What Are The Building Noise Regulations & Restrictions QLD?

Key Takeaways

Queensland has strict building noise regulations, where noise is only allowed from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm, Monday to Saturday. Building noise is not allowed during public holidays or Sundays, and this applies to residential and commercial areas
Breaking these noise regulations can land you a fine of up to $82,200 and over $228,000 if the breach is intentional
You can minimise your building noise by switching to quieter equipment, working only during permitted hours, and considering barriers or acoustic enclosures to contain noise

Are you about to embark on building work and aren’t sure what the noise regulations are in Queensland? Queensland has strict building noise regulations that must be followed to prevent any fines that could impact your construction. It is essential that you and your builders understand these regulations to ensure your work is completed considerately and safely. Today, we outline the noise regulations you need to consider and how you can minimise noise during your building work.

What are the building noise regulations in Queensland?

Building work in Queensland must follow the noise regulations set by the Environmental Protection Act 1994. The act defines building work noise as the following:

Carrying out work with air conditioning, heating, drainage, lighting, sewerage, ventilation, or water supply for buildings
Building, repairing, demolishing, moving, altering, or underpinning a building
Installing or removing scaffolding
Filling, excavating, or retaining work related to a building

When carrying out these works, you need to ensure that you are following the noise regulations, which state that building noise can only be made between 6:30 am and 6:30 pm Monday to Saturday.

No building work noise is allowed during public holidays and on Sundays, so any work should be stopped on these days, or only carried out if there will be no noise that will disturb your neighbours or others.

The noise regulations can vary slightly depending on your local council, but many follow the 6:30 to 6:30 rule, or a 7 to 7 rule. Check with your local council before beginning building work to ensure you have the correct times.

These noise regulation times remain the same for residential and commercial areas unless stated otherwise. There are some slight differences between residential and commercial areas' building noise regulations that you do need to be aware of, though:

Residentialareas's building noise regulations

When carrying out building work in residential areas, you must keep noisy work to between 6:30 am and 6:30 pm from Monday to Saturday. You are allowed to complete building work outside of these hours, too, providing that it creates no audible noise.

Commercial and industrial areas building noise regulations

Commercial and industrial areas usually are more secluded, reducing the chance of noise complaints. You still have to follow the same 6:30 am to 6:30 pm rule for nosy building work on Monday to Saturday, but the Environment Protection Act 1994 does allow you to continue working beyond these times.

Providing that there are no affected buildings in your area, you can continue with your noisy building work, allowing you to complete the work quickly. We do recommend that you be mindful when doing this, as you might still get a complaint from other building owners nearby. It is best to let those near you know you are completing building work beforehand to prevent any unnecessary noise complaints or backlash.

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.

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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
Regularly 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.

Find your experienced builder in Queensland today

When carrying out any building work in Queensland, you need to be mindful of the noise you make, ensuring that you are not breaking any regulations that will leave you with hefty fines. Any registered and experienced builder in Queensland will be aware of these rules, so make sure you are working with the best. Unsure where to find your builder? We can help! As experienced builder brokers, we can match you to the perfect builder for your work, ensuring that you can carry out the work without worrying about excessive noise.

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