Alcohol Licensing

Temporary Event Notices (TENs): How to Run a Licensed Event Without a Premises Licence

What a TEN covers, the limits per premises and per person, the 10 working day deadline, late TENs and the £21 fee

A temporary event notice is the light-touch route for a one-off: a beer festival in a field, a wedding in a barn, a pop-up bar, or a pub wanting to stay open past its licensed hours for a single night. It is a notice rather than an application, meaning you tell the council and the police what you intend to do and, unless they object, you can go ahead. The limits are strict on numbers, hours and frequency, and the deadlines are unforgiving, which is where most TENs go wrong. This article sets out what a TEN covers, the caps, the two types and how to give notice.

Key takeaways

A TEN covers an event of under 500 people for up to 168 hours, with a cap of 15 TENs and 21 days per premises a year.

Standard TENs need 10 clear working days; late TENs 5 to 9, with no hearing if the police or environmental health object.

The fee is £21 and notice is given to the council, the police and environmental health, which the online form does for you.

Regular extensions, events of 500 or more, or overriding licence conditions need a premises licence route instead.

What a TEN Authorises and Its Limits

A TEN authorises licensable activities at a premises for an event of fewer than 500 people at any one time, including staff, lasting no more than 168 hours (seven days), with at least 24 hours between events at the same premises. A premises can have no more than 15 TENs a year covering no more than 21 days in total. A personal licence holder can give up to 50 TENs a year; anyone else, aged 18 or over, can give 5. The TEN can authorise alcohol sales, regulated entertainment and late-night refreshment, and it can also be used at licensed premises to extend hours or add an activity for the event. It cannot be used to override a condition on an existing licence for anything other than the notified event.

Standard TENs, Late TENs and Deadlines

A standard TEN must reach the licensing authority at least 10 working days before the event, not counting the day of receipt or the event day. The police and environmental health then have three working days to object. A late TEN can be given between five and nine working days before the event, but the limits are tighter (10 a year for personal licence holders, 2 for others) and if the police or environmental health object, that is the end of it: there is no hearing and the event cannot proceed. Fewer than five working days and there is no route at all. The fee is £21 in either case. Councils accept TENs online through GOV.UK or their own portals, and the online route serves the police and environmental health automatically.

Objections and Counter Notices

Only the police and environmental health can object, and only on the ground that the event would undermine a licensing objective. For a standard TEN an objection goes to a hearing before the licensing sub-committee, which can issue a counter notice stopping the event, or, where the premises has a premises licence, impose conditions from that licence onto the TEN. The authority also issues a counter notice automatically if the TEN would breach the annual limits for the premises or the person. Keep the acknowledged TEN at the event, because officers may ask to see it.

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When a TEN Is the Wrong Tool

If you are planning the same extension every Friday, or more than 21 days of events a year, TENs run out and a full variation to the premises licence is the right route. If the event is 500 or more people, a TEN cannot be used at all and you need a premises licence for the event, which takes at least two months. If you need to override a condition on your licence, such as a door supervision requirement, for an event that is not itself the reason for the condition, a TEN will not do it. Outdoor events on land you do not control also need the landowner's consent and usually a safety advisory group conversation with the council, which the TEN process does not replace.

What to do next

Count working days backwards from the event and add a buffer

Ten clear working days excludes the day the council receives the notice and the event day. Give the notice three weeks out and the deadline stops mattering.

Keep a TEN register for each premises

Record every TEN given, its dates and who gave it, so you know how many of the 15 notices and 21 days you have used before you plan the next one.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake

Counting calendar days instead of working days

Instead

Bank holidays and weekends do not count. A TEN that arrives nine working days out is a late TEN, and one that arrives four working days out cannot be accepted at all.

Frequently asked questions

How many TENs can I have in a year?

A premises can have 15 TENs a year covering no more than 21 days in total. A personal licence holder can give 50 TENs a year, and a person without a personal licence can give 5.

How much does a TEN cost?

£21, for both standard and late TENs.

How far in advance do I need to submit a TEN?

At least 10 clear working days for a standard TEN. A late TEN can be given 5 to 9 working days before, but cannot proceed if the police or environmental health object.

Alcohol Licensing