Which licences you need, what they cost, how tips and service charges must be shared, and what staff must be paid. England and Wales work under the Licensing Act 2003, and Scotland under its own Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.
The Licensing Act 2003 sets the rules for England and Wales, and the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 for Scotland. Councils and Licensing Boards apply them locally. Here is what a licensed room needs in every UK city. Liquor licences come from the Alcohol licensing, GOV.UK.
In England and Wales a personal licence holder must be 18 or over and, in almost all cases, hold a licensing qualification such as the BIIAB Level 2 Award. The application fee is £37.
MoreEvery business selling alcohol needs a designated premises supervisor (DPS) who holds one. Members’ clubs and some community premises are exempt.
Source: GOV.UKYou need an SIA licence to guard licensed premises against damage, theft, unauthorised access or disorderly behaviour. It costs £204 and lasts three years.
MoreFirst-time applicants need a current Level 2 door supervisor qualification gained in the last three years, plus a valid first aid certificate.
Source: SIA feeIn England and Wales every premises licence carries an age verification policy: anyone who looks under 18 shows photo ID with a date of birth and a hologram or UV mark.
MoreChallenge 21 or Challenge 25 is a venue’s own choice there, not law.
Source: legislation.gov.ukSelling alcohol, music or late-night food needs a premises licence. In England and Wales the application fee depends on the premises’ rateable value band, from £100 to £635, and an annual fee follows.
MoreBands D and E pay twice and three times the band fee when the premises mainly sell alcohol to drink on site, up to £1,905.
Source: Fee levelsA TEN covers an event for fewer than 500 people, staff included, for up to 168 hours. Give it at least 10 clear working days ahead, or 5 to 9 for a late notice.
MoreA person gets 5 TENs a year, or 50 with a personal licence. A premises gets up to 15 a year totalling no more than 21 days.
Source: GOV.UKThe Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 says tips, gratuities and service charges must go to workers without deductions apart from tax, and be allocated fairly by the employer.
MoreA tronc is the special pay arrangement for sharing them. The act and its code apply in Scotland too.
Source: legislation.gov.ukA compulsory service charge is part of the price and carries the same VAT as the meal, however the money is shared out. A tip a customer freely gives above the total has no VAT.
MoreThe menu, not the bill, sets whether a charge is compulsory or discretionary. A discretionary charge guests genuinely choose sits outside VAT.
Source: HMRC service chargesThe Licensing Act 2003 has no national closing time. The premises licence’s operating schedule sets the hours, after any objections.
MoreCouncils publish framework or core hours as starting points, not entitlements. Check your local policy before you apply.
Source: legislation.gov.ukCouncils can set a cumulative impact policy that presumes against new licences in a crowded area, and some charge a late night levy on premises licensed to sell alcohol after midnight.
MoreHackney charges the levy and Westminster keeps a West End zone. Many councils have neither, so ask yours.
Source: Westminster City CouncilUnder the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 everyone who sells or serves alcohol, except personal licence holders, needs at least 2 hours of training.
MoreA Scottish personal licence holder must show evidence of refresher training within 3 months after each 5-year period, or the Board must revoke the licence.
Source: legislation.gov.ukScotland sets a minimum price of 65p per unit of alcohol, and it applies to bar sales too.
MoreThere is no temporary event notice in Scotland. An occasional licence covers unlicensed premises for up to 14 days.
Source: Scottish GovernmentIn England and Wales selling alcohol takes a personal licence for the person who runs the bar, then a premises licence from the council, with that person named as DPS. The path runs in this order.
The person you will name as DPS needs one first. They must be 18 or over, hold an accredited qualification and disclose basic convictions.
Source: GOV.UKSource: Fees regulationsSend your council an operating schedule: hours, activities and the steps you take to promote the four licensing objectives. Copy it to the responsible authorities, including police, fire and environmental health.
Source: GOV.UKDisplay a pale blue notice, at least A4, on the premises for 28 consecutive days, and run a notice in a local newspaper within 10 working days.
Source: legislation.gov.ukThe designated premises supervisor must hold a personal licence and be nominated by the premises licence holder. Each business has one.
Source: GOV.UKThere is no fixed term. An annual fee falls due each year on the anniversary of the grant.
Source: Annual feeIssued by the Alcohol licensing, GOV.UK
General information, not legal advice. Laws and licence conditions change and vary by venue. Confirm with your local licensing authority before acting on it.
The legal minimum wage, and the rules on tips and pay.
Minimum wage £12.71 an hour, since April 2026Source: GOV.UK
The National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over. From April 2026 it is £10.85 for 18 to 20, and £8.00 for under 18s and apprentices.
Source: GOV.UKTips, gratuities and service charges must be allocated fairly between workers and paid by the employer, with nothing deducted bar tax. Service charges are treated the same as tips.
Source: GOV.UKThe Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 lets workers take a claim to an employment tribunal, and the tribunal must weigh the code of practice. The code came into force on 1 October 2024.
Source: legislation.gov.ukA tronc is a special pay arrangement for sharing tips, gratuities and service charges, usually a central pool shared out by rules the business sets.
Source: HMRCVAT at 20% applies to a compulsory service charge. A tip freely given above the bill has no VAT.
Source: HMRC
Each city guide adds the local layer: closing time, the city’s own licences, noise rules, the year’s big nights and the nightlife districts.
LondonEngland, United Kingdom
Premises and personal licences, borough closing hours, cumulative impact zones, the late night levy, SIA door staff, tronc and tips, VAT on service charges, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
ManchesterEngland, United Kingdom
Premises and personal licences, the council’s Special Policy areas, hours that vary by area, no late night levy, SIA door staff, tronc and tips, VAT on service charges, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
BirminghamEngland, United Kingdom
No core hours, premises and personal licences, temporary event notices, SIA door licences, tronc and tips law, VAT on service charges, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
LiverpoolEngland, United Kingdom
No core hours, no cumulative impact areas, a late night levy after midnight, premises and personal licences, SIA door licences, tronc and tips law, VAT on service charges, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
LeedsEngland, United Kingdom
No permitted hours, cumulative impact areas with peak hours, no late night levy, premises and personal licences, SIA door licences, tronc and tips law, VAT on service charges, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
BristolEngland, United Kingdom
No fixed hours, a city centre cumulative impact area, premises and personal licences, temporary event notices, SIA door licences, tronc and tips law, VAT on service charges, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
GlasgowScotland, United Kingdom
Board hours from midnight to 4 a.m., premises, personal and occasional licences, overprovision, staff training, SIA door licences, tronc and tips law, VAT on service charges, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
EdinburghScotland, United Kingdom
Board hours of 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., Festival and Hogmanay extensions, no overprovision areas, premises, personal and occasional licences, staff training, SIA door licences, tronc and tips law, VAT, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
Sell tickets, take table bookings with deposits, run the guest list and check guests in at the door, in one place. Built for clubs, lounges and bars.
£12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over from April 2026. It is £10.85 for 18 to 20, and £8.00 for under 18s and apprentices.
A tronc is a special pay arrangement for sharing tips, gratuities and service charges, usually a central pool shared out by the business’s rules. Under the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 that money must be allocated fairly and paid by the employer.
In England and Wales you must be 18 or over and, in almost all cases, hold a licensing qualification such as the BIIAB Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders. The application fee is £37. Every business selling alcohol needs a designated premises supervisor who holds one.
In England and Wales the application fee runs from £100 to £635 by rateable value band, or £900 and £1,905 for the top two bands when the premises mainly sell alcohol to drink on site. Annual fees run from £70 to £350, or £640 and £1,050 for those two bands.
A person can give 5 TENs a year, or 50 with a personal licence, and a premises can have up to 15 totalling no more than 21 days. Each costs £21 and covers fewer than 500 people, staff included, for up to 168 hours.
Yes, you need an SIA licence to guard licensed premises against damage, theft, unauthorised access or disorderly behaviour. It costs £204 and lasts three years, and first-time applicants need a Level 2 door supervisor qualification and a first aid certificate.
No law makes a venue add one. If you do, a compulsory charge is part of the price and carries VAT at 20%, while a discretionary one guests genuinely choose sits outside VAT. Either way it must be allocated fairly and paid to workers under the 2023 Act.
The workers do. Tips, gratuities and service charges must reach them without deductions apart from tax, and the employer must allocate them fairly. A worker can take a claim to an employment tribunal.
In England and Wales there is no national closing time. Each premises licence sets its hours, and councils publish their own policies. Scotland sets hours through each Licensing Board under its own 2005 Act.
Yes. Scotland has no temporary event notice, only occasional licences. Everyone serving alcohol needs at least 2 hours of training, and a minimum unit price of 65p applies to bar sales.
VenueStack publishes this guide for general information. We take care to keep it accurate and list our sources and review dates, but we can’t guarantee it is complete, current or correct, and we aren’t responsible for decisions made on it. Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. Prices, minimums and wages are estimates from the samples described and don’t represent any particular venue. Venues, events and organisations named here aren’t affiliated with VenueStack and haven’t endorsed this guide.
Data gathered in October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
