Martyn's Law Scotland: what small venues need to know

If you run a pub, café, village hall, church or gym in Scotland, you might assume Martyn’s Law is an English rule. Fire safety already works differently here, so it is a fair question. Martyn’s Law is not a fire safety rule. It is the everyday name for the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, and that Act is expected to apply to qualifying premises in Scotland as well as in the rest of the United Kingdom.

This is a practical briefing for the person who actually runs the building, not a compliance department. It is guidance, not legal advice. Nothing here tells you that your premises are in scope, or that you will meet the duties. Where you need a judgement, use the official guidance, your fire risk assessment, and a competent professional.

Martyn’s Law legislation in Scotland

Martyn’s Law legislation is the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. Terrorism law is made for the UK as a whole. That is why a Scottish venue can fall under it even though your fire safety duties sit under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005.

Keep the two jobs separate:

• Fire safety in Scotland (alarms, emergency lighting, extinguishers, drills, a suitable fire risk assessment) stays with Scottish law and Scottish fire law guidance.
• Martyn’s Law is about public protection procedures if there is a terrorist attack. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the regulator named for the Act.

One does not stand in for the other. You still need your fire records year-round.

When does Martyn’s Law come into effect?

The Act is already on the statute book. The main duties are not yet in force, though some parts (statutory guidance and SIA guidance powers) already are (Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025). The main duties are expected to come into force in spring 2027. Existing premises get three months from the start date to notify. Until the main duties commence there is no Martyn’s Law notification to send and no SIA inspection under this Act.

Treat that date as expected, not final. If your committee, treasurer or insurer asks for a date, point them at the Home Office factsheets rather than a blog. The useful work before 2027 is quiet: know whether you are likely to be in a tier, write procedures you can actually follow, and brief the people on shift.

Martyn’s Law tiers

Martyn’s Law tiers are based on how many people it is reasonable to expect could be present at the same time, from time to time, not on a quiet weekday. Staff, volunteers, performers and visitors all count. The premises also need to be used for a listed purpose, which includes food and drink, retail, entertainment, recreation and exercise, and places of worship. The detail is in the Act and the overview factsheet.

Tier	People at the same time	What the Act is expected to require
Standard	200-799	Notify the SIA when required, and have reasonably practicable procedures covering evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication, with people at work aware of them
Enhanced	800 or more	The standard duties, plus assessing and having reasonably practicable public protection measures, and a document sent to the SIA

Places of worship, schools, childcare and further education stay standard tier even at 800 or more (SIA guidance on Martyn’s Law).

“Reasonably practicable” means what is reasonable for a place your size and use, not a city-centre arena plan. Premises where 200 or more people cannot reasonably be expected at the same time are not qualifying premises (Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025). A large one-off event can still be a qualifying event. Do not treat a blog table as a ruling on your building.

Martyn’s Law churches, halls and pubs

Martyn’s Law churches and other places of worship are not automatically exempt. If it is reasonable to expect 200 or more people at once from time to time, a parish church, cathedral, chapel or other place of worship in Scotland can be a qualifying premises. The same people test applies to a village hall, community centre, pub, café, gym or salon. Halls, pubs, cafés, gyms and similar premises must also be used mainly for visiting members of the public, a test places of worship do not face (Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025).

Many Scottish halls and churches sit close to that 200 line. A wedding, a concert or a busy Sunday looks nothing like a midweek coffee morning. Work from the busiest reasonable use, including people working or volunteering, not from last week’s average.

If you are unsure, stop there. Read the official guidance and take advice. Muster’s free Martyn’s Law tier checker is a first pass so you can see which band you might fall into. It is not a legal determination and it does not mean you meet the Act.

Martyn’s Law guidance, training and getting ready

Martyn’s Law guidance worth using comes from the Home Office and the SIA, not from hearsay. In outline, getting ready for the standard tier looks like this:

1. Put an honest figure on the most people who could reasonably be in the building at once.
2. Write who would take charge, how you would move people, and how you would tell them and the police.
3. Brief everyone who works there, paid or volunteer, so they know those steps, and keep a simple record of who was briefed.
4. When the duties are in force, notify the SIA if you are required to.

The four procedures, in plain terms:

• Evacuation: get people out and away, using a route that does not take them towards the threat if you know where it is.
• Invacuation: bring people inside, away from windows if you can.
• Lockdown: secure doors, stay low and quiet, wait for the police.
• Communication: a short instruction to the room, and a call to 999.

That briefing is what most small venues mean by Martyn’s Law training. It does not need to be a long course. It does need to be understood by the person behind the bar, on the door, or unlocking the hall. If you cannot do a step safely, do not do it. Change the plan.

People search for Martyn’s Law compliance as if it were a certificate. It is not something a supplier can stamp on you. The SIA will look at whether you notified, whether your procedures are reasonably practicable, and whether staff know them. Muster is not endorsed by the SIA, the fire service or the government. No log book or checklist can tell you that you meet the Act.

Your fire log book is still the day job

Scottish fire law is in force now. The legal duty is to assess fire risk and keep fire safety measures maintained (Fire (Scotland) Act 2005). Weekly alarm tests and drills are guidance on how to do this, and intervals depend on your risk assessment. Martyn’s Law, when it is in force, sits beside that work. A tidy fire log will not satisfy Martyn’s Law on its own, and a terrorism procedure will not satisfy the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005.

Muster is a digital fire safety log book with QR tap-to-log for staff, plus practical Martyn’s Law readiness for pubs, cafés, halls, churches, gyms and small venues. You get a free tier checker, a procedures builder, a staff briefing with sign-off links, and a checklist of what the SIA is expected to ask when you notify. Official guidance is watched, and customers are emailed if it changes. There is a 14-day free trial when you choose a plan. Your records stay yours to view and export if you cancel.

What to do next

1. Read the GOV.UK overview.
2. Agree a people figure with whoever knows the building on its busiest days.
3. Run the free tier checker, then confirm against the Act and guidance.
4. Keep logging the fire checks you already owe in Scotland.

You can also read Muster’s Martyn’s Law page for procedures and notification.

Check your venue on the free Martyn’s Law tier checker.