Sports ground safety certificates

If you operate a sports ground that holds more than 10,000 spectators, you may be required to hold a safety certificate.

A safety certificate may be either:

• a general safety certificate issued for the use of a sports ground for a specified activity, or activities, during an indefinite period
• a special safety certificate for the use of a sports ground for a specified activity or activities on a specified occasion or occasions

You must comply with any terms or conditions attached to a certificate.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for a safety certificate, you must be likely to be in a position to prevent contravention of the terms and conditions of a certificate.

Fees

On receipt of your application, an officer will be able to provide an estimate of the fees payable based on our rate, currently £97 per officer hour.

Application evaluation process

Applicants must provide requested information and plans to us within the time specified.

If you fail to provide the requested information within the specified time the application will be deemed to have been withdrawn.

We will consider if the applicant is in a position to prevent any breach of the terms and conditions of a certificate.

We will send a copy of an application for a safety certificate to the chief police officer of the area, the fire and rescue authority if they are not that authority, and the building authority if they are not that authority in England and Wales.

Each of these bodies must be consulted about the terms and conditions to be included in a certificate.

Application to transfer a certificate

If an application is made to transfer a certificate we must determine if the person to whom the certificate is to be transferred, if they made an application, would qualify for the issue of a certificate.

The applicant may be the current holder of the certificate or the person to whom the certificate is to be transferred.

We will then send a copy on to the relevant bodies to consult them about any proposed amendment, replacement or transfer.

Will tacit consent apply?

No. It is in the public interest that we must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable period, please contact the licensing team.

To inform us about a change in your existing circumstances, please contact us.