There’s no avoiding it – building and construction noise can get loud. This can greatly annoy your neighbours, and while some noise can be excused, being loud during all hours of the day might increase the risk of a disgruntled community. You probably don’t want to make a bad name for yourself before you’ve even moved in, so it’s important that you know and stick to the building noise regulations in your area. Knowing this information can also help state your case should any complaints be made.
Today we’re looking at everything you need to know about the regulations and restrictions surrounding building noise in Queensland. Keep reading to learn more below.
Table of Contents
Brief overview of the Queensland Building noise regulations
The building work noise regulations apply to both owner-builders and anyone other than the residential occupier carrying out the following activities at a residence:
- Building, repairing, altering, underpinning, moving, or demolishing a building
- Carrying out works to do with air conditioning, drainage, heating, lighting, sewerage, ventilation, or water supply for a building
- Excavating, filling, or retaining work that relates to other building work
- Installing or removing scaffolding
If any noise can be heard from the building site, you’ll need to make sure your contractor is only working between certain hours. If they’re caught working around these hours, you might be issued a fine. The accepted hours in Queensland are:
- 6.30 pm to 6.30 am Monday to Saturday
- Any time on public holidays or Sundays
These times may vary depending on whether you’re building in a residential area or a commercial area, so it’s important that you know the regulations for your specific location.
Also, some areas of Queensland might operate under 7 am to 7 pm guidelines instead, so make sure you check your local council’s regulations!
What is the permissible building noise time?
Residential areas
When building in residential areas, you are permitted to undertake noisy work between the hours of 6.30 am and 6.30 pm, Monday to Saturday. During the hours of 6.30 pm to 6.30 am, you’re permitted to continue work that creates no audible noise. On Sundays and public holidays, no audible noise is permitted.
Commercial & industrial areas
While commercial and industrial areas might be more secluded and therefore under less pressure from the risk of complaints, the permissible building noise time is the same as residential areas. Section 440R of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 states:
“Building work that causes noise that can be clearly heard by an individual who is an occupier of an affected building can be carried out on a business day or Saturday between 6.30 am and 6.30 pm.”
If there are no affected buildings in the commercial or industrial areas, then you may be able to continue your noisy building work around these hours. However, you may be subject to complaint if you are near a building with an occupier without realising it.
What are the noise limits for different types of equipment?
According to the Environmental Protection Act 1994, there are several noise regulations and limits depending on the type of equipment used:
- Air conditioning units and refrigeration equipment: More than 5 decibels above background level
- Pumps attached to water tanks, fountains, pools and spas: More than 3 decibels above background level
- Regulated devices, such as lawn mowers, line trimmers, mulchers, leaf blowers, generators, compressors, and power tools: Any audible noise between 7 am and 7 pm Monday to Saturday, and between 8 am and 7 pm on Sundays and public holidays
- Building work being carried out by a registered contractor or builder, or under an owner-builder permit: Any audible noise between 6.30 am and 6.30 pm Monday to Saturday
As you can see, as long as you’re operating your equipment between the correct hours on permissible days, there is no strict noise limit you need to adhere to.
Having said this, constant exposure to loud noises can damage hearing and lead to long-term issues such as tinnitus. To avoid your construction noise becoming a danger for workers, it’s recommended that the noise level doesn’t exceed 85 decibels, or 140 decibels as a peak.
How is noise level measured on building sites?
The noise level on your building site can be measured through a noise level metre, although this isn’t always a requirement. In the spirit of good nature, you can measure the sound levels yourself to make sure your neighbours aren’t being subjected to anything too drastic. If you’re planning on doing this, or have any neighbours who have been particularly challenging about the idea of building work, we’d recommend measuring the noise level yourself to make sure you have proof should a complaint be filed.
What are the consequences of breaching noise regulations in QLD?
Fines and penalties
Breaching the Environmental Protection Act’s noise limits can see you faced with a fine and penalties from your local council. If you unlawfully cause an environmental nuisance, which includes noise, odour, smoke, and more, you could be fined a maximum of 600 penalty units. This equates to around $82,200!
However, that’s not all – if you’re found to be causing the noise wilfully, you could face up to 1,665 penalty units, or $228,105. So, it’s definitely wise to adhere to the noise regulations in Queensland.
Complaints & action from council
It’s possible that you’ll get complaints about your building work noise from neighbours, and these will either be given directly to you or taken to the council. We’d recommend dealing with complaints privately wherever possible to avoid getting the council involved, as this could lead to you getting into trouble.
However, if a complaint has gone straight to the council with enough evidence to back it up, the council might send an Environmental Enforcement Officer to explain the complaint and give you a timeframe in which you have to fix the problem. If you don’t adhere to the information given to you by the Officer, the council has the right to issue an on-the-spot fine or even prosecute you.
How to minimise building noise
A lot of notice from building sites is unavoidable, but there are some things you can do to keep the noise down and prevent too many complaints:
- Limit work hours
- Choose quieter equipment or use alternatives
- Carry work out as far away from neighbours as possible, including sensitive areas such as bedroom windows
- Reguarly service your equipment
- Use a solid fence or barrier to separate the works from neighbours
- Install a temporary acoustic enclosure for fixed equipment, such as compressors and vacuum equipment
- Modify your equipment – but only safely
How to report excessive noise
If you’ve noticed any building work ongoing outside of the allowable hours set out by your local council, you can lodge a complaint and have a member of the council attend the site to investigate. Alternatively, if you’re not comfortable with having someone attend your property to carry out the investigation, you can also submit evidence to the council. This may include:
- An environmental nuisance diary
- Recordings of the noise
- Any other evidence supporting your complaint
- A statutory declaration that the information you’ve provided is true and correct
Your submitted information and evidence can be used as supporting evidence in enforcement action, and you may even be required to present your evidence before the court if it’s escalated.
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