Five sets of mandatory conditions apply automatically to every premises licence and club certificate that authorises alcohol in England and Wales. They’re non-negotiable, they’re enforced, and two of them are broken in most venues on any busy Saturday. Here they are in operational terms.
1. No irresponsible promotions
Banned outright: drinking games or anything that encourages speed-drinking; unlimited or unspecified quantities for a fixed fee (“all you can drink for £15”); prizes/rewards conditional on drinking alcohol; promotions tied to sporting events encouraging drinking; posters glamorising drunkenness. Bottomless brunch survives only when structured carefully — a defined 90-minute sitting with food, table service, staff empowered to stop serving — and plenty of versions on the market wouldn’t survive scrutiny.
2. No dispensing alcohol directly into the mouth
The ‘dentist’s chair’ ban. No pouring shots into customers’ mouths, no vodka luges without a glass in between. Exception: none you should rely on.
3. Free potable water on request
Tap water, free, whenever alcohol is being sold. “We only sell bottled” is a breach. Train the weekend bar team; mystery shoppers test this.
4. An age verification policy
Every licensed premises must operate an age verification policy requiring ID from anyone appearing under 18 — in practice nearly everyone runs Challenge 25. Acceptable ID: passport, photo driving licence, PASS-hologram cards, and (per updated guidance) certain digital IDs. The DPS is responsible for the policy existing and staff following it — our age verification course and AUASP exist for exactly this.
5. Small measures must be available and visible
You must offer and display availability of: beer/cider in half pints, gin/rum/vodka/whisky in 25ml or 35ml, still wine by the 125ml glass. Selling only 175ml/250ml wine is a breach. Put the small measures on the menu and till — ‘displayed’ means customers can see them, not that a laminated card exists in a drawer somewhere.
Why these five matter disproportionately
They’re the easiest breaches for an enforcement visit to evidence in ten minutes: ask for tap water, order a wine and look at the menu, watch the shot round. Three cheap ticks build the picture painted at a review hearing. Conversely, visible compliance is your credibility when something serious is alleged.
Frequently asked questions
Do mandatory conditions appear on my licence document?
Not always in full — they apply by force of law whether printed or not. Ignorance is no defence, which is rather the theme of licensing law.
Is happy hour illegal?
No — time-limited price reductions are fine. The line is crossed by quantity-unlimited offers and speed incentives.
Who gets prosecuted for a breach — me or the barman?
The premises licence holder and DPS carry the exposure for conditions; individual staff carry their own liability for underage and drunk-service sales. Everyone’s covered by training — which is the point of the APLH.
Want a compliance once-over? Send us your menus and promo plans — ten minutes of review beats a review hearing.
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