Temporary Event Notices for venue owners: rules and limits (2026-27)

In England and Wales, selling alcohol at a one-off event in a space with no premises licence usually needs a Temporary Event Notice (TEN): a £21 notice to the council, for fewer than 500 people including staff, for up to 168 hours, given at least 10 clear working days before the event (or 5 for a late TEN). A TEN is a notice, not a licence. It takes effect unless the police or environmental health object, or the yearly limits are used up.

For owners, the key limit is the one on your premises: no more than 15 TENs and 21 days in a calendar year, whoever gives the notices. An evening party that runs past midnight uses two of those days. A draft order would raise the limits to 20 TENs and 26 days from 1 January 2027, but Parliament has not approved it (as of 26 October 2026).

This guide covers England and Wales, under the Licensing Act 2003. Scotland and Northern Ireland have no TENs; their rules are at the end. All figures are as of 26 October 2026.

Do you need a licence to host a private party?

The Licensing Act 2003 makes four things licensable: selling alcohol by retail, supplying alcohol in a club, regulated entertainment, and late night refreshment (s182 guidance, para 3.2). At most private parties, the question is alcohol, and whether money changes hands for it.

Alcohol. Selling alcohol is licensable wherever it happens, and councils can treat more than a cash bar as a sale. Hastings Borough Council, for example, says alcohol is sold when it is included in a ticket price, or when no price is quoted per drink but "donations" are asked for or accepted. It also says alcohol given away completely free needs no licence for its sale. The national guidance does not cover guests bringing their own bottles (BYOB) or corkage charges, so ask your council before you advertise either.

Entertainment. Music and dancing at a private event are not licensable unless guests are charged for the entertainment with a view to profit, including raising money for charity (s182 guidance, para 16.15). A contribution that only covers costs does not count, and nor does a band's fee paid by the host. For public events, or events ticketed for profit, changes made between 2012 and 2015 took many activities out of licensing between 08:00 and 23:00: for example, unamplified live music on any premises, and amplified live music for an audience of up to 500 in a workplace with no licence (para 16.6). Outside 08:00 to 23:00, regulated entertainment needs an authorisation unless another exemption applies (para 16.12).

Late night refreshment. Supplying hot food or hot drink to the public between 23:00 and 05:00 is licensable (para 3.12). Free hot food is not, but food is not "free" if guests must pay to get in, or buy another item to get it (para 3.18).

If any "yes" row matches your event, it needs a premises licence, a club premises certificate or a TEN.

What is a Temporary Event Notice, in numbers?

A TEN lets an individual carry on licensable activities for a short time at premises not licensed for them. "Premises" can be any place, including a field or a plot within a larger site (para 7.3). The rules are in Part 5 of the Licensing Act 2003 and Chapter 7 of the Home Office guidance.

A "working day" is any day except a Saturday, Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or bank holiday. "Clear" means you do not count the day the council receives the notice or the first day of the event (paras 7.4 and 7.9).

The 499 figure includes guests, staff, caterers, performers and security. If more people are present, the event is unauthorised and the person who gave the TEN can be prosecuted (para 7.30).

Who should give the TEN: you or your hirer?

Any individual aged 18 or over can give a TEN (s.100). It must be a person, not a company or a club (GOV.UK). The person who gives it becomes the "premises user". This means:

1. If alcohol is sold, every sale must be made by them or under their authority (s.100(6)).
2. They do not have to be on site, but they can still be prosecuted for some offences during the event, such as selling alcohol to someone who is drunk (para 7.29).
3. The notice counts towards their own limit of 5 a year (or 50 with a personal licence).

There are three realistic options.

The hirer gives it. The hirer uses one of their own five notices, which keeps your allowance free. You still carry risk as the owner: it is an offence to knowingly allow a licensable activity without an authorisation (s.136(1)(b)). The maximum penalty is six months in prison, a fine, or both (s.136(4)). Ask for a copy of the acknowledged TEN before the date.

You give it. Give the TEN yourself if you run your own events or want control. Watch the "associates" rule. Notices given by your spouse or civil partner, a partner you live with, your children, parents, grandchildren, grandparents, siblings, agents or employees count as yours. So do notices from anyone you are in business with in licensable activities (s.107(10), using the s.101(3) list; paras 7.16 to 7.17). You cannot get round the limit of 5 a year by asking your partner or bar manager to sign the next one. The associates rule also applies to the 24-hour gap: notices are void if your events at the same premises are less than 24 hours apart (s.101(1) and (2)).

A bar provider gives it. Mobile bar companies and caterers often have a personal licence holder, who can give up to 50 TENs a year, including 10 late (para 7.23). The guidance names a temporary bar under a personal licence holder, "such as at weddings with a cash bar", as the kind of event that should not usually lead to police or environmental health intervention (para 7.36).

How does the 15-notice, 21-day premises limit work?

Every TEN for your premises counts towards the same yearly limit, whoever gives it: you, ten different hirers or a bar company (s.107(4) and (5)). Two sets of premises count as the same if one includes or overlaps the other (s.107(13)), so a TEN for your barn and a TEN for the barn plus its yard both count.

Three rules catch owners out:

• Midnight starts a new day. For this limit, a "day" is 24 hours from midnight (s.107(13)). An event that starts before midnight and runs into the next day counts as two days towards the 21 (para 7.21).
• Cancelled events still count. A TEN counts even if the event does not go ahead, unless it is withdrawn by notice to the council at least 24 hours before the event starts (para 7.18). If a hirer cancels, ask them to withdraw their TEN.
• New Year's Eve counts twice. When an event straddles two years, the limits apply separately to each year (s.107(6)). A party from 31 December into 1 January uses a notice in both years, and one day from each year's 21 (s.107(5)).

Worked example: parties per year (illustrative)

If your parties end at 01:00, the real limit is about 10 a year, not 15. Ending at 23:30 instead of 01:00 halves the days each party uses. Once the limits are reached, the council must issue a counter notice, and the event can only go ahead under a premises licence or club premises certificate (paras 7.19 and 7.26).

Keep a simple log for your venue: date, who gave the TEN, start and end times, and days used. The council keeps a register of TENs (para 7.31), but you cannot rely on hirers to check it before they book.

What changes in 2027?

A draft order, the Licensing Act 2003 (Permitted Temporary Activities) (Amendment) Order 2026, would change the premises limits in section 107:

• notices per premises per year: from 15 to 20;
• days per premises per year: from 21 to 26;
• start date: 1 January 2027 (article 1(2));
• area: England and Wales (article 1(3)).

It does not change the per-person limits of 5 and 50, but it does replace the prescribed TEN forms. The 20 and 26 limits applied once before, for 2022 and 2023 only, as a coronavirus measure (s.107, as amended in 2021).

Both Houses of Parliament must approve the draft. It was laid on 9 September 2026. The Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments looked at it on 14 October (not drawn to special attention), the Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee on 20 October, and a Lords Grand Committee debate is set for 28 October 2026. No approval was recorded as of 26 October 2026, so plan 2027 on 15 notices and 21 days. If the order takes effect, parties from 19:00 to 01:00 would fit 13 times a year instead of 10.

How do you give a TEN, step by step?

1. Agree who gives it. Put it in your hire terms: the hirer, their bar provider or you.
2. Check the event fits. Fewer than 500 people at all times, staff included, and no more than 168 hours. List the licensable activities and times.
3. Describe the area clearly. On the form, say which part of your site is covered: the whole barn, one room, or the barn and the courtyard (para 7.3).
4. Send it with the £21 fee. You can apply online through GOV.UK or your council. The council then forwards an online notice to the police and environmental health by the end of the next working day (para 7.5; s.100A(4)). If you send a paper notice, you must send copies to the police and environmental health yourself (para 7.4).
5. Give more notice than the minimum. Ten clear working days is the legal minimum, and councils ask for more. Hastings asks for at least one calendar month. Pembrokeshire, in Wales, asks for at least 28 days.
6. Wait for the acknowledgement. The council must acknowledge a valid TEN by the end of the first working day after it arrives, unless an objection arrives first (para 7.27).
7. Watch the objection window. Police and environmental health have 3 working days to object (para 7.10). For a standard TEN, the council holds a hearing unless everyone agrees it is not needed. It then lets the event go ahead or stops it with a counter notice (para 7.28). For a late TEN there is no hearing: one objection and the event cannot go ahead (para 7.14).
8. Keep the TEN at the event. Keep it safe on site and display a copy where it can easily be seen (GOV.UK). Police and licensing officers can ask to see it (para 7.40).

Worked example: New Year's Eve 2026

A hirer wants a cash bar on Thursday 31 December 2026. In England and Wales, Friday 25 December and Monday 28 December 2026 are bank holidays. Counting back 10 clear working days (30, 29, 24, 23, 22, 21, 18, 17, 16 and 15 December), a standard TEN must reach the council by Monday 14 December 2026. A late TEN could be given between Tuesday 15 and Monday 21 December, but one objection would end it. Councils ask for 28 days or a month, so the hirer should really send it by late November.

What does a TEN not cover?

• Planning permission. A TEN does not remove any planning requirements (para 7.7). If you use a field, barn or garden for events, read the 28-day rule for events on your land.
• Music copyright. This is separate from licensing under the 2003 Act. Playing music in public or at a business usually needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS (GOV.UK). PPL PRS can confirm whether a private event needs one.
• Fire, health and safety, and noise. These duties apply whether or not an activity is licensable (para 16.8).
• Regular events. TENs are for occasional use. The guidance says the 24-hour gap stops people getting round the 7-day limit and the need for a premises licence for "more major or permanent events" (para 7.25). If you want a bar most weekends, you need a premises licence. Application fees run from £100 to £1,905, depending on your fee band, and you need a designated premises supervisor who holds a personal licence (GOV.UK), unless the premises are community premises run by a management committee that uses the alternative licence condition (para 4.84).
• Martyn's Law. If 200 or more people, staff included, can reasonably be expected at your space at the same time, also read Martyn's Law for venues for hire (Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, s.2; Home Office guidance, para 4.23). Its duties are not yet in force.

If you run a village or church hall, some music rules are different for community premises (paras 16.6 and 16.23); see hiring out a village or church hall.

Is a personal licence worth getting?

A personal licence raises your own limit from 5 to 50 TENs a year (10 of them late). You must be 18 or over and hold a licensing qualification such as the Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders, and you apply to your council (GOV.UK). It does not raise your venue's limit of 15 TENs and 21 days (para 7.23). It helps if you run events at several sites or want to give every TEN yourself. And if you later apply for a premises licence, the designated premises supervisor must hold one.

What are the rules in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

Wales. The TEN rules in this guide, and the draft 2027 order, apply in Wales as in England. Welsh councils set their own preferred notice periods, as Pembrokeshire's 28-day request shows.

Scotland. There are no TENs. The nearest equivalent is an occasional licence under section 56 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, which allows alcohol sales at premises not already licensed. Only three kinds of applicant qualify: a premises licence holder, a personal licence holder, or a representative of a voluntary organisation (s.56(1) and (2)). A private hirer without a personal licence cannot apply, so a party bar usually goes through a licensed caterer or bar provider. An occasional licence lasts up to 14 days (s.56(5)). Voluntary organisations are limited to 56 licensed days in any 12 months (s.56(6)). Edinburgh and Aberdeenshire both charge £10. Aberdeenshire asks for applications at least 6 weeks ahead and rejects any made 28 days or less before the date. Edinburgh gives an average processing time of 54 days. An occasional licence covers alcohol only, so ask the council whether your event needs any other licence.

Northern Ireland. There are no TENs. Under Article 30 of the Licensing (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, a court or clerk of petty sessions can grant an occasional licence only to someone who already holds a licence for a pub-type business, hotel or restaurant, to sell alcohol at another place (Art. 30(1) and (14), with Art. 5(1)(a)). The sales must be ancillary to an occasional function run by a social, charitable or benevolent body, or by a body furthering common interests in a trade, profession, educational or cultural activity, game or sport (Art. 30(5) and (6)). Each licence covers up to 6 days, between 11:30 and 01:00 on weekdays and 12:30 and 01:00 on Sundays, with no sales on Christmas Day and no off-sales (Art. 30(1), (5) and (7)). In Northern Ireland, talk to a licensed local business before you promise a bar.

How should you describe your space in a listing?

Organisers planning a party ask about drinks first. Honest wording could be: "No alcohol licence. Fine for private parties where drinks are free, or with a cash bar under a Temporary Event Notice given by the hirer or their bar provider. Events end by 23:30." Give your real guest number. With a bar under a TEN, the total including staff must stay under 500. Do not call your space "licensed". Then set out in your hire terms:

1. who gives the TEN, and that you get a copy once it is acknowledged;
2. the latest finish time, so you control how many days each event uses;
3. the maximum number on site, staff included;
4. a duty to withdraw the TEN at least 24 hours before the start if the event is cancelled.

What we don't know

• Whether the 2027 increase will happen. The draft order (20 notices and 26 days) still needs approval by both Houses. If it is made, it will get its own SI number; if not, 15 and 21 stay. The GOV.UK TEN page still shows 15 and 21.
• BYOB, corkage and "free" drinks. The national guidance does not deal with them directly. Whether an arrangement is a sale depends on the facts and on your council's view. Ask before you advertise.
• Your council's preferences. Preferred notice periods vary; Hastings and Pembrokeshire are examples, not the national rule. Whether a party counts as "private" also depends on how guests are invited and charged.
• The Budget. TEN fees and limits are set by the Licensing Act and regulations, not usually by the Budget, but we will re-check every figure after the Budget on 28 October 2026.
• Scotland and Northern Ireland. Fees and lead times vary by licensing board and court; we quote examples only.

This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. For a specific event, ask your council's licensing team or a licensing solicitor.

Frequently asked questions

Can I host a party in my unlicensed venue without a Temporary Event Notice?

Yes, if nothing licensable happens: councils such as Hastings say alcohol given away completely free, not included in a ticket price and with no donations asked for it, is not a sale. Music at a private event is not licensable unless guests are charged for it with a view to profit. Check bring-your-own and corkage arrangements with your council. As soon as drinks are sold in any form, or a public or ticketed event has licensable entertainment, you need an authorisation such as a TEN.

How much does a Temporary Event Notice cost and how far ahead must it be given?

A TEN costs £21 in England and Wales. A standard TEN must reach the council at least 10 clear working days before the event, not counting the day it arrives or the first day of the event. A late TEN can be given between 9 and 5 clear working days before, but one objection from the police or environmental health stops the event.

How many Temporary Event Notices can one venue have in a year?

As of 26 October 2026, one premises in England and Wales can have no more than 15 TENs and 21 days of TEN events in a calendar year, whoever gives them. An event that runs past midnight counts as two days. A draft order would raise these limits to 20 notices and 26 days from 1 January 2027, if Parliament approves it.

Can the person hiring my venue give the Temporary Event Notice instead of me?

Yes. Any individual aged 18 or over can give a TEN, so the hirer or their bar provider can give it and become responsible for the event. Their notice still counts towards your premises limit of 15 notices and 21 days a year. As the owner, you can still commit an offence if you knowingly allow licensable activities without an authorisation, so ask for a copy of the acknowledged TEN.

Does a Temporary Event Notice include staff in the 499-person limit?

Yes. The limit is fewer than 500 people on the premises at any one time, and the Home Office guidance says this includes staff and any other persons. Guests, caterers, bar staff, performers and security all count, and going over the limit makes the event unauthorised.

Do Temporary Event Notices exist in Scotland or Northern Ireland?

No. TENs exist only in England and Wales, under the Licensing Act 2003. In Scotland, an occasional licence under section 56 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 can go to a premises licence holder, a personal licence holder or a representative of a voluntary organisation. In Northern Ireland, someone who already holds a pub, hotel or restaurant licence can ask a court or clerk of petty sessions for an occasional licence for a function run by certain kinds of organisation.

Sources

• Temporary Events Notice, GOV.UK — gov.uk/temporary-events-notice, accessed 26 October 2026.
• Revised guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 (September 2026), Home Office — gov.uk/government/publications/...s-182...september-2026, accessed 26 October 2026.
• Revised guidance issued under section 182: publication page and change history, Home Office — gov.uk/government/publications/...s-182-of-licensing-act-2003, accessed 26 October 2026.
• Licensing Act 2003, section 100, legislation.gov.uk — legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/17/section/100, accessed 26 October 2026.
• Licensing Act 2003, section 100A, legislation.gov.uk — legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/17/section/100A, accessed 26 October 2026.
• Licensing Act 2003, section 101, legislation.gov.uk — legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/17/section/101, accessed 26 October 2026.
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• Licensing Act 2003, section 136, legislation.gov.uk — legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/17/section/136, accessed 26 October 2026.
• Draft Licensing Act 2003 (Permitted Temporary Activities) (Amendment) Order 2026, legislation.gov.uk — legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2026/9780348287042, accessed 26 October 2026.
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If your studio, barn, garden or loft has no alcohol licence, it can still take party bookings: say so plainly and let the hirer or their bar provider give the TEN. You can list your venue on HostList.uk free until 1 April 2027 (after that, publishing needs a paid plan). Organisers message you directly, and with 0% commission you keep the full fee. HostList.uk does not handle payments, and there is no minimum term or notice period. Paste a link to your own website or an existing listing and it is imported in about 30 seconds. You type the guest count by hand, so you can set it to the number your space and your TEN rules allow. One owner can publish up to 10 venues.