Noise restrictions and complaints
Find out about acceptable noise levels and how to make a noise complaint.
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About noise restrictions
Noise restrictions help ensure Brisbane is a peaceful, safe and comfortable place to live. Excessive or nuisance noise can interfere with people’s daily activities and wellbeing.
Council encourages you to be mindful of your neighbours and the community. We regulate noise issues such as barking dogs, building works and equipment such as air conditioners.
Identify nuisance noise
Understand the guidelines and restrictions for the type of noise that’s affecting you.
Default noise standards
Default noise standards set decibel and time guidelines for certain noise types. Council can investigate if a noise is in breach of a default noise standard.
Noise is considered an offence if it exceeds dBA limits above the background noise, when measured at a neighbour's property.
In other circumstances it can be considered an offence if the noise is clearly audible from within an affected building.
If noise is deemed an offence, the responsible person can be fined or issued an Environmental Enforcement Order.
Noise nuisance
Noise nuisances can be any other noise that is not exempt or regulated by another regulatory agency or approval. As an example, noise from other machinery or equipment such as mechanical exhaust ventilation.
Noise is considered a nuisance if it creates unreasonable interference with an environmental value.
In this instance, noise is assessed to determine whether an Environmental Enforcement Order should be issued.
Daily noise limits
| Time | Noise limit above background noise |
|---|---|
| 7am-10pm | 5 dBA |
| 10pm-7am | 3 dBA |
Noise restrictions apply to the use of amplifier devices including:
- loud hailers
- megaphones
- public address systems
- remote telephone bells
- telephone repeater bells.
Noise limits
| Time | Day | Noise limit above background noise |
|---|---|---|
| 10pm-7am | Monday to Friday | No clearly audible noise allowed within an affected building. |
| 7am-10pm | Monday to Friday | 10 dBA |
| 6pm-8am | Weekend or public holiday | No clearly audible noise allowed within an affected building. |
| 8am-6pm | Weekend or public holiday | 10 dBA |
Under the Animals Local Law 2017, animal noise is a nuisance if it:
-
is made by a domestic animal, including livestock, poultry and dogs
-
unreasonably disrupts or inhibits activities at neighbouring premises or nearby residential land.
Daily nuisance noise limits
| Time | Noise limit |
|---|---|
| 7pm-10am | More than a total of 6 minutes within an hour |
| 10pm-7am | More than a total of 3 minutes within a 30-minute period |
These restrictions apply for noise from power boats on land (e.g. when testing or flushing engines).
Noise restrictions
No clearly audible noise allowed within an affected building:
| Time | Day |
|---|---|
| 7pm-7am | Saturday or business day |
| 6.30pm-8am | Sunday or public holiday |
Noise restrictions
No clearly audible noise allowed for a continuous period of more than 5 minutes within an affected building:
| Time | Day |
|---|---|
| 7pm-7am | Saturday or business day |
| 6.30pm-8am | Sunday or public holiday |
The following restrictions apply for noise from a power boat engine at a jetty or pontoon.
Building work noise restrictions apply to owner-builders including those operating under an owner builder permit. Note that it does not include a person carrying on building work at their principal place of residence.
Building work includes:
- building, repairing, altering, underpinning, moving or demolishing a building
- providing air conditioning, drainage, heating, lighting, sewerage, ventilation or water supply for a building
- excavating, filling or retaining work in conjunction with building work
- installing or removing scaffolding.
Noise restrictions
You cannot make clearly audible noise during these times:
| Time | Day |
|---|---|
| 6.30pm-6.30am | Monday to Saturday |
| Any time | Sunday or public holiday |
Exemptions
If you’ve received development approval that authorises noise releases outside of these times.
In these cases, you need to comply with the requirements of the development conditions.
Noise restrictions apply to the use of:
- compressors or generators
- ducted vacuuming systems
- lawn mowers
- edge cutters
- impacting tools
- leaf blowers
- mulchers
- oxyacetylene burners (blowtorches)
- power tools (chainsaws, drills, sanders, electric grinder, nail gun).
Noise limits
No clearly audible noise allowed in the following periods:
| Time | Day |
|---|---|
| 7pm-7am | Monday to Saturday |
| 7pm-8am | Sunday or public holiday |
Exemptions
Noise limits don’t apply:
- to builders or building contractors undertaking building work
- if Council has approved specific equipment or activities under a local law approval or a development approval. In this case, the person/company must comply with the approval conditions.
Daily noise limits
| Time | Noise limit above background noise |
|---|---|
| 7am-10pm | 5 dBA |
| 10pm-7am | 3 dBA |
Daily noise limits
| Time | Noise limit above background noise |
|---|---|
| 7am-7pm | 5 dBA |
| 7pm-10pm | 3 dBA |
| 10pm-7am | No clearly audible noise allowed. |
Dealing with a noise issue
Before making a complaint to Council about a noise nuisance, there are steps you should take yourself.
People often aren’t aware that they’re causing a noise issue. If you’re being disturbed by noise from your neighbours, have chat with them about your concerns. It's always best to work together to find a solution that suits everyone.
If you can’t come to an agreement and things aren't improving, make a complaint with Council. Council will contact the person to try and resolve the issue.
An environmental nuisance diary or recording will help support further investigation if required.
Complete an environmental nuisance diary
If you've tried to resolve the issue and it's continuing, complete a nuisance diary to help us understand the noise issue.
Be as detailed as possible when describing the noise and how it disrupts your daily activities.
You should keep your nuisance diary for at least 7 days.
You must note specific details such as time, date, duration, and how the noise affects you.
Download Council's environmental nuisance diary template:
Recordings
You can provide:
- a video of the alleged noise issue
- an audio recording and a picture of the activity creating the alleged noise issue.
Let the video or recording run uninterrupted for the entire time. Don’t stop and restart a recording.
When you submit a recording, video or picture, you must include:
- the date, start and end time of the recording or picture
- your name and address
- the noise source address or location
- where you made the recording at your residence, including where you placed the recorder
- a statutory declaration that the information provided is true and correct to the best of your knowledge.
Make a noise complaint
When filing a noise complaint, you need to provide:
- your name, address and phone number (this information is kept confidential during the investigation. However, should a formal notice be required it may be necessary to disclose your address)
- a description of the nuisance noise (date, time, and source address)
- any other form of evidence supporting your complaint.
To make a noise complaint:
- phone Council on 07 3403 8888
- email Council.
Report immediately
If you hear any of the following disturbances out of hours, contact us immediately:
- building work noise
- amplifier devices
- use of regulated devices such as power tools.
If you’re not comfortable with Council visiting your property, you can submit specific information and evidence to Council. This information includes:
- an environmental nuisance diary
- recordings
- any other form of evidence supporting your complaint
- a statutory declaration that the information you provided is true and correct to the best of your knowledge.
Investigation process
If the person responsible for the noise takes no action to solve the problem, a Council officer will investigate.
This can involve conducting noise monitoring or further assessments from the complainant’s premises.
If a noise complaint is found to be valid under the Act, Council may:
- issue a notice
- issue an on-the-spot fine.
If the person responsible still takes no action, Council may issue an infringement notice.
Find out more about timelines and outcomes in Council's complaints process.
Regulating noise
The Environmental Protection Act 1994 (the Act) governs nuisance noise in Brisbane.
It outlines:
- acceptable noise levels
- hours of operation for noisy activities.
Read the Act for information about noise standards.
Complaints Council regulates
Residential premises
Council can issue an on-the-spot fine or an Environmental Enforcement Order for breaching noise standards.
An Environmental Enforcement Order details the offence and the timeframe for fixing the issue. You can be fined or prosecuted for not complying with the notice.
Commercial premises
Commercial and industrial properties with development approval must comply with the conditions of the approval. This includes hours of business operation.
If there’s a breach of conditions, Council can issue a Show Cause Notice or an Enforcement Notice.
A Show Cause Notice gives the receiver an opportunity to respond to Council before the issue of an Enforcement Notice.
An Enforcement Notice can require the company to:
- comply with the development conditions
- take specific action
- stop the activity.
Council can also prosecute offenders under the Planning Act 2016.
Complaints not handled by Council
There are some types of noise that are regulated by other agencies.
Unless there are development conditions about a particular property, Council doesn't deal with noise complaints about:
- loud music or rowdy parties (contact Queensland Police Service)
- venues with a liquor licence that are located outside the special entertainment area in Fortitude Valley (contact the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation)
- on- and off-road vehicles, including trail bikes (contact Queensland Police Service)
- aircraft noise (contact Airservices Australia)
- activities and properties regulated by the Queensland Government (contact the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation).
Exemptions
The Act does not regulate noise from:
- road maintenance
- road traffic
- traffic signals
- railway or railway signals
- public transport infrastructure
- maintaining public infrastructure, including water and sewage services, and facilities for telecommunications or electricity
- preventing or removing public health risks.
Helpful links
Frequently asked questions
You can complain to Council about noisy neighbours if they’re breaching restrictions in the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (the Act). The types of noise investigated by Council include barking dogs, air conditioners and power tools.
Some types of noises are not covered by the Act, and you must file a complaint with other agencies.
To make a complaint about loud music or rowdy behaviour, contact Queensland Police Service.
To make a complaint about a noisy pub or club located outside of the Fortitude Valley special entertainment area, contact the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation.
Businesses with liquor licences must not breach the noise limit condition on their licence. This includes entertainment and patron noise, and some types of mechanical noise related to the operation of the premises.
If you receive a noise complaint, check the restrictions related to the activity or equipment causing the nuisance.
To resolve the issue, consider reducing the noise level by:
- limiting the hours you use the equipment
- relocating the equipment or performing the activity away from neighbours and sensitive areas, such as bedroom windows
- regularly servicing equipment, as a lack of maintenance can cause higher noise levels
- building a solid fence or barrier
- installing an acoustic enclosure.
If the noise complaint relates to a domestic animal, get advice on resolving animal noise disturbances.