How to Get a Premises Licence in England and Wales: Step by Step (2026)

To get a premises licence in England and Wales you apply to the licensing authority, which is the council for the area the premises are in, with an operating schedule, a plan of the premises, the fee for your rateable value band and, if you will sell alcohol, the signed consent of a designated premises supervisor who holds a personal licence. You then advertise the application for 28 days. If nobody makes a relevant representation the council must grant it, so a straightforward application is normally granted about five to six weeks after it goes in.

This guide walks through the whole process under the Licensing Act 2003, with the fees set by the Licensing Act 2003 (Fees) Regulations 2005 and the application rules in the Premises Licences and Club Premises Certificates Regulations 2005. If you first want to know what a premises licence is and whether you need one, start with our premises licence guide and come back here to apply.

Before you apply: check you need a premises licence

A premises licence authorises licensable activities at a specific place. Answer these four questions first, because the answer decides which authorisation you apply for.

Members' clubs apply for a club premises certificate instead, and a one-off event is covered by a Temporary Event Notice. Everything else is a premises licence.

Who can apply for a premises licence

Section 16 of the Licensing Act 2003 sets out who can hold a premises licence. In practice the applicant is whoever carries on the business at the premises:

• Anyone aged 18 or over who carries on, or proposes to carry on, a business that involves licensable activities at the premises
• A company, partnership, charity or other body carrying on that business
• A recognised club, a school, a hospital, a police or fire authority, and certain other public bodies
• An individual applicant must show they have the right to work in the UK, which has been part of the application since 2017

The licence is held by the person or company named on it, not by the building. If you later sell the business, the licence is transferred to the new owner rather than applied for again.

What you need to prepare

Gather these before you open the application. Councils reject or bounce incomplete applications, and the 28-day clock does not start until the application is complete.

How to get a premises licence: step by step

1. 1

   Decide the activities and hours

   List every licensable activity you want: on-sales, off-sales, late night refreshment, each type of entertainment. For each, the hours on each day of the week. Ask for the hours you will realistically use with a little headroom; councils judge the whole package against their Statement of Licensing Policy, and over-reaching invites representations.

2. 2

   Write the operating schedule

   This is the part that matters most. It describes how you will promote the four licensing objectives: prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, prevention of public nuisance and protection of children from harm. What you write becomes conditions on your licence, so be specific and only promise what you will do: CCTV retained for 31 days, Challenge 25, an incident log, staff training, a dispersal policy, noise limits.

3. 3

   Prepare the plan

   A plan at 1:100 showing the boundary of the premises, every entrance, exit and escape route, the areas where each licensable activity takes place, fixed structures and furniture, stages and raised areas, steps and stairs, toilets, the kitchen, and the location of fire safety equipment. A floor plan from the lease is usually not enough on its own.

4. 4

   Appoint the designated premises supervisor

   If you are selling alcohol, name the person in day-to-day control who holds a personal licence. They sign the DPS consent form. If nobody on your team has a personal licence yet, apply for one first: it takes about two weeks and the course is a few hours online.

5. 5

   Submit the application and pay the fee

   Apply to the council for the area where the premises are, either through its online portal or through GOV.UK, and pay the fee for your rateable value band. If you apply online the council passes copies to the responsible authorities. If you apply by post you must send copies to each responsible authority yourself on the same day: police, fire and rescue, environmental health, planning, trading standards, the child protection body, the health body and Home Office Immigration Enforcement.

6. 6

   Advertise the application

   Display a notice on pale blue A4 paper, in black type of at least 16 point, at or on the premises where the public can read it from outside, for 28 consecutive days starting the day after you submit. Publish a notice in a local newspaper, or an equivalent local publication, at least once within 10 working days of the day after submission. Missing either deadline invalidates the application and you start again.

7. 7

   The 28-day consultation

   Responsible authorities and anyone else, typically local residents and businesses, can make relevant representations, meaning ones about the licensing objectives, until the end of the 28 days. Many are resolved by agreeing extra conditions in writing before any hearing.

8. 8

   Grant, or a hearing

   If no relevant representations are received the council must grant the licence as applied for, with the mandatory conditions and the conditions from your operating schedule. If representations stand, the licensing sub-committee holds a hearing within 20 working days of the end of the consultation and can grant, grant with modified conditions, exclude an activity, refuse to name the DPS, or refuse the application. Either side can appeal to the magistrates' court within 21 days.

We have separate guides on what happens after you submit, including the blue notice and newspaper advert in detail, and on how to prepare for a licensing hearing.

How much does a premises licence cost?

The application fee and the annual fee are set nationally by the Licensing Act 2003 (Fees) Regulations 2005 and depend on the non-domestic rateable value of the premises. Premises in bands D and E that are used mainly for drinking alcohol on the premises, rather than restaurants, pay a multiplier.

Premises with no rateable value, such as a new build not yet on the rating list, are treated as band A. Events for 5,000 or more people attract additional fees. On top of the council fee, budget for the newspaper advert, a drawn plan if you do not have one, the personal licence (£37 plus the course) and, if you use an agent, their fee. Barnab prepares and submits the whole application for £300 + VAT.

How long does it take to get a premises licence?

1. Day 0

   Application submitted to the council and copied to the responsible authorities. Fee paid.

2. Day 1 to 28

   Blue notice displayed at the premises for 28 consecutive days. Consultation open for representations.

3. Within 10 working days

   Newspaper notice published.

4. Day 29 onwards

   No relevant representations: the council must grant and issues the licence, usually within a week or two.

5. Within 20 working days of day 28

   Representations received and not withdrawn: hearing before the licensing sub-committee, decision normally on the day or within five working days.

6. 21 days after the decision

   Deadline to appeal to the magistrates' court.

So the fastest realistic timetable is a little over five weeks: the 28-day consultation is fixed by law and cannot be shortened, and the council needs a few days either side. Plan for eight to twelve weeks if the application goes to a hearing, and add the time to draw the plan and obtain a personal licence if you do not already have them.

The operating schedule: what to write for each licensing objective

Councils and the police read the operating schedule first. The statutory guidance issued under section 182 of the Act expects measures that are proportionate to the premises, and it is the measures that persuade a responsible authority not to object. Typical commitments:

Mandatory conditions on every alcohol licence

Whatever you write in the operating schedule, these conditions are attached to every premises licence that authorises the sale of alcohol, under the Mandatory Licensing Conditions Orders:

Why premises licence applications are refused or delayed

• An advertising deadline missed: the blue notice taken down early or the newspaper notice published late, which invalidates the application
• A plan at the wrong scale or missing required features, so the council treats the application as incomplete
• Hours well beyond what the council's Statement of Licensing Policy expects for that street, or an application inside a cumulative impact area with no evidence that it will not add to the problems
• An operating schedule with no concrete measures, which invites representations from the police and environmental health
• No DPS consent form, or a DPS whose personal licence is from another part of the UK
• Confusing the premises licence with planning permission: the licence does not change the planning use of the building, and a late-opening restaurant may need both

If the premises are in a cumulative impact zone, read our guide on applying in a cumulative impact area before you draft the schedule, because the burden of proof is on you.

After the grant

Keep the licence, or a certified copy, at the premises with the summary displayed where the public can see it. Pay the annual fee on the anniversary of the grant; councils suspend licences for non-payment. If you want to change hours, add an activity or alter the layout later, that is a variation, minor or full, not a new application. Changing the DPS is a separate notification costing £23.

Scotland and Northern Ireland run different systems under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Licensing (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, so this guide applies to England and Wales only.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a pub licence?

A pub needs a premises licence from the council for the area the pub is in, covering the sale of alcohol and any late night refreshment or entertainment, plus a designated premises supervisor who holds a personal licence. The route is the one in this guide: operating schedule, plan, DPS consent, fee, 28 days of advertising, then grant or a hearing.

Can I apply for a premises licence myself?

Yes. The Licensing Act 2003 lets any eligible applicant apply directly to the licensing authority; nothing in the process is reserved to solicitors. Most refusals and delays come from the operating schedule, the plan or a missed advertising deadline, which is where an agent such as Barnab earns its fee.

Do I need a personal licence to get a premises licence?

Only if the licence will authorise the sale of alcohol. In that case the premises licence must name a designated premises supervisor who holds a personal licence, and that person signs a consent form that goes in with the application. A premises licence for late night refreshment or entertainment alone needs no personal licence.

How long does a premises licence last?

Indefinitely, unless it is surrendered, revoked on review or lapses because the holder dies, becomes insolvent or the company is dissolved. You pay an annual fee to the council on the anniversary of the grant, set by the same rateable value band as the application fee.

What happens if the council or the police object?

Responsible authorities and local residents can make relevant representations during the 28-day consultation. Many are resolved by agreeing conditions before a hearing. If not, the licensing sub-committee hears the application within 20 working days of the consultation closing and can grant, grant with conditions, exclude an activity or refuse. You can appeal to the magistrates' court within 21 days.

Can I get a premises licence for a one-off event?

For a single event with fewer than 500 people, lasting no more than 168 hours, a Temporary Event Notice is usually the right tool rather than a full premises licence. It is a notification rather than an application, costs £21 and needs 10 working days' notice.

Related guides: what a premises licence is and what it covers, licensed hours for pubs, and the restaurant and café alcohol licence.