The Environmental Protection Act 1986 (the Act) states "noise includes vibration of any frequency, whether transmitted through air or any other physical medium".
The Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997 (the Regulations) operate as a prescribed standard under the Act and set limits on noise emissions.
The Regulations refer to several Australian Standards. These documents can be viewed at no cost by contacting us.
Regulating noise
We deal with industries that are prescribed premises under the Act, while local governments use the Regulations to deal with domestic, commercial and general industry noise.
The police deal with such activities as noisy parties, using the 'unreasonable noise' provisions of the Act, instead of the Regulations.
For information on the definition of unreasonable noise, refer to subsection 3(3) of the Act.
Regulatory reform - Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997
Show moreRead about our work on reforms to manage music noise in special entertainment precincts.
Section 6 Orders and Division 6 Approvals
Show moreA Section 6 Order or Division 6 Approval allows the recipient to operate under noise constraints that are different than those prescribed in the Environmental Protection Act 1986 and the Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997.
Read more about Orders and Approvals, including a list of current approvals and orders.
Report noise pollution
Show moreFind out who to contact to report noise pollution.
