Martyn's Law for mosques
Mosques are named in the statutory guidance as places of worship, so they're always standard tier, however many people come. Here's what that means for how a mosque actually runs.
If a mosque can reasonably expect 200 or more people at the same time on its busiest occasion, counting staff and volunteers, it's in scope. Places of worship are always standard tier, even above 800. That means procedures for what to do in an attack, people on duty who know them, and notifying the SIA. Writing the procedures down is recommended. You don't need CCTV, barriers, bag searches or security staff.
What's different for mosques
Count your busiest prayer, not a normal Friday
The test is the busiest occasion you can reasonably expect, staff and volunteers included. A mosque with 150 at Jummah may well pass 200 at Eid, on the last nights of Ramadan or for a big janazah. If you run Eid prayers in several sessions, count the busiest one.
Eid prayers away from the mosque
The "always standard tier" rule only covers premises whose main use is worship. Eid prayers in a park, a sports hall or a town hall don't get it. The venue's own position and the rules for events apply instead, so agree with the venue owner who's responsible before the day.
Every space and every entrance
Main hall, women's prayer hall, madrasah classrooms, wudu areas and the car park on busy days all need covering by the same four procedures. Separate entrances for men and women mean thinking about evacuation and lockdown for both, and how everyone hears the announcement.
Volunteers, rotas and languages
Most mosques run on volunteers, and who's on duty changes from one prayer to the next. Brief people in the language they're most comfortable with, and keep a note of who's been briefed and when.
When the hall is hired out
For nikahs, walimas, funerals or community events, the management committee stays the responsible person, not the family or organiser using the hall. The guidance says a hire agreement can require the hirer to follow your procedures, so add a line to yours.
Who the responsible person is
Usually the management committee or the trustees, whoever has control of the building. Because that's a group, name the people actually doing the work, and pick someone who'll still be on the committee next year.
The Home Office runs the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme. Mosques, and Muslim community centres where regular worship takes place, can apply if they're a registered charity or exempt from registering. After a site survey, approved measures such as CCTV, alarms, fencing or security guards are provided free by the Home Office. This has nothing to do with the Martyn's Law duty, which doesn't require any of those things at standard tier. But if your committee is thinking about security anyway, it's worth knowing about.
Free for every mosque: a full practical guide, printable checklists, fill-in templates and an emergency poster for committees, stewards and volunteers. Use them, print them, share them.
What to do, step by step
- Work out your busiest occasion and whether it reaches 200.
- Agree who the responsible person is, by name.
- Notify the SIA once the notification process is set out.
- Agree the four procedures: evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication. Start from the free ProtectUK templates and write them down.
- Brief everyone who'd be on duty, and keep a note of who and when.
- Walk through them now and then, and review them when the building or the team changes.
The 8-step roadmap covers each of these in more detail, with what the law requires and what's only recommended.
Free help
- ProtectUK, for procedure templates and the free ACT Awareness course. ACT is recommended, not a legal requirement.
- ACT in a BOX, free scenario-based exercises your team works through together.
- The Protective Security for Mosques Scheme, for free physical security and guarding. It's separate from Martyn's Law.
- The Home Office statutory guidance, published April 2026.
Look after a mosque, or a group of mosques? We're taking on a small number of free pilots with faith networks while the product is built. Talk to us, or see how places of worship are treated in general.
This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Governance differs between communities, so establish properly who holds the duty rather than assuming. Musterlog doesn't make anyone compliant, and no product is endorsed by the Home Office or the SIA.
Primary sources: the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 and the statutory guidance.