Apply for a Temporary Event Notice

You will need a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) if you want to carry out a ‘licensable activity’ on an unlicensed premises. Or if you are carrying out a ‘licensable activity’ longer than allowed on your premises licence.

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

The process of applying is formally known as ‘serving’ a Temporary Event Notice (TEN).

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.

If you are planning to hold your event in a Salford public park, green space or open space we would recommend that you apply and get permission to use the land prior to applying for your TEN. Please bear in mind that land usage applications could take up to 12 weeks to process. Find out more about how to apply to use a Salford public park, green space or open space. 

How to apply

You must apply at least ten working days before your event.

You will have to pay a fee of £21.

The date of submitting the TEN and the day of the event are not included in the total number of working days before the event.

You can only apply for a TEN as an individual, not an organisation.

‘Late TENs’

The latest you can apply for a ‘late TEN’ is five working days (any day other than a Saturday, Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or Bank Holiday) before the event (but not earlier than nine working days). You must exclude the day the notice is received and the first day of the event. 

If a TEN application is submitted later than is permitted, you will be informed that the application cannot be processed, and that the event cannot go ahead. The fee of £21 will not be refunded as costs are incurred in reviewing and processing.

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

See the guidance notes for more information.

Restrictions

Your event must:

  • Have no more than 499 people at all times – including staff running the event (for events of 500 or more people you will need a premises licence)
  • Last no more than 168 hours (seven days)

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

Planning permission

Please ensure that correct planning permission is in place and that there are no restrictive planning conditions attached to the premises which conflict with your intended business activity, such as the hours that the premises may open for business. See our planning advice page for more information.

Number of notices you can apply for

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

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.

An individual can get up to five TENs a year. If you already have a personal licence to sell alcohol, you can be given up to 50 TENs a year.

If you’re organising separate but consecutive events, there must be at least a 24 hour gap between them.

Objections

The police or the council will object to the application if we 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 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 five 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.

Make your application

To make an application please complete the form below.

Apply for a Temporary Event Notice

This page was last updated on 8 July 2024

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