that staff can put into practice. ## An inspection can start at a desk The SIA's [consultation draft of its section 12 guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/martyns-law-draft-section-12-statutory-guidance) describes an investigation as a desk-based assessment, an on-site inspection, or both. Under the draft, the SIA may ask for information before a visit. Its selection model includes scheduled programmes, risk-based selection, sector reviews and specific intelligence about possible non-compliance. The SIA's [public regulator guidance](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-martyns-law-and-the-sias-role-as-regulator), published on 17 July 2026, states the same approach outside the consultation: desk-based assessments and on-site inspections, risk-based and informed by intelligence. And the SIA is already practising. It has been running voluntary pilot inspections with host organisations since mid-2026. Those are regime-design exercises with volunteers, not enforcement, and no statutory inspection can happen before the duties commence. For an inspection without a warrant, [Schedule 3 of the Act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/schedule/3) requires at least 72 hours' written notice and entry at a reasonable hour. The draft says the SIA would usually use this route, and the July 2026 public guidance repeats it as the working position: typically at least 72 hours' notice before an on-site inspection. A warrant may be sought where an inspection has been frustrated, notice would defeat the purpose, urgent access is needed, or the premises being inspected are outside the Act's scope but hold relevant information. **TK before publication:** Check the final guidance for changes to the 72-hour process, inspection-selection factors and the examples of when the SIA will seek a warrant. ## The document and the shift have to agree Schedule 3 already sets the core inspection powers. An authorised inspector may inspect the premises, watch activities, view and copy documents, inspect equipment, take measurements or photographs, ask where a document is kept and require reasonable help. The draft section 12 guidance adds the proposed operating detail. It says an inspector may ask people working at the premises about working practices and the public protection procedures or measures. That lets the inspector test two versions of the same procedure. One is the record. The other is the live operation: who can start a lockdown, how a message reaches the kitchen, which exit staff would use during an evacuation, and whether the person on duty knows their role. The SIA's [strategic plan for 2026 to 2029](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sia-strategic-plan-2026-to-2029/sia-strategic-plan-2026-to-2029) puts the aim plainly: inspection should give assurance that the plans and procedures a premises has declared are effective at the time of the visit, in proper use, and familiar to the people who rely on them. The Home Office guidance makes the same connection. Staff with a role in the procedures must be aware of them and ready to carry them out. It says procedures should be tested and practised, and recommends periodic reviews so they stay current. ## A standard-tier evidence file Neither the Act nor the Home Office guidance prescribes a standard-tier evidence pack. A practical record set can connect the procedure, the people and the changes over time: - the capacity assessment and the evidence behind the tier decision - the current version of each public protection procedure, with an owner and review date - a record of which staff received the procedure briefing or instruction, and when - notes from practices or exercises, including problems found and follow-up actions - a dated change history showing when the procedure was reviewed and what changed These are not five new statutory records. They are ways to support the points the SIA is expected to test: whether appropriate procedures are in place, whether they can be put into practice and whether staff understand their role. **TK before publication:** Add any final SIA templates, named record types, retention expectations or pilot-inspection findings. Do not turn optional SIA templates or recommended practice into a legal requirement. ## The written outcome The consultation draft says the SIA will give the responsible person a written summary after an inspection, including potential compliance issues or concerns. It proposes a proportionate sequence in which the SIA may seek more information, give regulatory advice or warnings, or use statutory enforcement powers where it considers that necessary. The first inspection outcomes will show how that sequence works in practice. Until then, the distinction between the Act and the draft operating model needs to stay visible. **TK before publication:** Replace this section with the final compliance-action sequence. Confirm whether the final guidance changes the written outcome, warning, notice or follow-up inspection process. ## Where Duty Room fits The SIA, Home Office and ProtectUK [do not endorse third-party products or providers](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/martyns-law-the-sias-new-regulatory-role/martyns-law-the-sias-new-regulatory-role) that claim to ensure compliance with Martyn's Law. Duty Room does not decide whether a procedure is appropriate or replace specialist judgment. It can hold the working record: current procedures, staff briefings, practice notes, assigned follow-up work and version history for each site. If an inspector asks how the written procedure connects to the live operation, those records can be pulled together without pretending that the software itself proves compliance. --- Published by [Duty Room](https://dutyroom.com/uk/), software for organizing, tracking, and evidencing operational compliance.