Temporary event notices

If you want to carry out a licensable activity on unlicensed premises, you need to submit a temporary event notice (TEN).

Licensable activities include:

selling alcohol
serving alcohol to members of a private club
providing entertainment such as music, dancing or indoor sporting events
serving hot food or drink between 11pm and 5am

You'll also need to submit a TEN if the activity is not included in the terms of your existing licence.

There's a £21 fee for each notice you submit.

Who can submit a notice

You must be at least 18 to submit a TEN.

How many notices you can give

You can give up to five TENs a year, and each event will need a new notice.

If you have a personal licence to sell alcohol you can give up to 50 TENs a year.

A single premises can have up to 15 TENs, as long as the total length of all events is not over 21 days.

Please note: during 2022 and 2023 a single premises may have up to 20 TENs, with the total length of all events not exceeding 26 days.

Event restrictions

The event will need to have less that 500 people at all times. This includes the people running the event.

It must also last no longer than seven days.

When you need to submit a notice

You should submit your TEN at least 10 clear working days before the event. This doesn't include the day you submit the notice or the day of the event.

'Working days' are classed as Monday to Friday only, and exclude any bank holidays.

Late temporary event notices (TENs)

The latest you can submit a notice is five clear working days before the event (but not earlier than nine clear working days). This is called a late TEN.

If you don’t hold a personal licence you can serve up to two late TENs per year.
If you do hold a personal licence you can serve up to 10 late TENs per year.

Late TENs still count towards the total number of permitted temporary event notices.

Submit a notice

You can submit your notice and pay using our online form. In the form you'll need to upload a completed copy of your temporary event notice:

Submit a temporary event notice

What happens next

After submitting the online form we'll send a copy of your TEN to the police and Environmental Health. They have three working days to raise any objections to the event. If either make a valid objection we'll issue a counter-notice to you. We'll also issue a counter-notice if you've exceeded the number of TENs permitted for either yourself or the premises.

If you don't hear from us, the event can proceed. You must display a copy of the TEN in a prominent position at the premises where the event is held.

More information

Objections and appeals

We can’t refuse a notice unless the police or Environmental Health object to it. They must do this within three working days of receiving it. They can only object if they think your event could:

lead to crime and disorder
cause a public nuisance
be a threat to public safety
put children at risk of harm

If there’s an objection the council’s licensing committee will hold a meeting called a hearing. This will be held no later than 24 hours before the event, unless all parties agree that a hearing isn’t needed. At the hearing the committee will either approve, add conditions or reject the notice.

If the police or Environmental Health object to a late TEN, the notice won’t be valid and you can’t hold the event.

Appeals

If you disagree with the licensing committee’s decision you can appeal to your local magistrates’ court. You must do this within 21 days, and at least five working days before the date of your event.

Fines and penalties

You could be fined if you make any false statements in your notice. You could face prosecution if you breach the terms of the notice.

If you don’t have a TEN and carry out an activity that you should have a licence for (or allow your premises to be used for one), you can be fined, sent to prison for up to six months, or both.

Submitting a notice by post

Due to the time restrictions on many TENs, we encourage you to submit your notice using our online form rather than by post. This is because it's only valid from the date we receive it. Although you may post your TEN in time, it may be too late to submit the notice when we receive it.

If you do need to submit a notice by post, send it to: Licensing, Regulatory Services, PO Box 634, Barnsley, S70 9GG.

You must also send a copy to the police and Environmental Health at the following addresses:

Environmental Health, Regulatory Services, PO Box 634, Barnsley, S70 9FB
South Yorkshire Police, The Chief Superintendent, South Yorkshire Police Licensing Department, Force Headquarters, Carbrook House, 5 Carbrook Hall Road, Sheffield, S9 2EH

After posting your notice you'll need to pay the fee for it using our online form. In the form please select 'Pay for a temporary event notice submitted via post' as the reason for your application.