Entertainment licence

Coronavirus update

Normal service for entertainment licences are restricted as Cecil Ward Building is closed for customers and staff. You can still apply for an entertainment licence online.

• Find out more about how COVID-19 affects your licence application
• Find out more about council clourses and streamlining of services

We license and inspect entertainment places to make sure they maintain high standards of management and have suitable arrangements in place for managing fires and other safety risks.

We also make sure premises are:

• suitable for their intended use 
• have appropriate levels of insurance, 
• provide access to emergency services and 
• have adequate sanitary and hygiene facilities.
• This also applies to outdoor entertainment.

Before applying for an entertainment licence, please check if you need planning permission for both indoor and outdoor areas of the entertainment premises with our Planning Service.

Apply for an entertainment licence

You can apply online for indoor and outdoor entertainment licence.

• Apply for an indoor entertainment licence
• Apply for an outdoor entertainment licence

Please read the terms and conditions for online services and our privacy statement.

If you're applying for a new licence, renewing an existing licence, or transferring and varying an existing licence, you'll need to complete different forms. 

Post us a completed application form, along with the relevant documents and fee.

Building Control
Ground Floor
Cecil Ward Building
4-10 Linenhall Street
Belfast
BT2 8BP

To request the appropriate entertainment licence forms, email buildingcontrollicensing@belfastcity.gov.uk or call our licensing team on 028 9027 0650.  

You can also call into our public office and pick up the relevant documents.  

Who needs an entertainment licence?

If you provide, or want to provide, entertainment at a venue within the Belfast City Council electoral area, you must have a valid entertainment licence from us.

This applies to:

• private functions and 
• any events for the public where you charge money. 

Exemptions can be make for religious occasions and, in certain circumstances, schools.

You must be 18 or older to apply for a licence.

You should also contact us if you're thinking of holding an event and are unsure if you need a licence or are unsure of the safety measures needed.

What types of licence are available?

The type of licence depends on the entertainment that you provide. Although we issue licences for both indoor and outdoor events, their conditions vary depending on the how often you provide entertainment and the nature of the premises where it will take place.

If you want to apply for both, you must make separate applications and supply the accompanying information for both types of licence.

If you are granted a 14 day unspecified occasional licence, you must notify us at least 14 days before each event is due to take place.

Fees can be paid by cheque or postal or money order (made payable to Belfast City Council), or by credit and debit card using our online payment system.

What documents are needed to apply?

Once you know the type of licence you need, you can apply online or request the relevant application form by email and return by post with the appropriate fee.

You must provide a range of documents relating to your premises. If you're applying for a renewal, transfer or variation of an existing licence, you must also supply the certificates listed below.

We only accept original certificates - faxes and photocopies will not be accepted. Certificates will be copied and the originals returned to you, if requested.

You must also submit three copies of the floor plan of your premises (at a scale of 1:100). You must also do this if you're applying for a variation of your existing licence and have altered the layout of your premises, added another area to be licensed or intend to do so.

Send hard copies to:

Building Control
Ground Floor
Cecil Ward Building
4-10 Linenhall Street
Belfast
BT2 8BP

Please contact us if you want further information about:

• Required documents and certification
• Public Liability Insurance
• Renewal Inspection
• Fire Risk Assessments

How are applications processed?

Timescales

Please allow a minimum of 28 days from the date of receipt for us to process your application.

We consult with the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service when considering entertainment licensing applications and take any observations they make into account. We also give other interested parties the chance to express their views before we make our final decision.

During this time, the licensing surveyor will inspect your premises. We can't progress your application or carry out an inspection until we receive three copies of the floor plans of your premises.

We may ask you to undertake remedial work at your premises to bring the building up to a suitable standard before we can issue a licence.

Entertainment licence advertisements

Within seven days of submitting your application, you must also place legal notice of it in one local newspaper. These are not required for applications for a 14-day occasional licence made by schools or for church halls.

Please contact us if you want further information about advertising.

Objections

If we receive objections to an application which are not resolved through mediation, the application will be referred to our Licensing Committee for further consideration. If this happens, both you and anyone who objects to your application will have the chance to present a case to the committee.

Appeals

If an application is refused or where terms, conditions or restrictions are imposed or where a licence is revoked, you have the right to appeal our decision. Appeals must be lodged within 21 days of you being informed of the decision to the County Court. Their decision is final.

You shouldn't consider your licence granted until you receive formal confirmation from us. And you shouldn’t provide any entertainment at your premises until we issue you with a valid entertainment licence.

All entertainment licences are granted for a period of up to 12 months and are subject to standard conditions such as:

• days and hours of use
• the nature of entertainment which may be provided
• occupancy figures.

Applications for renewals should be submitted at least one month before your licence is due to expire. We'll write to you in advance to remind you to renew your licence.

If you’re issued with a licence for the first time, you’ll receive our Rules of Management for Places of Indoor Entertainment document. These rules help you manage and operate your licensed premises properly. You must keep these on site at all time as part of the conditions of your licence. Our licensing surveyors may ask to see it when carrying out performance inspections.  Please contact us if you want a replacement copy of the Rules of “Management for Places of Indoor Entertainment” emailed to you.

If you are granted a licence, your premises will be inspected regularly to check that you are complying with the conditions of your licence and managing the premises properly. If necessary, our surveyors can take enforcement action to ensure you’re meeting with the licence conditions. 

It's a serious offence to breach the terms of an entertainment licence, especially to allow overcrowding. This can lead to your licence being revoked or suspended, as well as a fine of up to £20,000. 

How much do entertainment licences cost?

The cost of an entertainment licence depends on the type of licence that you need. These fees are non-refundable, even if your application is refused.

 
Fees can be paid by cheque or postal or money order (made payable to Belfast City Council), or by credit and debit card using our online payment system.

I'm planning a large outdoor event. What advice is available?

If you want to hold a large outdoor event, such as a concert or other musical entertainment, you'll need a licence from us.

Licensing events in this way helps to ensure high standards of health and safety management and minimises the impact it may have on local residents.

Once you have been granted an entertainment licence, you must supply us with an event management plan specific to your event at least one month before it's due to take place (for larger events, more time is needed). Your plan should provide proposals on issues such as:

• site layout
• crowd management
• stewarding
• temporary structures
• noise control.

The finish time for outdoor events is normally 11pm. You must consult us well in advance if you want your event to finish after this time.

You'll also need to consider how you manage litter and waste at your event.

The Health and Safety Executive provides the Event Safety Guide with information on planning outdoor events in a range of locations, such as purpose-built arenas, sites not designed for public entertainment, open-air stadia and parks.

Please contact us for our guide for organising outdoor events.