Name
Temporary Event Notice
Summary

You should apply for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) if you want to carry out 'licensable activity' on unlicensed premises or on a licensed premises if the activity is outside the terms of your licence.

Licensable activity includes:

  • Selling alcohol
  • Serving alcohol to members of a private club
  • Providing regulated entertainment, such as music, dancing or indoor sporting events
  • Serving hot food or drink between 11pm and 5am

Regulated entertainment includes:

  • Performance of a play
  • Showing a film 
  • Indoor sporting event
  • Boxing or wrestling entertainment
  • Performance of live music
  • Any playing of recorded music
  • Dance performance

View Do I need a Temporary Event Notice for my event? for more examples.

Schedules 1 and 2 to the Licensing Act 2003 provide full details of the definitions and exemptions for regulated entertainment and late night refreshment.

Standard Temporary Event Notice

We must receive your application for a 'standard TEN' at least 10 clear working days before the event. Clear working days do not include: the day of the event, the day the notice is given or weekends or bank holidays.

Late Temporary Event Notice

The latest you can apply for a ‘late TEN’ is 5 clear working days before the event (but not earlier than 9 clear working days).

Your late TEN will be returned as void and the activities will not be authorised if you:

  • Do not give 5 clear working days before the event or
  • Apply for more late TENs than your limit

Restrictions on a Temporary Event Notice

You must be at least 18 to apply for a TEN.

Your event must:

  • Have fewer than 500 people at all times – including staff running the event
  • Last no more than 168 hours (7 days)

Number of notices you can apply for

You need a TEN for each event you hold on the same premises.

You can be given up to 5 TENs a year. If you already have a personal licence to sell alcohol you can be given up to 50 TENs a year.

A late TEN can be given 10 times in a calendar year for a licence holder and twice for a non-licence holder. Late TENs count towards the total number of permitted TENs.

Limits on TEN applications for a premises

A premises is limited to 15 TENs in a calendar year; the maximum duration of these events cannot be more than 21 days in total.

If you’re organising separate events which follow on at the same premises, there must be at least a 24 hour gap between them.

Legislation

The Licensing Act 2003 (Permitted Temporary Activities) (Notices) Regulations 2005

Fees

You will have to pay a fee of £21 for each TEN.

Application and guidance notes

Apply for a Temporary Event Notice

For advice or assistance with your licensing application, consider our pre-application service.

Apply for a Temporary Event Notice

  • You must be at least 18 to apply for a TEN.
  • You must apply at least 10 clear working days before your event, or for a late TEN at least 5 clear working days before your event.

If the premises where the event is held is in areas governed by two or more licensing authorities, you must apply to and pay the relevant fee to each.

Your application will be acknowledged by each of the licensing authorities.

Herefordshire Safety Advisory Group provide advice and information on safety planning for events.

You can notify them here:  

Notify the Safety Advisory Group SAG

Safety Advisory Group guidance

Processing and timescales

If you have not heard from us within 5 working days of submitting your application, you can assume your notice has been granted and you may go ahead with your event.

This is called tacit consent. It applies to all valid and correctly served TENs, providing no objections are received.

You must keep a copy of the pdf document (Licensing Temporary Event Notice) which you will receive from Herefordshire Council by email after submitting your application. This will be your proof of the Temporary Event Notice.

We will only contact you if there is a problem

There are no refunds available for any TENs that are incorrect, cancelled or postponed.

If the notice submitted is incorrect, then it is up to the applicant to re-apply and pay the fee again in line with all timescales set out in the legislation.

Register

View the events register

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