> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.range-mate.co.uk/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.range-mate.co.uk/for-club-admins/reach-compliance/declaration.md).

# The Declaration

The declaration is the legal hinge: a specific set of fields, a hard pre-2028 timing incentive, and a mandatory re-submission at least every three years. The **Declaration** tab of the range's compliance hub tracks all of it for you.

## Records and your submitted declaration

Once a declaration is submitted, the evidence behind it is protected:

* Records dated on or before the submission date can still be **corrected**, but you'll be asked to give a short reason, which is kept in the audit trail with your name and the date.
* They can't be deleted. If a record should never have existed, mark it as **entered in error** — it stays visible (struck through) but stops counting towards your figures.
* Records you add after submitting work as normal.

{% hint style="info" %}
This is the same idea as a closed accounting period: your figures stay correctable, but nothing covered by a submission can change silently.
{% endhint %}

## Starting a declaration

Click **Start declaration**. Range Mate pre-fills what it can from the range — name, address, OS grid reference, and a standard confirmation statement. Add the **person responsible for safety** (name and contact) and review the rest.

The **enforcing authority** is set automatically from the range's nation (EA for England, NRW for Wales, SEPA for Scotland).

## The readiness checklist

While a declaration is a draft, you'll see a **Submission readiness** checklist. It won't let you mark the declaration ready until everything is present:

* the required fields (range name, address, grid reference, responsible person, confirmation statement, authority),
* a [site environmental profile](/for-club-admins/reach-compliance/site-environmental-profile.md),
* at least one [soil/water sample](/for-club-admins/reach-compliance/soil-and-water-monitoring.md), and
* at least one [risk-reduction action](/for-club-admins/reach-compliance/risk-reduction-actions.md).

A progress bar shows how close you are. Once everything's ticked, click **Mark ready**.

## Recording a submission

When you've actually submitted to your enforcing authority, click **Record submission** and enter the date. Range Mate then:

* sets the **next review date** to three years later, and
* tracks it on the [dashboard](/for-club-admins/reach-compliance/dashboard-and-evidence-pack.md), warning you as renewal approaches.

{% hint style="info" %}
Submit **before 1 April 2028** for uninterrupted use of lead projectiles when the transition ends. The range page and dashboard both show a live countdown to the deadline until you've submitted.
{% endhint %}

## Exporting for submission

The enforcing authorities haven't yet published a single online submission format, so Range Mate gives you a portable export to submit yourself:

* **Export PDF** — a human-readable declaration document.
* **Export JSON** — a structured version, ready to map to the authority's format once it's published.

## Renewing & resubmitting

A declaration must be kept current and re-submitted at least every three years. When it's time (or your information changes):

1. Open the current declaration and click **Start resubmission**.
2. A new declaration is created, pre-filled from the old one, which is kept in the history as **superseded**.
3. Update anything that's changed, mark it ready, and record the new submission.

If a submitted declaration passes its three-year review date without being renewed, Range Mate marks it **lapsed** so it's obvious on the dashboard.

{% hint style="warning" %}
The enforcing authority maintains a public list of submitted sites and can remove a site — and enforce the restriction — if the information isn't kept up to date or re-submitted within three years. Weak or stale records are a real exposure, which is why the renewal clock matters.
{% endhint %}