Temporary Event Notices (TENs)

What is a Temporary Event Notice (TEN)?

Temporary event notices allow you to carry out  ‘licensable activities’ in premises that don't have a licence for that activity.

Licensable activity includes:

• 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

Applying for a licence is formally known as ‘serving’ a Temporary Event Notice.

You will also need a TEN if a particular licensable activity is not included in the terms of your existing licence, for example holding a wedding reception at a community centre.

Restrictions

Your event must:

• have less 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 get up to 5 TENs a year (up to 50 a year if you already have a personal licence to sell alcohol)
• A single premises can have up to 15 TENs applied for in one year, as long as the total length of the events is not more than 21 days.(for event periods occuring wholly or partly in 2022 or 2023, 20 times a calendar year) 
•   The maximum duration of the periods covers by TENs at any individual premises 21 days (or, any events occurind in 2022 or 2023, 26 days per calendar year)                         
• If you’re organising separate but consecutive events, there must be at least a 24 hour gap between them.

How to serve a TEN

• The fee is £21 and can be paid by debit or credit card.
• You must be at least 18 to apply for a TEN.
• You can only apply for a TEN as an individual, not an organisation.
• Apply no later than 10 clear working days before the event (not including the date the application is made or the date of event)

 

Serve a Temporary Event Notice »

 

‘Late TENs’

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

If you don’t hold a personal licence, you can serve up to 2 late TENs per year. If you hold a personal licence, the limit is 10. Late TENs count towards the total number of permitted TENs.

Objections

The council can’t refuse a notice unless the police or Environmental Health team object to it. They must do this within 3 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

To assist in avoiding objections you should include as much information as possible 

If there’s an objection our licensing committee will hold a meeting (called a ‘hearing’) 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 5 working days before the date of your event.

Displaying your notice

You must keep your TEN in a safe place where the event is held.

You must also display a copy of the notice where it can be easily seen.

Fines and penalties

You could be fined if you make any false statements in your application, or 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 6 months, or both.

Help with organising and running your event

If you are planning your own event please visit our event planning pages.

 

Contact the Licensing team

Tel: 01304 872295 
Email: licensing@dover.gov.uk