Selling beer or coffee at your 60-day campsite? Here is the licensing law that applies on top of Class BC in 2026.
You have the field. You have the 60 days. Now you want to sell a pint.
First, separate your permissions. Planning covers the campsite use. Alcohol licensing covers alcohol, late-night refreshment and some entertainment. Food law covers food businesses, including mobile vans.
Planning gives you the site-use window
In England, Class BC, as amended by S.I. 2026/313, allows a temporary campsite for up to 60 days per calendar year, with up to 50 pitches for tents and motor-vehicle campervans. You must make the annual written notification to your local planning authority, include a plan showing facilities and dates, and avoid permanent works. In Wales, Class BA, in force from 1 June 2026, allows 60 days on ordinary land and 28 days in National Parks, National Landscapes and World Heritage Sites, subject to an annual determination application and exclusions such as Flood Zones 2 and 3 and the 100-metre protected-dwelling buffer.
Read our campsite legal guide for the planning position. Class BC does not give you permission to sell a pint, run a food business or put on licensable entertainment.
Alcohol: choose the right route
Under the Licensing Act 2003, selling or supplying alcohol in England and Wales requires authorisation. That may be a premises licence, a club premises certificate for a qualifying members’ club, or a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) for an occasional event.
A premises licence is usually the right route for a recurring pop-up campsite bar. The law’s definition of “premises” can include a vehicle, a moveable structure or any place. A bar tent or trailer is not automatically outside the rules. If you plan to open your bar throughout a 60-day season, a stack of TENs will not cover it.
A TEN can cover alcohol sales on unlicensed premises for a one-off festival weekend or a handful of event weekends. It can also cover regulated entertainment, such as some live music, and hot food or drink served between 11pm and 5am.
| TEN limit | What to plan for |
|---|---|
| Events per applicant | Up to 5 TENs a year without a personal licence; up to 50 with one |
| Late TENs | Up to 2 without a personal licence; up to 10 with one |
| Events at one premises | Up to 15 TENs a year, with no more than 21 event days in total |
| Event size and length | Fewer than 500 people at all times, including staff; no more than 168 hours |
| Standard application | At least 10 clear working days before the event; £21 fee |
| Late application | No later than 5 clear working days before the event, and not earlier than 9 clear working days |
You must be at least 18 to apply. Only individuals can apply, not organisations. Separate, consecutive events need a 24-hour gap. Apply online and the council sends copies to the police and environmental health. Keep a TEN copy safe on site, and display one where it can be seen.
The 15-TEN and 21-day premises limits mean TENs cannot cover a full 60-day bar season. Use them for occasional events instead. A late TEN is not a safe fallback: if police or environmental health object, it is not valid and the event cannot go ahead.
The DPS and personal licence
A personal licence is not required just to work in a licensed venue. But a premises licence for alcohol must have a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) who holds a personal licence, except for specific exceptions such as some community premises. Anyone who does not hold a personal licence must be authorised by a personal licence holder for each alcohol sale, except in members’ clubs.
The DPS must be named on the premises licence and act as a point of contact for the council and police. To apply for a personal licence, you must be 18 or over, hold an accredited qualification, such as the BIIAB Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders, and provide a basic criminal conviction disclosure.
Check the consequences
False statements on a TEN application can lead to a fine. Breaching the terms of a TEN can lead to prosecution. Running a licensable activity without a required TEN or licence, or allowing your premises to be used for one, can lead to a fine, up to six months in prison, or both.
Check your opening hours, event headcount and activities before you advertise. A hot-food van serving after 11pm may need a TEN for late-night refreshment, even if it sells no alcohol. A daytime burger van does not need Licensing Act permission just because its food is hot.
Food: register before trading
If you sell, cook, store, handle, prepare or distribute food, you are a food business. Complete food business registration with the local authority at least 28 days before trading. Registration is free. It applies to temporary stalls and mobile units, too.
If your operation trades in more than one location, register each site with the local authority where it is located. A mobile food van at your campsite is its own food business. Ask the operator for evidence of registration and its food hygiene rating, and keep the details with your pitch agreement. The van operator is responsible for its compliance. Your records show who traded on your land.
A coffee trailer trading up to four times a week was found not to be a material change of use in a Lake District National Park Authority compliance report dated 2 September 2026. That is useful context for an occasional van that supports a campsite. A permanent, daily catering operation raises a different planning question. Check your site and proposal with the local planning authority.
Let quiet hours support your licence
The licensing objectives include preventing crime and disorder, protecting public safety, protecting children from harm and preventing public nuisance. Noise can bring that last objective into play.
Set quiet hours, tell guests and traders what they are, and record how you handle complaints. Your quiet-hours policy can support your licensing case as well as help protect neighbours. See our guide to noise and statutory nuisance at pop-up campsites.
Five fixes before opening weekend
- Map your dates and activities. Mark campsite days, bar hours, live entertainment and any hot food or drink after 11pm.
- Choose your alcohol route. Apply for a premises licence for a recurring bar, or serve a TEN for an occasional event.
- Submit applications on time. Count clear working days carefully, and do not rely on a late TEN.
- Check food registration. Register your own food business and ask each mobile food van for its registration details and hygiene rating.
- Keep your paperwork on site. Store the TEN where it is safe, display a copy at the event, and keep food and trader records accessible.
Treat farm diversification camping as two checks, not one. Confirm the planning route for the field, then confirm the permissions for every product and activity you plan to offer. For more on opening land to campers, visit Unlock Your Land and Potential.
Join the Open Sky Adventure community and sign up on our website. We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.