Turning pubs into housing or offices will be made harder as part of changes to government planning rules in England.
The updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will come into force on Monday and is expected to contain more protections for pubs at threat of closure for conversion to another use.
A previous consultation on the plans only gave the protection to the last pub in the area.
However, pub and hospitality groups say taxes and employment costs are the big reasons why pubs are closing. Meanwhile, the Conservatives said the Labour government is "failing abysmally" to meet its housing targets.
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To go ahead with a change of use under the new rules, developers will need to provide evidence that there is no reasonable prospect of keeping a pub business running.
The evidence will need to include proof it was marketed for sale for at least 12 months.
A government spokesperson told the BBC councils would need to assess the impact on a community of a change of use.
The rules will reportedly stop owners from deliberately killing off trade in order to justify a closure, protecting pubs which have been historically successful.
The NPPF sets out government's planning policies for England and how they should be applied by local authorities.
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own devolved planning frameworks and laws.
The Campaign for Real Ale has previously said that pubs are being "lost forever to conversion or demolition as developers look to cash in on the desirable locations and unique architecture of pubs and social clubs".
The British Beer and Pub Association and UKHospitality have also campaigned against pub closures, with both largely blaming tax rises and other costs.
Allen Simpson, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: "The biggest issue facing hospitality businesses is costs like VAT and business rates pushing pubs out of business in the first place.