General News
4 February, 2025
Noise guide released
Industry, construction, entertainment, or just a noisy neighbour — the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has a quick guide on who to call for the most commonly reported pollution: noise.
EPA Victoria said residents should call council or police (if after hours) for residential noise, themselves for commercial or industrial noise, and Liquor Control Victoria for licensed entertainment venues making a ruckus.
Not only is excessive noise annoying, EPA Victoria CEO Lee Miezis said it can harm your health and the environment, too.
“EPA, your local council and Victoria Police all play a role in enforcing the regulations, and it is not just about volume limits,” he said.
“Noise can cause harm when it disturbs sleep or interferes with rest and recreation. That’s all part of the General Environmental Duty (GED), Victorian law that makes it everyone’s responsibility to take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of harm to people and the environment.”
In 2024, the EPA received over 7700 reports about noise with nearly half of them involving shops and offices (25 percent) and residences (18 percent). That makes noise the most commonly reported pollutant.
Industry accounted for 15 percent of noise complaints, construction sites 13 percent, indoor entertainment venues eight percent, and outdoor entertainment events and venues four percent.
For the full story on what makes unreasonable noise and who to contact, visit the EPA website’s new Reporting Noise page epa.vic.gov.au /report-pollution/noise-pollution