Compliance records and digital logbooks for UK pubs and bars

A pub answers to more people than most small businesses. The licensing authority, the environmental health officer (EHO), the fire service and Trading Standards can all ask to see your records, and each one cares about something different.

This page covers what UK pubs and bars should log, from the cellar to the kitchen to the front door, and which of those records the law actually requires.

What a pubs & bars business needs to record

Record	How often	Why it matters
Opening and closing checks	Every session	Fire exits clear, toilets checked, cellar secure, and anything unusual written down with what you did.
Cellar temperature	Daily	Keeps beer in the range your brewer recommends. This is a quality record rather than a legal one.
Beer line cleaning	As your brewer or supplier specifies; usually at least weekly	Dirty lines spoil beer and cause complaints. A dated log also shows the chemicals were handled properly.
Refusals register	Every time a sale is refused	Date, time, what happened and a description of the customer. Trading Standards treat this as evidence of a working age-check system.
Staff training on age checks and licensing	At induction and at refresher intervals	Supports your age verification policy, which is a mandatory licence condition in England and Wales.
Fridge and freezer temperatures (if you serve food)	At least daily	Chilled food must be kept at 8°C or below in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Cooking and hot holding (if you serve food)	Each batch and during service	Hot food must be held at 63°C or above if not served straight away.
Allergen information (if you serve food)	Whenever the menu or a supplier changes	You must give information on the 14 allergens for every dish, in writing or verbally with a clear notice.
Fire alarm test	Weekly, using a different call point each time	Records faults and shows the alarm is maintained, which your fire risk assessment depends on.
Emergency lighting test	Monthly functional test, annual service	Escape routes must stay lit if the power fails during a busy night.

Who checks your records

Licensing authority
Your council issues the premises licence and personal licences under the Licensing Act 2003 in England and Wales, and can review a licence if the licensing objectives are not being met. Scotland has its own licensing law.
Local authority environmental health
Inspects food hygiene if you serve food, and usually enforces health and safety law in pubs and other hospitality and leisure premises.
Fire and rescue authority
Enforces the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales: fire risk assessment, alarms, escape routes, staff training. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate rules.
Trading Standards
Enforces the law on age-restricted sales and advises businesses on due diligence systems such as refusals registers.

If your records are missing

Licensing. Anyone can ask the council to review a premises licence if they think the licensing objectives, such as protecting children from harm, are not being met (GOV.UK). A refusals register and training records are the quickest way to show you take age checks seriously.

Food hygiene. If you serve food, poor records weigh on the management part of your food hygiene rating. Serious failings can lead to a Hygiene Improvement Notice. Without records, the due diligence defence in section 21 of the Food Safety Act 1990 is hard to rely on.

Fire safety. Fire officers can issue informal advice, enforcement notices or, where the risk is serious, a prohibition notice that takes effect immediately (GOV.UK).

Quick answer

UK pubs need records for three regulators at once: licensing (age checks, refusals, staff training), environmental health (food safety if you serve food, plus health and safety) and fire safety (alarm and emergency lighting tests, drills). Cellar and line-cleaning logs are not legal requirements, but they protect your beer and your stock.

Food-serving pub or drinks-only bar?

The answer changes your paperwork more than anything else. Food and drink businesses generally need to register with the council at least 28 days before trading. Check with your council if you only sell drinks and packaged snacks.

Record	Drinks-only bar	Pub serving food
Refusals register and age-check training	Yes	Yes
Fire alarm, emergency lighting, drills	Yes	Yes
Cellar temperature and line cleaning	Good practice	Good practice
Fridge, cooking and hot holding logs	Only for any chilled food you keep	Yes, daily
Allergen information for 14 allergens	Only if you serve food	Yes, for every dish
SFBB pack or equivalent	Usually not	Yes

The cellar and the lines

No law tells you how often to clean beer lines. Brewers and suppliers do, and most ask for at least weekly cleaning. Follow their instructions, because they know their product and their warranty terms. A simple dated log covers you if a customer complains, and it shows line-cleaning chemicals were used correctly, which is a health and safety matter.

Log the cellar temperature each day against the range your brewer gives you. If it drifts, write down what you did: called the engineer, moved stock, adjusted the cooler. That note is more useful than the number.

Challenge 25 and the refusals register

In England and Wales, every premises licence carries a mandatory condition to have an age verification policy (GOV.UK). Many pubs use Challenge 25: anyone who looks under 25 is asked for ID. Some licences name it as a condition, so check yours.

A refusals register records the date, time, what happened and a description of the customer. Trading Standards guidance says it helps show you actively refuse sales and have a working system. An empty register on a busy Friday-night pub is a warning sign to a licensing officer, not a good one.

Record refusals after the customer has gone, not in front of them.
Have the designated premises supervisor review and sign the register regularly.
Use it to spot staff who never refuse, and give them refresher training.

One place for every logbook

LogBooks Hub has 90+ logbook types, so cellar checks, refusals, fire tests and kitchen logs sit in one app. Staff get reminders, entries are timestamped, and you can export a one-click audit pack PDF before a licensing or EHO visit.

LogBooks Hub logbooks for pubs & bars

These come ready to use from our 90+ digital compliance logbooks. Each one reminds staff when a check is due, records who did it and when, and can hold a photo as evidence.

Opening and closing checks
Cellar temperature log
Beer line cleaning log
Refusals register
Staff training record
Glasswasher and ice machine cleaning
Toilet and public area checks
Fridge and freezer temperature log
Cooking and hot holding temperature log
Allergen matrix
Cleaning schedule
Fire alarm weekly test
Emergency lighting test
Accident and incident log

Free printable versions: Opening and closing checks, Fridge and freezer temperature log, Cooking, cooling, reheating and hot holding log, Allergen matrix, Fire alarm weekly test log, Emergency lighting test log.

Frequently asked questions

What does an EHO check in a pub?

If you serve food, the environmental health officer checks how food is handled, cooked and stored, the condition and cleanliness of the kitchen and bar, and how you manage food safety, including your records. Councils also usually enforce health and safety in pubs, so they may look at cellar safety, gas, slips and trips, and how chemicals are stored.

Is a refusals log a legal requirement?

Not in itself, unless your premises licence makes it a condition. What the law requires in England and Wales is an age verification policy. A refusals register is the most common way to prove that policy is used, and Trading Standards recommend keeping one as part of a due diligence system.

How often should beer lines be cleaned?

There is no legal frequency. Most brewers and suppliers recommend cleaning lines at least once a week, and some products need it more often. Follow your brewer's instructions, record each clean with the date and who did it, and note the chemical used. This is good practice for quality, not a legal requirement.

Does a drinks-only pub need a food hygiene rating?

GOV.UK registration guidance covers businesses that sell food and drink, so most bars need to register with their council. Whether a drinks-only bar is inspected and rated depends on what you sell and your council's risk assessment. Ask your local authority. If you serve any food at all, expect to be rated.

What is Challenge 25?

Challenge 25 is a policy where staff ask anyone who looks under 25 for valid ID before selling alcohol. It is not set out word for word in the Licensing Act 2003, but every premises licence in England and Wales must include an age verification policy, and many pubs use Challenge 25 to meet it. Scotland has its own licensing rules.

How often should we test the fire alarm in a pub?

Weekly testing with a different manual call point each time is standard practice for premises with a fire alarm system, and it is what Home Office fire guidance for small guest accommodation describes. Record each test and any faults. Your fire risk assessment should say what checks your premises needs, and fire officers can ask to see the records.

Official guidance and sources

This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Rules differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; check with your local authority if you are unsure.

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