Open Meet Licencing Levels
Open meets are generally licensed by the ASA. Each meet is allocated a level 1-4 depending on the grade of the meet.
Levels 1 & 2 are primarily intended for higher standard swimmers and have qualifying times i.e. times you must have swum to gain entry. Level 1 meets are always in a 50m pool and level 2 meets in a 25m pool. These meets have a high standard of officiating and times swum in these meets are eligible for entry into National, Regional and County Competitions.
Level 3 meets do not have to have qualifying times but they must have "upper limit" times. This means that you should not have swum faster than these times to enter this meet. Times swum in level 3 meets can be used for entry into Regional and County Competitions and for entry into Level 1 & 2 meets. The officiating standards for these meets are lower than level 1 & 2 meets. Level 3 meets can be held in a 25m or 50m pool length.
Level 4 meets are only for single club competitions eg Club Championships and times swum in these can be used to enter County Championships and Level 3 meets.
The full ASA meet licencing guidelines can be found here.