Riot Act

Riot Act
Act of Parliament
	Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act for Preventing Tumults and Riotous Assemblies, and for the more speedy and effectual Punishing the Rioters
Citation	1 Geo. 1. St. 2. c. 5
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	20 July 1715
Commencement	1 August 1715
Repealed	England and Wales: 1 January 1968; Scotland: 18 July 1973;
Other legislation
Amended by	Criminal Statutes Repeal Act 1827; Criminal Law (India) Act 1828; Statute Law Revision Act 1888;
Repealed by	England and Wales: Criminal Law Act 1967; Scotland: Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1973;
Relates to	Reform Act 1832; Punishment of Offences Act 1837; Public Order Act 1986; Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005;
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Riot Act (1 Geo. 1. St. 2. c. 5), sometimes called the Riot Act 1714 or the Riot Act 1715, was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain which authorised local authorities to declare any group of 12 or more people to be unlawfully assembled and order them to disperse or face punitive action. The act's full title was "An Act for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies, and for the more speedy and effectual punishing the rioters", and it came into force on 1 August 1715.

The whole act was repealed for England and Wales by section 10(2) of, and part III of schedule 3 to, the Criminal Law Act 1967, which came into force on 1 January 1968.

Acts similar to the Riot Act passed into the laws of British colonies in Australia and North America, some of which remain in force today.

The phrase "read the riot act" has passed into common usage for a stern reprimand or warning of consequences.