Pub Licensing Explained: Premises Licences, Personal Licences & TENs

When I took on The Anchor in Stanwell Moor as a Greene King tenant in 2019, I thought the hard part was agreeing the rent and getting the keys. Nobody warned me about the licensing maze.

Premises licences, personal licences, Designated Premises Supervisors, Temporary Event Notices, late night refreshment authorisations, licensing conditions — the jargon alone is enough to make your eyes glaze over. And the consequences of getting it wrong are serious: fines, prosecution, or losing the right to trade altogether.

Here is the guide I wish someone had handed me on day one. Plain English, no legalese, and based on what actually matters when you are running a pub.

What is a premises licence?

A premises licence is the document that authorises your pub to carry out licensable activities. Under the Licensing Act 2003, those activities include:

• The sale of alcohol — this is the big one for any pub
• The provision of regulated entertainment — live music, recorded music, performances of dance, films, indoor sporting events
• The provision of late night refreshment — serving hot food or hot drinks to the public between 11pm and 5am

Your premises licence is specific to the building, not to you personally. If you take over a pub that already has a premises licence, the licence stays with the premises. You apply for a transfer rather than a brand new application, which is simpler and cheaper.

What does a premises licence cover?

Every premises licence has conditions attached to it. These are legally binding and you must comply with them. Typical conditions include:

• Permitted hours — the times you are allowed to sell alcohol and provide entertainment. These are not the same as your opening hours. You can be open without selling alcohol.
• Capacity limits — maximum number of people allowed on the premises at any time.
• CCTV requirements — many licences require you to operate CCTV that records at a minimum resolution, retains footage for a set number of days, and makes recordings available to the police on request.
• Door supervision — some licences require SIA-registered door staff on certain nights or after certain hours.
• Noise conditions — restrictions on amplified music, outdoor areas, or times when doors and windows must be closed.
• Challenge 25 — a condition requiring you to challenge anyone who looks under 25 for proof of age.

Read your premises licence from cover to cover. Then read it again. I have seen licensees fall foul of conditions they did not know existed because they never properly read the document.

How to apply for a new premises licence

If you are opening a new venue or converting a premises that does not already have a licence, you need to make a full application to your local authority licensing team. Here is the process:

1. Complete the application form. This is a standard form available from your local council or the GOV.UK website. It asks for details of the premises, the licensable activities you want to carry out, the proposed hours, and the steps you will take to promote the four licensing objectives.

2. Prepare an operating schedule. This is the most important part. It sets out how you will promote the four licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm. Be specific and practical. Vague promises do not impress licensing committees.

3. Advertise the application. You must display a pale blue A4 notice at the premises for 28 consecutive days and place an advertisement in a local newspaper.

4. Submit to responsible authorities. Copies of the application go to the police, fire service, environmental health, trading standards, planning, the local safeguarding children board, public health, and the licensing authority itself.

5. Wait 28 days. This is the statutory consultation period during which anyone can make representations for or against the application.

6. If no objections: the licence is granted as applied for.

7. If there are objections: a hearing is scheduled before the licensing committee. You attend, present your case, and the committee decides whether to grant the licence, grant it with modified conditions, or refuse it.

The whole process typically takes 2 to 3 months. If you are buying a pub, start the licensing work as early as possible — ideally in parallel with the legal conveyancing.

The four licensing objectives

Everything in pub licensing comes back to these four objectives. They are the framework that the council, police, and courts use to make every decision:

1. The prevention of crime and disorder
2. Public safety
3. The prevention of public nuisance
4. The protection of children from harm

When you apply for a licence, vary your licence, or defend your licence at a review hearing, your arguments must be framed around these four objectives. Master them.

What is a personal licence?

A personal licence is held by an individual, not a premises. It authorises you to sell or authorise the sale of alcohol. You need a personal licence to be named as the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) on a premises licence.

Who needs one?

In practical terms, every pub landlord should have a personal licence. The law requires that every premises licence that authorises the sale of alcohol must have a named DPS, and the DPS must hold a personal licence.

Your other staff do not need personal licences to serve alcohol. They sell under the authority of the premises licence, with you as the DPS taking responsibility.

How to get a personal licence

The process is straightforward:

1. Complete the Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders. This is a one-day course run by accredited training providers. It covers the Licensing Act 2003, the licensing objectives, and your responsibilities. The course costs between 150 and 250 pounds depending on the provider. You sit a multiple-choice exam at the end.

2. Apply for a DBS check. You need a basic Disclosure and Barring Service check, which costs 18 pounds through the DBS website. This takes 1 to 4 weeks to come back.

3. Apply to your local council. Submit the application form along with your qualification certificate, DBS check, and two passport photographs. The application fee is 37 pounds.

4. Declaration. You must make a declaration about any relevant offences. If you have unspent convictions for relevant offences, the police may object to your application.

5. Receive your licence. If there are no objections from the police, the council grants your personal licence, usually within 4 to 6 weeks of application.

A personal licence lasts indefinitely. There is no renewal requirement, though you must notify the council of any change of address or name, and you must declare any relevant convictions.

The Designated Premises Supervisor

The DPS is the person named on the premises licence as being responsible for the day-to-day management of alcohol sales. Key points:

• There can only be one DPS per premises at any time.
• The DPS must hold a personal licence.
• The DPS does not need to be on the premises at all times, but they must have meaningful oversight of how alcohol is sold.
• To change the DPS, the premises licence holder submits a variation to the licensing authority. This is a simple process and takes effect immediately, with a 14-day window for police objections.

If you are taking over a pub as a new tenant, one of your first actions should be transferring the premises licence into your name and nominating yourself as DPS. Do not delay this — trading without the correct DPS in place puts you at legal risk.

Temporary Event Notices: when you need them

A Temporary Event Notice, commonly called a TEN, is a notification you give to the council when you want to carry out licensable activities that are not already covered by your premises licence.

When would a pub need a TEN?

You might think that because you already have a premises licence, you would never need a TEN. Not so. Common scenarios include:

• Extending your hours for a special event — New Year's Eve, a big sporting occasion, a charity fundraiser that runs later than your usual permitted hours.
• Using an area not covered by your premises licence — a beer garden that is not on your licence plan, a marquee in the car park, a neighbouring field for a summer event.
• Running an event at a separate location — a pop-up bar at a village fete, a food stall at a local market, a drinks service at a wedding venue.

TEN limits and rules

There are strict limits on TENs:

Rule	Limit
Maximum TENs per premises per year	15
Maximum total days covered per premises per year	21
Maximum duration of a single TEN	168 hours (7 days)
Maximum attendance at a TEN event	499 people (including staff)
TENs a personal licence holder can give per year	50
TENs a non-personal licence holder can give per year	5
Minimum notice period (standard TEN)	10 working days
Minimum notice period (late TEN)	5 working days
Maximum late TENs per premises per year	2

The attendance limit of 499 is important. If you expect 500 or more people at an event, a TEN will not cover it — you need a full premises licence application or a time-limited premises licence.

How to apply for a TEN

1. Complete the TEN form. Available from your council or the GOV.UK website. It asks for the premises address, the licensable activities, the dates and times, and the expected number of attendees.

2. Submit to the licensing authority and the police. You must send copies to both. Most councils now accept online submissions.

3. Give at least 10 working days' notice. This is the minimum for a standard TEN. Working days means Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. Count carefully — if you get this wrong, your TEN is invalid and you cannot run the event.

4. Late TENs. If you have missed the 10-working-day deadline, you can give a late TEN with a minimum of 5 working days' notice. But you only get 2 late TENs per premises per year, and if the police or environmental health object to a late TEN, it is automatically refused with no right to a hearing.

5. Wait for objections. The police and environmental health have 3 working days to object. If they do not object, the TEN takes effect and you can run your event.

6. If objections are raised against a standard TEN, a hearing is arranged before the licensing committee. They can allow the TEN, allow it with conditions, or refuse it.

The fee for a TEN is 21 pounds.

My advice: plan your TENs at the start of each year. You only get 15 per premises, covering a maximum of 21 days. Map out the events you know you will need them for — New Year's Eve, bank holidays, your annual summer event — and submit them well in advance. Running out of TENs in October because you used them all in the summer is a mistake I have seen too many licensees make.

Other licence types and authorisations

Late night refreshment

If you serve hot food or hot drinks between 11pm and 5am, you need a late night refreshment authorisation on your premises licence. This is separate from the alcohol authorisation.

Most pub premises licences include this, but check yours. If your licence only authorises alcohol sales until midnight but you want to serve coffee and bacon rolls until 1am, you need late night refreshment authorised on your licence.

Regulated entertainment

The Licensing Act 2003 defines regulated entertainment as: performance of a play, exhibition of a film, indoor sporting event, boxing or wrestling, performance of live music, playing of recorded music, and performance of dance.

However, the Live Music Act 2012 and the Deregulation Act 2015 created significant exemptions:

• Unamplified live music — exempt between 8am and 11pm for any number of listeners at any premises.
• Amplified live music — exempt between 8am and 11pm for audiences of up to 500 at premises with a premises licence authorising alcohol sales.
• Recorded music — exempt between 8am and 11pm for audiences of up to 500 at premises with a premises licence authorising alcohol sales.
• Films — exempt for community purposes at non-commercial venues.

This means most pubs can host live and recorded music until 11pm without needing specific entertainment authorisations on their premises licence. After 11pm, you need it on the licence or covered by a TEN.

How to vary your premises licence

Your pub's needs will change over time. You might want to extend your hours, add an outdoor area, include live music authorisation, or change your layout. To do this, you apply for a variation.

Full variation

A full variation follows a similar process to a new application: 28-day consultation, advertising at the premises and in a newspaper, and potential for objections and a hearing. The fee depends on the rateable value of your premises and is the same as the annual fee.

Use a full variation for significant changes like extending permitted hours, adding new licensable activities, or substantially changing your premises layout.

Minor variation

A minor variation is a simplified process for smaller changes that do not adversely affect the licensing objectives. Examples include adding or removing conditions, minor changes to the premises layout, or reducing hours. The fee is 89 pounds and the process takes 10 to 15 working days with no advertising requirement.

Your council's licensing team can advise whether your proposed change qualifies as a minor variation. When in doubt, ask them before submitting — the wrong application wastes time and money.

Common licensing mistakes landlords make

After six years at The Anchor and countless conversations with other licensees, these are the errors I see most often.

Not reading the premises licence conditions. I said it earlier and I will say it again. Your licence has specific conditions. If it says CCTV must record at 25 frames per second and retain footage for 31 days, that is what you must do. Not 28 days. Not 15 frames per second. Exactly what it says.

Forgetting to transfer the licence when taking over. You cannot trade under someone else's premises licence. When you take over a pub, you must apply for a transfer and nominate a new DPS. This should happen on or before the day you take the keys.

Leaving TENs too late. Ten working days sounds like two weeks, but once you exclude weekends and bank holidays it can be nearly three weeks of calendar time. Submit early.

Exceeding TEN limits. Fifteen TENs and 21 days per year per premises. If you have a busy events calendar, you will hit these limits faster than you think. Plan ahead.

Ignoring the 499 limit on TENs. If your event goes over 499 people including staff and you are relying on a TEN, you are operating illegally. Count properly.

Not notifying changes. If you change your home address, your name changes, or you get a conviction, you must notify the relevant council. Failure to do so is an offence and can put your personal licence at risk.

Assuming live music is always exempt. The exemptions are generous but they have limits. After 11pm or with audiences above 500, the exemption does not apply. Check before you book that late-night band.

Not engaging with your local licensing officer. Your council has a licensing team. Build a relationship with them. Ask their advice before you make changes. Attend the licensing forum if your council runs one. A good relationship with licensing officers makes everything easier when you need a favour or face a complaint.

Cost breakdown

Here is a practical summary of the fees you are likely to encounter. These are the statutory fees set by the Home Office — your council cannot charge more or less.

Premises licence fees (by rateable value)

Rateable value band	Initial application	Annual maintenance
Band A (no rateable value to 4,300)	£100	£70
Band B (4,301 to 33,000)	£190	£180
Band C (33,001 to 87,000)	£315	£295
Band D (87,001 to 125,000)	£450	£320
Band E (125,001 and above)	£635	£350

Most independent pubs fall into Band B or C.

Other fees

Item	Fee
Personal licence application	£37
Temporary Event Notice	£21
Transfer of premises licence	£23
Variation of DPS	£23
Full variation of premises licence	Same as annual fee for your band
Minor variation	£89
Interim authority notice	£23

Additional costs to budget for

Beyond the statutory fees, budget for:

• Personal licence course — 150 to 250 pounds
• DBS check — 18 pounds
• Solicitor or licensing consultant for a new premises licence application — 1,000 to 3,000 pounds (optional but strongly recommended for contested applications)
• Newspaper advertisement for new applications and full variations — 100 to 300 pounds

The statutory fees are modest. The professional fees are where the cost adds up, but a good licensing solicitor can be the difference between a smooth grant and a refusal.

Your licensing action checklist

Whether you are taking over an existing pub or starting from scratch, here is your checklist.

Before you take the keys

• Read the existing premises licence and all conditions
• Identify any restrictions that limit your business plans (hours, entertainment, capacity)
• Start your personal licence course if you do not already hold one
• Apply for your DBS check
• Instruct a solicitor or licensing consultant if needed

On or before day one

• Submit the premises licence transfer application
• Submit the DPS variation to name yourself as DPS
• Confirm annual maintenance fee is up to date

First month

• Walk the premises and confirm you are compliant with all licence conditions
• Check CCTV meets the requirements specified in your licence
• Ensure Challenge 25 signage is displayed and staff are trained
• Review your TEN needs for the coming 12 months and plan submissions
• Introduce yourself to your local licensing officer

Ongoing

• Pay the annual maintenance fee on time (non-payment can lead to suspension)
• Notify the council of any changes to your personal details
• Submit TENs at least 10 working days in advance
• Keep a copy of your premises licence summary on display at the premises (this is a legal requirement)
• Review your licence conditions annually — if your business has changed, consider a variation

For a broader look at the operational fundamentals every licensee should nail, read our pub health check guide.

If you are in the early stages of taking on a pub, our complete guide to buying a pub walks you through every step of the process.

And if you are working within a tied agreement and want to understand your rights and options, our guide to brewery ties and pub leases covers the Pubs Code, MRO, and negotiation strategies.

When to get professional help

Licensing law is not complicated in principle, but the detail matters. Getting a condition wrong, missing a deadline, or misunderstanding an exemption can cost you thousands or shut down an event you have already promoted.

You do not need a solicitor for every TEN or DPS change. But for new premises licence applications, contested variations, or if you are facing a licence review, professional help is worth every penny.

At Orange Jelly, we help licensees navigate the operational and commercial side of running a pub, including making sure your licensing is set up to support your business plans rather than restrict them. If you are not sure whether your current licence lets you do what you want to do, or if you need to plan a variation to unlock new revenue, get in touch.

The bottom line

Licensing is not the exciting part of running a pub. Nobody gets into this trade because they love filling in council forms. But your premises licence is the foundation that everything else sits on. Without it, you cannot sell a single pint.

Get your personal licence early. Read your premises licence properly. Plan your TENs in advance. Build a relationship with your local licensing team. And when something feels uncertain, ask before you act — the licensing officers I have dealt with would always rather answer a question upfront than deal with an enforcement issue after the fact.

The pubs that run into licensing trouble are almost always the ones that treated it as an afterthought. Do not be one of them.

If you want a second pair of eyes on your licensing setup, your operating plan, or any part of your pub operations, talk to Orange Jelly. We have been through it all at The Anchor and we are happy to help you avoid the mistakes that cost time, money, and sleep.