Sports ground or stand safety certification

You need a safety certificate for a sports ground that can hold 5,000 or more spectators (designated sports ground) or a covered stand that holds 500 or more spectators (regulated stand). A certificate can cover more than one stand.

You can apply for a:

• General safety certificate to cover activities over an indefinite period
• Special safety certificate to cover one or a series of specific occasion

You must specify which activities to be covered by the safety certificate. Your certificate will only be valid for these activities.

Remember: You can only apply for a special safety certificate if you already have a general safety certificate.

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Apply or change a certificate

You will need to contact us to start the process. To be apply for a general safety certificate, you must be the person responsible for the management of the ground.

For a special safety certificate, you must be the person responsible for the activities being viewed from the stand.

There is a fee to either apply or change a certificate. We will confirm the amount when you contact us.

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What happens next

Once you contact us, we will let you know what information is needed. You must provide the 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If you fail to provide the requested information within the specified time, the application will be deemed to have been withdrawn.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 the application for a safety certificate to the chief police officer of the area. We may also need to send the application to the fire and rescue authority and the building authority. They must be consulted about the terms and conditions to be included in a certificate.

Remember: Tacit consent will not apply. It is in the public interest that the authority must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from the us within a reasonable period, please contact us.

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Failed application and other redress

Please contact us in the first instance. Any applicant who is refused a safety certificate because they are not considered to be an eligible person can appeal to West Hampshire Magistrates' Court.

An applicant who is refused a special safety certificate may also appeal to the magistrates' court against a refusal of an application based on grounds other than a decision that they are not an eligible person.

Any person concerned in ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions of the safety certificate may appeal to the magistrates' court against any condition attached to, or the omission of anything from, a safety certificate, or against the refusal to amend or replace a safety certificate.

Any licence holder may appeal to the magistrates' court against a condition attached to, or the omission of anything from, their safety certificate, or against the refusal to amend or replace a safety certificate. 

Appeal to the crown court is possible against an order of the magistrates' court.

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Related information

• Southampton and Eastleigh Building Control
• Other licensing