Licensing

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• Licences issued by other bodies
  There are a number of types of licence and registration that we do not deal with. More details of these can be seen below:
  
  

  Licenses issued by other bodies

  Organisation	Type of licence/registration
  Hertfordshire County Council	Child performance licences
  	Crossovers (dropped kerbs)
  	Fireworks and explosives - selling or storing
  	Petroleum licences
  	Civil marriage and civil partnership venues
  	Mobile cranes, towers and platforms on highways
  	Performing animals
  	Scaffolding or hoardings on highways
  	Skips on highways
  	Sports ground safety certificates
  	Street cafes
  Care homes and nursing agencies	Residential care homes, and other organisations providing health or caring services, must be registered with the Care Quality Commission.
  Copyright licences	Businesses which use music, including playing the radio or CDs, or for purposes such as telephone 'hold music', may need licences from the Performing Rights Society (PRS) and Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL), which cover the royalty payments associated with copyrighted music.
  	If you are showing copyrighted films in public, you will usually need a licence from the film's distributor. Many studios are represented by distributors such as the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation or Filmbank Media, who issue both single screening licences and annual licences. The British Film Institute also distributes a variety of classic films, including in specialist formats.
  	You will also need to obtain a licence from us if you are showing films or playing music for entertainment purposes.
  Credit licences	Businesses that offer goods or service on credit, or who provide debt advice, must be licensed by the Financial Conduct Authority.
  Petroleum licensing	Licences for the storage of petroleum are issued by Hertfordshire County Council. We are responsible for issuing environmental permits in respect of certain controlled processes at petrol stations.
  Security licences	Licences for certain security activities, including door supervisors, event stewards, wheel clampers, CCTV operators and close protection specialists, are issued by the Security Industry Authority.
  Sunday trading	No licences are required to allow shops and other businesses to open on Sunday. However, larger shops (those with a floor area over 280 square metres / 3,014 square feet) may only trade for up to six hours, between 10am and 6pm. The trading hours for retailers page on the Government's website has further information.

  
  

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• Statement of licensing policy (Licensing Act 2003 - alcohol, entertainment and late-night refreshment licences)

  We are required to publish a document setting out our policy on how we will exercise our licensing functions in respect of alcohol, entertainment and late-night refreshment. This is known as our statement of licensing policy.

  Our current policy came into force in January 2021, and will have effect until January 2026.

  When considering applications for licences, we are under an obligation to grant applications which do not attract representations. In cases where representations are received, the application will be considered by our Licensing of Alcohol and Gambling Sub-Committee, who will be guided by the statement of licensing policy, and national guidance given to us by the Government.

  Any revisions to the statement, or new versions, must be subject to consultation with statutory bodies including the police and fire service, representatives of licence holders, and representatives of local residents and businesses. We will also publish details of any proposals on this page.

   Statement of Licensing Policy 2021-2026 (PDF 1.85MB)

  Special licensing policies

  We have not adopted a Late Night Levy, Early Morning Alcohol Restriction Orders (EMAROs) nor any Cumulative Impact Areas.

• Statement of principles (Gambling Act 2005 - betting, gaming and lottery licences)

  Every licensing authority must publish a legal document that sets out the principles that it will follow when exercising any of its powers under the Gambling Act 2005 - for example, the matters that will be taken into account when considering applications, how decisions will be made on contested applications and how enforcement powers will be used. This document is known as the authority's statement of principles, and is reviewed periodically to ensure it remains relevant.

  Our policy for 2022-2025 is published below, previous versions of the policy are available from the Licensing team on request.

  When considering applications for licences and permits, we will be guided by our statement of principles, and the national guidance published by the Gambling Commission.

  Any revisions to the statement, or new versions, must be subject to consultation with statutory bodies including the police and fire service, representatives of licence holders, and representatives of local residents and businesses. We will also publish details of any such proposals on this page.

    Statement of Principles 2022-2025 (PDF 1.9MB)

• Sex establishment licensing policy (sex shops, sex cinemas and sexual entertainment venues)

  Our sex establishment licensing policy sets out how we will consider applications, and our expectations of licence holders.

   Sex Establishment Licensing Policy 2017-2022 (PDF 1.6MB)

• Taxi and private hire licensing policy

  We have adopted a policy which sets out details of how we will exercise our powers to license drivers, vehicles and operators, as well as details of what we expect licensees to do. The policy also contains details of the standard conditions we will attach to licences.

   Taxi and private hire licensing policy (PDF 1.4MB)

• Enforcement policy

  Our licensing enforcement policy covers a wide range of licences, registrations and permits issued by us, and sets out what businesses and other parties being regulated can expect from us when we take enforcement action. The current version of the policy runs from 14 December 2016 to 13 December 2021.

   Licensing enforcement policy 2021-2026 (PDF 348KB)