A venue's capacity in France isn't set by the organiser or the landlord: it's set by article L 3 of the arrêté du 25 juin 1980, which counts 3 people per square metre of standing audience. That figure determines the establishment's category, the mandatory fire safety staffing, and the declaration deadlines. This guide covers the five texts a promoter needs for an event in France: the ERP safety regulations, the code de la construction et de l'habitation, the CTS marquee regime, the code de la sécurité intérieure, and the reference framework for emergency response units. All the rules were checked on Legifrance on 6 October 2026.
How is a venue's legal capacity calculated in France?
With ratios written into the regulation, not with the activity licence. Article L 3 of the arrêté du 25 juin 1980 determines the «effectif maximal du public admis» (maximum admissible public capacity) by adding four categories in a performance venue: people seated in numbered seats or bench spaces; those occupying unnumbered benches, «à raison d'une personne par 0,50 ml» (at a rate of one person per 0.50 linear metres); those attending «sans disposer de sièges ou de bancs, à raison de 3 personnes/m²» (without seats or benches, at a rate of 3 people/m²); and those normally standing «dans les promenoirs et dans les files d'attente, à raison de 5 personnes par mètre linéaire» (in standing areas and queues, at a rate of 5 people per linear metre).
Article L 2 defines promenoirs as «toutes les surfaces propres à recevoir des personnes pouvant assister debout à des manifestations, en dehors des chemins de circulation» (any surfaces suitable for holding people attending standing, outside the circulation routes). In other words: walkway space doesn't count towards capacity, but it can't be filled either.
| Space | Ratio under article L 3 | Practical translation |
|---|---|---|
| Numbered seats or bench spaces | Number of seated people | One per seat |
| Unnumbered benches | 1 person per 0.50 linear metres | Two people per metre of bench |
| Standing audience in the venue | 3 people/m² | 300 people per 100 m² of usable space |
| Standing areas and queues | 5 people per linear metre | Counted separately from the standing audience |
| Cabarets | 4 people per 3 m² of venue | Musicians' platforms and fixed furniture other than tables and chairs are deducted |
| Multi-purpose venues (L 1 § 1, e and f) | 1 person/m² of total floor area | A third of the standing-concert ratio |
| Meeting rooms without performances | 1 person/m² of total floor area | Same as multi-purpose venues |
| Multimedia venues | Promoter's declaration, minimum 1 person/2 m² | The minimum is set by the regulation |
The jump in ratio between formats is the usual trap. Over 600 m² of usable space, the multi-purpose venue ratio gives 600 people, while the standing-audience ratio for a performance venue gives 1,800: three times more. This is our own calculation applying the two ratios from article L 3, not a figure published by the French administration. The organiser doesn't choose the ratio: the venue's classification does. If the file says «salle polyvalente» (multi-purpose venue) and you sell it as a standing concert, you're selling a capacity the venue isn't authorised for.
What ERP category does your venue fall into?
It depends on total capacity, and staff count. Article R143-19 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation states that «l'effectif du public est déterminé, suivant le cas, d'après le nombre de places assises, la surface réservée au public, la déclaration contrôlée du chef de l'établissement ou d'après l'ensemble de ces indications» (the public capacity is determined, as the case may be, by the number of seats, the area reserved for the public, the controlled declaration of the establishment's manager, or by all of these combined). And it adds the rule that shifts the most venues between categories: «il y a lieu de majorer l'effectif du public de celui du personnel n'occupant pas des locaux indépendants qui posséderaient leurs propres dégagements» (the public capacity must be increased by the number of staff who don't occupy independent areas with their own exits).
| Category | Capacity (public plus staff) | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | More than 1,500 people | Art. R143-19 CCH |
| 2nd | From 701 to 1,500 people | Art. R143-19 CCH |
| 3rd | From 301 to 700 people | Art. R143-19 CCH |
| 4th | 300 people or fewer, except for 5th category | Art. R143-19 CCH |
| 5th | Below the minimum set by the regulation for each type | Art. R143-19 CCH |
The effect of adding staff is clear with one example. A 230 m² standing floor gives 690 people, which is third category; add twenty production, bar and security staff and the total rises to 710, pushing the venue into second category. This is our own calculation using the 3 people/m² ratio from article L 3 and the brackets in article R143-19.
The entry threshold for type L is in article L 1: the specific provisions apply from «100 personnes en sous-sol; 200 personnes au total» (100 people in the basement; 200 people in total), and from «20 personnes en sous-sol; 50 personnes au total» (20 people in the basement; 50 people in total) in cinemas and cabarets. Below that, the venue remains a 5th-category ERP with lighter rules, but it's still an ERP.
What happens if you use a venue for an event other than its usual purpose?
You need authorisation, and the deadline is two months. Article GN 6 of the arrêté du 25 juin 1980 requires authorisation for «l'utilisation, même partielle ou occasionnelle, d'un établissement pour une exploitation autre que celle autorisée» (the use, even partial or occasional, of an establishment for a purpose other than the one authorised), and also for any event or attraction that could present risks to the public and isn't covered by the regulation. The operator submits the request «au moins deux mois avant la manifestation ou la série de manifestations» (at least two months before the event or series of events).
That deadline changed recently. The arrêté du 30 octobre 2023, published in Journal officiel no. 0255 on 3 November 2023, replaced «quinze jours» (fifteen days) with «deux mois» (two months) in the fourth paragraph of § 1 of GN 6. Anyone working from a template dated before that is six weeks behind.
Two operational details. First: when the organiser isn't the venue operator, the request must be submitted «conjointement par l'exploitant et l'utilisateur occasionnel» (jointly by the operator and the occasional user). Second: the file has fixed content requirements — nature of the event, risks, duration, exact location, expected capacity, decoration materials, «le tracé des dégagements» (the layout of the escape routes) and the proposed additional prevention measures. A warehouse, a cloister or an industrial unit converted into a venue for one night falls squarely under this rule.
How much fire safety staff does type L require?
Article L 14 of the arrêté du 25 juin 1980 sets this out, distinguishing two services: the establishment's fire safety service and the «service de représentation» (performance-time service), which is the one reinforced during the show. The SSIAP levels are defined by the arrêté du 2 mai 2005: the fire safety service agent post requires the SSIAP 1 qualification, and the team leader post requires SSIAP 2.
| Establishment (performance venues) | Fire safety service | Performance-time service |
|---|---|---|
| 1st category with more than 3,000 people | Agents compliant with article MS 46 | 1 SSIAP 2 and 2 SSIAP 1, plus one extra SSIAP 1 from 6,000 upwards |
| 1st category from 1,501 to 3,000 people | Agents who, by exception to MS 46 § 2, may also carry out other tasks | 1 SSIAP 1 |
| 2nd category with an integrated or attached stage area and M2, C-s2, d0 or M3 wood scenery | One fire safety agent and two designated persons | 1 SSIAP 1 |
| 3rd and 4th categories with an integrated or attached stage area and M2, C-s2, d0 or M3 wood scenery | Two designated persons | 1 SSIAP 1 |
| Other establishments | One designated person | No requirement |
The budgeting takeaway: the SSIAP 2 team leader is required from a capacity of 3,000 people, while an on-duty SSIAP 1 is already mandatory in fourth category if there's an integrated or attached stage area with scenery of the classes cited in article L 14. A miscalculated capacity doesn't just risk a penalty: it changes the night's staffing bill. This is separate from door security staff, who are governed by the code de la sécurité intérieure.
What does a marquee or chapiteau-type CTS structure require?
A dedicated regime from 50 people upwards. Article CTS 1 of the arrêté du 25 juin 1980 applies to establishments «destinés par conception à être clos en tout ou partie et itinérants, possédant une couverture souple» (designed to be fully or partially enclosed and mobile, with a flexible covering) when «l'effectif total du public admis est supérieur ou égal à 50 personnes» (the total admitted public capacity is 50 people or more). Between 20 and 49 people, the establishment «est soumis aux seules dispositions de l'article CTS 37» (is subject only to the provisions of article CTS 37). Campsites and fairground attractions fall outside this type.
The local procedure is what usually catches foreign promoters off guard. Article CTS 31 states that «l'organisateur de la manifestation ou du spectacle doit obtenir l'autorisation du maire» (the organiser of the event or show must obtain the mayor's authorisation) and send them, «au moins un mois avant la date d'ouverture au public» (at least one month before the opening date to the public), four documents: the extract from the safety register set out in Annex II, the installation arrangements, the type of activity with the internal layout plan, and «un descriptif des installations techniques» (a description of the technical installations). The mayor may, if considered useful, request a safety commission visit before opening to the public.
And there's one more document, for the end of the build: after installation and before the first opening to the public, an «attestation de bon montage» (certificate of correct assembly) is drawn up, kept available for the police authorities. Without it, the marquee is up, but it isn't compliant.
What rules apply to an outdoor venue?
Those of type PA, but only for sports facilities. Article PA 1 of the arrêté du 25 juin 1980, in the chapter on open-air establishments, applies to «terrains de sports, aux stades, aux pistes de patinage, aux piscines, aux arènes, aux hippodromes, etc., situés en plein air, dans lesquels l'effectif du public est supérieur à 300 personnes» (sports grounds, stadiums, skating rinks, swimming pools, arenas, racecourses, etc., located outdoors, where the public capacity exceeds 300 people).
Article PA 2 calculates capacity from the owner's declaration or, if higher, from floor-area ratios: one person per 10 m² of activity area on sports pitches, two people per 3 m² of skating surface, three people per 2 m² of water surface, plus the audience. For spectators, the familiar ratios return: seated, one per seat; benches at one person per 0.50 m; and standing areas at 3 people/m² or five per linear metre.
A festival in a field isn't, by itself, a type PA ERP: this is our own reading, not the text of the regulation. What a field does have are structures — CTS marquees, stands, stages — each with its own regime, plus the administrative police declarations covered below. If the venue is a stadium or a sports ground with more than 300 spectators, type PA applies as is. It's the same split as in venue capacity and event safety in Germany, where the VStättVO separates permanent venues from temporary structures.
When does the event need to be declared to the authorities?
There are two separate declarations, and it's worth not confusing them. The first applies to events run for profit: article R211-22 of the code de la sécurité intérieure requires declaring to the mayor when the public and staff «peuvent atteindre plus de 1 500 personnes» (can reach more than 1,500 people), between one year and one month in advance. The detail of this procedure is in our guide on how to sell tickets in France.
What that guide doesn't cover is what the order-keeping service must do once it's imposed. Article R211-25 lists it: preventing disturbances that threaten spectator safety, inspecting the venue, separating groups, stepping in during disputes, assisting people in danger, alerting the emergency services, and keeping the evacuation routes clear. Article R211-24 allows the authority to impose or reinforce this order-keeping service and requires it to give notice «quinze jours au moins avant le début de la manifestation» (at least fifteen days before the event starts).
The second declaration covers rassemblements festifs à caractère musical (musical festive gatherings), articles R211-2 to R211-9. It's triggered when four conditions are met together: amplified music; an expected number of people that «dépasse 500» (exceeds 500); advertising through press, posters, flyers or any other means of communication; and a risk to participants' safety «en raison de l'absence d'aménagement ou de la configuration des lieux» (due to the lack of fit-out or the layout of the site). The declaration goes to the departmental prefect — the police prefect in Paris and in the Parisian airport venues — one month in advance, dropping to fifteen days if the organiser has already signed up to a code of good practice beforehand. If the measures seem insufficient, the prefect may impose whatever conditions are deemed necessary.
| Procedure | Threshold that triggers it | Deadline | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authorisation for exceptional use of the venue | Use other than authorised, even if partial or occasional | 2 months before | Art. GN 6 arrêté du 25 juin 1980 |
| Marquee installation authorisation | Capacity of 50 people or more | 1 month before, to the mayor | Art. CTS 31 arrêté du 25 juin 1980 |
| Declaration of event run for profit | More than 1,500 people, public plus staff | Between 1 year and 1 month before | Art. R211-22 code de la sécurité intérieure |
| Declaration of musical festive gathering | More than 500 people expected, with amplified music | 1 month, or 15 days with a code of good practice | Art. R211-2 and R211-3 code de la sécurité intérieure |
| Authorisation to open to the public | Before opening, and after a closure of more than ten months | Prior reception visit by the commission | Art. R143-38 code de la construction et de l'habitation |
Can your team pat down or search bags at the door?
Only with four conditions met at once, and the first is capacity. Article L613-3 of the code de la sécurité intérieure permits security pat-downs «pour l'accès aux enceintes dans lesquelles est organisée une manifestation sportive, récréative ou culturelle rassemblant plus de 300 spectateurs» (for access to venues hosting a sporting, recreational or cultural event gathering more than 300 spectators). They may be carried out by private security staff and members of the order-keeping service that the organiser assigns to event security, «titulaires d'une qualification reconnue par l'Etat et agréées par le directeur du Conseil national des activités privées de sécurité» (holders of a state-recognised qualification and approved by the director of the Conseil national des activités privées de sécurité, CNAPS).
The other three conditions are in the same sentence: «sous le contrôle d'un officier de police judiciaire» (under the supervision of a judicial police officer), «avec le consentement exprès des personnes» (with the explicit consent of the people concerned), and, where a pat-down takes place, «la palpation doit être effectuée par une personne de même sexe que la personne qui en fait l'objet» (the pat-down must be carried out by a person of the same sex as the person being searched). A visual inspection of bags is more straightforward; searching them requires the owner's consent.
The same article regulates millimetre-wave scanners installed by the venue operator: explicit consent, image analysis by an operator who doesn't see the person, face blurring, generic silhouettes, and a ban on keeping or recording the images. For the operational side of this filter — how many doors, how long each check takes — our guide on access control at festivals has the field figures.
What documents need to be on site on the day of the event?
Four, and three of them are required by a specific article. The first is the opening authorisation: article R143-38 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation states that «avant toute ouverture des établissements au public ainsi qu'avant la réouverture des établissements fermés pendant plus de dix mois, il est procédé à une visite de réception par la commission» (before any opening of establishments to the public, and before the reopening of establishments closed for more than ten months, a reception visit is carried out by the commission), and that «l'exploitant demande au maire l'autorisation d'ouverture» (the operator requests the opening authorisation from the mayor).
The second is the safety register. Article R143-44 requires it to record the dates and nature of fit-out works together with the contractors' names, «l'état nominatif et hiérarchique des personnes appartenant au service de sécurité» (the named, ranked list of people belonging to the safety service), the general and specific fire instructions «y compris les consignes d'évacuation prenant en compte les différents types de handicap» (including evacuation instructions accounting for different types of disability), the dates of inspections and checks with their observations, and the dates of fire safety drills.
The third is the report from the last inspection visit. The official factsheet from justice.fr on fire safety rules for an ERP notes that the departmental advisory commission on safety and accessibility visits operating establishments every «3 ou 5 ans» (3 or 5 years) depending on the type of activity and category, that the mayor notifies the operator of the report with the commission's findings, and that the mayor can order closure if there's a danger. 5th-category ERPs without overnight accommodation are exempt from these periodic visits.
The fourth isn't a venue document but one for the medical response plan. The arrêté du 7 novembre 2006 sets the national reference framework for emergency response units, in force since 1 January 2007, and its article 2 reserves their deployment to approved civil protection associations: «seules les associations agréées de sécurité civile peuvent contribuer à la mise en place des dispositifs prévisionnels de secours» (only approved civil security associations may help set up emergency response units). The specific sizing is in the annex published by the Ministère de l'Intérieur, not in the body of the arrêté. In Spain, the arrangement is different and depends on each region, as we explain in when an ambulance is mandatory at an event.
It's also worth keeping an eye on the construction timeline. The arrêté du 19 février 2026, published in Journal officiel no. 0045 on 22 February 2026, rewrites much of the 1980 regulation's fire-resistance and materials requirements, and applies to building authorisation requests submitted from 1 June 2027 onwards. It doesn't affect day-to-day operation, but it does affect anyone designing a new venue.
And what part of capacity management does Futura Tickets cover?
No ticketing platform calculates your legal capacity for you: that's down to article L 3 and the venue's file. What a sales system can do is stop you from exceeding the authorised number and show you, in real time, how many people have come through each door. Futura Tickets is a Spanish SaaS ticketing platform for professional organisers, selling in 9 languages and across 11 country domains, with no monthly fee: €0 a month and €0 to sign up, just a commission per ticket sold. With Futura Tickets, the attendee database belongs 100% to the organiser, which matters when the event crosses a border. In its operational guide, Futura Tickets recommends setting capacity alerts at 80% and 95% of each zone's capacity, giving you room to react before hitting the ceiling. If you're selling in France, cross-check the capacity configured on the platform against the venue's authorised number and keep the calculation on record: you can see this on the product page and put it into practice with real-time capacity tracking.
Checklist before opening the doors in France
Seven checks, in chronological order.
Request the venue's file before signing. You need the type (L, PA, CTS), the category and the authorised capacity. Without these three pieces of information, you can't decide how many tickets to put on sale.
Recalculate capacity for the event's actual format. A multi-purpose venue at 1 person/m² and a standing concert at 3 people/m² aren't the same venue for the purposes of article L 3, even if it's the same door.
Add your staff to the capacity count. Article R143-19 requires increasing the public count by any staff without independent areas with their own exits, and twenty people can shift you into a different category.
If the use isn't the authorised one, count two months. GN 6 requires the request «au moins deux mois avant» (at least two months before), jointly from the operator and the occasional user. It's the longest deadline on this list, and the one that decides your announcement date.
If there's a marquee, write to the mayor a month ahead. CTS 31 requires the extract from the safety register in Annex II, the installation arrangements, the internal layout plan and the technical description, plus the assembly certificate before opening.
Check which police declaration applies to you. More than 1,500 people between public and staff triggers R211-22; more than 500 with amplified music and public advertising triggers R211-2. They aren't mutually exclusive.
Hire security staff with the right qualification. Above 300 spectators, pat-downs require CNAPS director approval, supervision by a judicial police officer, explicit consent, and a pat-down carried out by someone of the same sex.
Conclusion
France regulates capacity through per-square-metre ratios and safety through ERP categories, and both have to be calculated before the first ticket goes on sale. The figure that comes out of article L 3 drives the category under article R143-19, the SSIAP staffing under article L 14, the deadlines under GN 6 and CTS 31, and the declarations under articles R211-2 and R211-22. It's all in open sources: Legifrance, the state's official factsheets and the Interior Ministry's reference framework. For the other side of the same event — registration, VAT and the CNM levy — see our guide on how to sell tickets in France, and for context on the French sector, our coverage of the live performance tax credit in the magazine. Anyone comparing this with the British model will find a different approach in Martyn's Law: there, the threshold triggers a threat assessment; here, it triggers a metre count.
Sources
- Arrêté du 25 juin 1980, article L 3: calculation of maximum public capacity in type L (Legifrance)
- Arrêté du 25 juin 1980, articles L 1 to L 17: provisions applicable to all type L establishments (Legifrance)
- Arrêté du 25 juin 1980, article L 14: fire safety service and performance-time service (Legifrance)
- Arrêté du 25 juin 1980, article GN 6: exceptional uses of venues (Legifrance)
- Arrêté du 2 mai 2005: duties, deployment and qualifications of fire safety service staff, SSIAP 1 and SSIAP 2 (Legifrance)
- Arrêté du 30 octobre 2023 amending the arrêté du 25 juin 1980: «quinze jours» becomes «deux mois» in GN 6 (Legifrance)
- Arrêté du 25 juin 1980, article CTS 1: scope of application for marquees, tents and structures (Legifrance)
- Arrêté du 25 juin 1980, article CTS 31: mayor's authorisation and documents one month ahead (Legifrance)
- Arrêté du 25 juin 1980, chapter on open-air establishments: articles PA 1 to PA 14 (Legifrance)
- Code de la construction et de l'habitation, article R143-19: determination of capacity and ERP categories (Legifrance)
- Code de la construction et de l'habitation, article R143-38: reception visit and opening authorisation (Legifrance)
- Code de la construction et de l'habitation, article R143-44: content of the safety register (Legifrance)
- Code de la sécurité intérieure, articles R211-2 to R211-9: musical festive gatherings (Legifrance)
- Code de la sécurité intérieure, articles R211-22 to R211-26: events run for profit and the order-keeping service (Legifrance)
- Code de la sécurité intérieure, article L613-3: security pat-downs above 300 spectators (Legifrance)
- Arrêté du 7 novembre 2006 setting the national reference framework for emergency response units (Legifrance)
- National reference framework for civil security duties: emergency response units (Ministère de l'Intérieur)
- Fire safety rules for a public-receiving establishment, official factsheet (justice.fr)
- Arrêté du 19 février 2026 amending the fire safety regulation for ERPs (Legifrance)