Managing Licences and Conditions

Complying With Premises Licence Conditions Day to Day

How to turn the conditions on your premises licence into checks staff actually do, evidence you can produce, and a record that survives a licensing visit

The conditions on a premises licence are the rules the venue is inspected against, and most of them were written by somebody else: the previous operator who offered them, the police who asked for them, or the sub-committee that imposed them at a hearing. A new manager inherits them without ever having read them, and a licensing visit finds the CCTV retaining 14 days when the condition says 31, the door supervision register missing, and the noise limiter unset. None of that is malicious; it is what happens when conditions live on a document in a drawer. This article shows how to turn each condition into a check on the routine and a record in the file.

Key takeaways

Conditions live in three annexes of the premises licence and are the rules the venue is inspected against, whoever wrote them.

Turn every condition into a check with a frequency and an owner, and put it on the routine, not in a drawer.

Officers ask for the same records at every visit: licence and plan, CCTV, refusals log, incident log, door register, training and authorisations.

A breach is an offence; the response that keeps it a warning is fixing it fast and showing the checks that catch it.

Read the Licence and List the Conditions

Start with the current version of the premises licence from the licensing authority, not the one in the drawer, because variations may have changed it. Go through Annex 1 (mandatory conditions), Annex 2 (conditions consistent with the operating schedule) and Annex 3 (conditions imposed at a hearing) and write every condition on one line each. A typical late-licence pub has 20 to 40. Group them: physical (CCTV, noise limiter, signage), procedural (refusals log, incident log, dispersal policy, Challenge 25), staffing (SIA door supervisors on specified nights, a personal licence holder on duty, first aider), hours and activities (last entry times, no off-sales after a set hour, no external speakers) and records (training, CCTV retention, capacity counts).

Turn Each Condition Into a Check

Every condition becomes a check with a frequency and an owner. CCTV recording and 31-day retention: a weekly check that the system is recording and the oldest footage is 31 days old, logged. Door supervisors on Friday and Saturday from 9 pm: an entry on the rota and a register signed at the start and end of each shift with SIA licence numbers. Noise limiter: a monthly check that the seal is intact and the level matches the one agreed with environmental health. Refusals log and incident log: a line on the close-down checklist and a weekly review. Capacity: a clicker count at the door on the nights it applies and the maximum recorded. Signage: a monthly walk. The check does not need to be elaborate; it needs to be done and written down.

The Records a Licensing Officer Asks For

Officers ask for the same things at almost every visit: the premises licence and plan displayed or available; CCTV working with retention as conditioned and a member of staff able to operate it; the refusals log; the incident log; the door supervision register with SIA numbers; staff training records for age verification and conflict management; the noise management plan if one is conditioned; and the personal licence holder authorisation for the staff on duty. If each of those has a home and a check behind it, the visit takes twenty minutes and ends well. If any is missing, the officer's notes become the first exhibit at a review.

Managing Licences and Conditions

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When a Breach Is Found

Breaching a licence condition is an offence carrying up to six months and an unlimited fine, but the first response to most breaches found at inspection is a warning letter or an action plan with a re-visit. Take it seriously: fix the breach, write down what was done and when, and reply to the officer. Repeated or serious breaches, or a breach connected with an incident, lead to a review application by the police or the authority, and a review can add conditions, remove activities, cut hours, remove the DPS, suspend for up to three months or revoke. A file showing the conditions were checked and the one failure was fixed the day it was found is the difference between the two outcomes.

What to do next

Get the current licence from the council and list the conditions

One line each, grouped by type. This list is the basis of the compliance routine and the briefing for every new manager.

Add a weekly licence conditions check to the routine

Ten minutes on a Monday: CCTV retention, logs complete, signage up, door register filed. Sign it.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake

Running the venue to the hours on the door rather than the hours on the licence

Instead

Opening hours, alcohol hours and entertainment hours can all differ. Post the licensed hours behind the bar and check the till and music system cut off at them.

Frequently asked questions

What is the penalty for breaching a premises licence condition?

It is an offence under section 136 of the Licensing Act 2003 carrying up to six months' imprisonment and an unlimited fine, and a breach can trigger a review of the licence.

How long do I have to keep CCTV footage for my licence?

Whatever the condition on your licence says, most commonly 28 or 31 days. Check Annex 2 and 3 of the licence, and record a weekly check that retention is being met.

Alcohol Licensing